Rome’s Claimed Rights of Conscience
THE Independent of January 4 reports that “the Sacred Heart Review, an able and influential Catholic paper in Boston, owned and edited by priests,” “declares that Catholics must organize so that they can throw the solid strength of twelve million people against any infraction of their rights of conscience.” And “their rights of conscience,” which they propose thus to enforce, are the receiving by the Catholic Church of money from the national treasury in support of Catholic Indian schools, and the exclusion from Porto Rico of the American free public school. And the Independent says that the denial of money from the national treasury to support those Catholic Church Indian schools, and the proposal to start free public schools in Porto Rico, are “the two most serious” “infractions of their rights of conscience” that are named by the Sacred Heart Review. But it was always so, anything that does not please Rome is an infraction of her “rights of conscience.” IN advocating Sunday closing in Chicago, the Northwestern Christian Advocate says: “While regard for God’s authority is, of course, the highest motive for human respect for the Sabbath, we are quite willing that lower secular motives shall operate among those whose views of right and wrong generally are of the earth earthy.” Christ never taught any such doctrine. He says, “Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt.” No criss-crossing can ever answer. And any willingness to criss-cross betrays such a lack of discernment of Christian principle that what is passed as regard for God’s authority is not true regard.