St Johns College - Ozanam Yearbook (Toledo, OH)

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CA False Alarm By M. PAUL GANS Is the Roman Catholic Church the enemy of America? Is Catholicism utterly incompatible with American- ism? Is it a constructive or a de- structive force in this fair land of ours? Has Popedom been transferred to Washington? Can one be a loyal American and a loyal Catholic at the same time? Does Catholicism today stand self-condemned? Prominent gentlemen have attempted to answer these questions in articles appearing in the last four issues of the Forum. Michael Williams, a Catholic, and Ed- itor of the Commonweal, opens the se- ries of religious discussions by main- taining that the Roman Catholic Church in America has the country's best interests at heart, and that from its activity in the past it has proved itself the defender of the highest and noblest American ideals. Mr. Williams challenges non-Cath- olics to present openly and fairly whatever objections they have against his Church. In the April number, john Jay Chapman, a distinguished non-Cath- olic replies in a few hectic utter- ances-objections for the most part culled from that mine of French athe- ism, La Grande Encyclopedic. An analysis of Mr. Chapman's reply is made in the May number by Fred- erick Joseph Kinsman, formerly Pro- testant Episcopal Bishop of Delaware, but now a Roman Catholic layman. In a cool, considerate style Dr. Kinsman refutes the animated errors of Mr. Chapman and steadfastly defends the unparalleled authority of the Catholic Church. The fourth article, in the june is- sue, is written by Charles Fama, for- merly a Roman Catholic, but now a Protestant. Dr. Fama endeavors to refute Dr. Kinsman by quoting from the Bible and also from the oilicial edition of An Explanation of the Baltimore Catechism of Christian Doctrine for the Use of S. S. Teachers and Advanced Classes. His conclu- sions strike one as narrow, and found- ed on insufficient evidence. Having the advantage of fourth contributor, his article should have been--at least in many respects-superior to the others 3 but his superficial treatment of the question, his sweeping and un- qualified condemnation of Catholicism are a proof of his incapacity of form- ing anything like an impartial judg- ment. We regret that this fourth ar- ticle was entrusted to Dr. Fama. Protestant historians agree that for the last two thousand years the Cath- olic Church has shown itself one of mankind's greatest benefactors. Spir- itual uplift and social service are the high lights of its mission. It has al- ways shown itself divinely human and humanly divine. The Church has done more for suffering humanity than al- most any other institution in the wor1d's history. Nor would Europe be what it is today, if Catholicism had not civilized and Christianized the de- structive hordes of barbarians that threatened to exterminate early Con- tinental civilization. The continual practice of the Church has been to better humanity, to cure the ills of the spirit, to comfort the afflictions of the flesh, to educate, cultivate, and refine

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Jfdf M. PAUL GANS, '26 .....,.. ............................................. ........ E d itor ASSOCIATE EDITORS GERALD M. SULLIVAN, '26 FRANCIS T. WESTMEYER, '27 JAMES P. COYLE, '26 CARLETON A. SOLON, '28 WILLIAM J. COYLE, '26 LEO W. KENNY, '28 PAUL A. ELNEN, '27 JOSEPH A. GELIN, '25 Hi. S. A. FRANCIS METTY, '27 JOSEPH T. REILLEY, '25 Hi. S. DEPARTMENTS Literary Notes ........ .... ........................................... B E RNARD C. COMTE, '26 From Far and Near ...,..... ........... R OBERT J. MURPHY, '26 Promiscuous Paragraphs ....... .......... C LARENCE A. MELLEN, '25 News of the College ....... ............ E DWARD R. GARVIN, '27 Athletics ................. . ........................... FRANKLIN F. HAYWARD, '28 BUSINESS GEORGE E. KENNY, '26 ROBERT H. MAHER, '27 JAMES H. HORAN, '27 JUNIOR JoI-INsoN, '28 JAMES HENNESSEY, '27 PETER J. NoLAN, '28 STANLEY TCHORZYNSKI, '26 Hi. S. CIRCULATION BERNARD J. HOLTGRIEVE, '26 DONALD F. MCC-RATI-I, '26 CLARENCE J. YEAGER, '26 JOHN J. CANELLI, '27

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6 THE OZANAM men's tastes, to show men the best way of serving their Maker and attaining their final destiny. The Church has ever insisted upon justice for all and towards all, it has consistently en- deavored to give men that peace which the world cannot give g in our own country it has always taught that there is no conflict between the prin- ciples of true Catholicism and true Americanism. Our very Constitution and Declaration of Independence are known to contain many of the funda- mentals of age-old Catholic philoso- phy. Yet in the face of all this evi- dence Mr. Chapman sees nothing but a great, deep conflict between the historic claim of Rome and the ideals of our Republic. His phrase his- toric claim of Rome sounds terrible enough, but in truth means just what it says-nothing. Mr. Chapman regards-of course he cannot prove-the Catholic Church as the world's most despicable despot, the enemy of free America, an institu- tion most to be despised. He closes his eyes to the fact that all the Cath- olic Bishops of the world, including those in America, have promoted the welfare of all nations by insisting on the principles which should govern our social, industrial, and political re- lationsg by deepening respect for civil authorityg by enjoining upon Cath- olics everywhere the duty of allegi- ance to the State and the discharge of patriotic. obligations. They have con- demned the errors which plan to be- tray humanity and to undermine our civilization. It would be a welcome revelation to know what induced Mr. Chapman to write that the Pope is identified with God by the Roman Church. If he means that Catholics consider their Pontiff to be the same as the Supreme Ruler of heaven and earth, if he thinks that people in their right mind be- lieve that a mere human being, in vir- tue of his election to an exalted oHice can become equal in power to Omni- potence Itself, then he does but mani- fest a credulity we thought impossi- ble in an enlightened age like ours. In the personage of Mr. Chapman it is not difficult to recognize a quasi- prophet of the hour. With prejudi- cial emotions warping his better judg- ment he attempts to tell over three hundred million Catholics what a cruel terrorism they are living underg what the intriguing policies of their Church have been in the pastg what they are at presentg what they will be in the future. He foresees nothing less than the ruination of our country if the Catholic Church endures. With his creative genius he has pictured Catholicism in a horribly dramatic as- pect-a tribute to imagination, but an insult to right reason. The broadest analysis of this sig- nificant subject, is undoubtedly made by Dr. Kinsman. He is one of Amer- ica's leading historians, and thorough- ly familiar with both sides of the question. The mere fact that he re- signed his oftice of Episcopal Bishop of Delaware in order to become a Catholic layman, shows how firmly he was convinced that the Roman Cath- olic Church is the one and only in- stitution of Christ. In considering the article of Dr. Fama it should be remembered that he claims to be an apostate Catholic, and this may be a reason for much of the bile he pours forth against his former co-religionists. An ordinary Protestant would be incapable of so much rancor.