Papal Authority and Civil Courts
By Editor
It is considered by some courts in Saxony an assumption of authority which does not belong to the pope when he decrees, as he did last October 9, the following: "Therefore we ordain and decree that every private person, whether of civil or religious standing, who brings any cleric whatever before a civil court and compels him to appear there publicly, either in a criminal or civil matter, without permission of the church authorities, shall be by his act excommunicated." We can not see, if a priest or clerk is a criminal, why he should be treated in any other way than any other person. He should, if he be a true disciple of the Master, find satisfaction in knowing that he was not only treated as was his divine Master, but was also fulfilling the prophecy which that Master gave, that they shall bring you before tribunals.