ROMANISM IN POLITICS

International Tract and Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Jun 3, 1889

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 15, No. 21.

ROMANISM IN POLITICS.

It may confidently be stated that a church with headquarters at Rome for all the world, is more of a political machine than a religious organization. Its political pretensions exceed its religious purposes. The work at headquarters in Rome is devoted more to political ingenuity than to spiritual methods. The devotion of the priesthood to the souls of the dead is only commended by the power of money, but at all times the priest who is fully obedient to the chief in charge at home, devotes himself to the political purposes of Romanism. It was in 1870 that the doctrine of Papal infallibility was declared. It took well for a time with nominal as well as faithful Catholics. But in a short time it began to grow that the authority of the Pope in temporal things was mere pretension, based upon a personal ambition to be at the head of a universal kingdom of earth. Shortly came the rebuke given by Catholic Italy, and the Pope found himself without temporal authority even in Rome. For some years it has been thought that the Vatican authorities had ceased to plan for temporal power. All who have so thought may have their minds disabused without further writing. The last year, or thereabouts, has shown such evidences of a well-planned attempt to gain control of political forces throughout the world, as never came from any political pretender of all history. Read a recital of facts:—

A representative Catholic paper—the Church Progress—recently said editorially: “While our clergy hitherto had but to keep their people in the faith, and protect them from the attacks of non-Catholics, now they have to labor to extend our faith, to make the land Catholic.” The italics are mine. This land can become a Catholic State only by overwhelming Catholic political majorities! This ecclesiastical intolerance of Romanism was unmasked in an address delivered in Philadelphia a little while ago by a Catholic bishop (Ryan). It proclaims the intention of the church. The bishop says: “The Church of Rome is intolerant. She alone has the right to be intolerant, because she alone has the truth. The church tolerates her enemies, because she is obliged to do so, but uses all her powers to annihilate them. If ever the Catholics should become a considerable majority, which in time will surely be the case, then will religious freedom in the United States come to an end. Our enemies know how she treated heretics in the Middle Ages, and how she treats them to-day when she has the power. We no more think of denying these facts than we do of blaming the holy Pope and the princes of the church for that they have thought fit to do.”

Here is the expressed purpose of Romanism to exercise political power in our country as soon as political majorities can be gained. I much doubt if Catholics will ever become a “considerable majority” in the United States.

In numbers they are a feeble folk, but their political strength is quite enough now to constitute a standing threat to our civilization and Protestantism.

Observe how the municipal government of the city of New York is preponderatingly Catholic. The four leading municipal officers, mayor, sheriff, county clerk, and president of the board of aldermen, are Catholics. One of the coroners, and sixteen out of the twenty-four aldermen, have Irish names, and at least two or three of the remaining eight aldermen are German Catholics. It must be observed that all faithful Catholics are called upon to scheme for the civil supremacy of the Catholic Church. Romanism in power always and everywhere means a subjugated Protestantism. The mayor of New York appoints officers whose aggregated salaries reach $150,000 a year. This appointing power is subject, in greater or less extent, to the direction and advice of an hierarchy.—Rev. Makepiece Trueworthy, D. D., in Occident.