Free Republic

Extreme Unction 823. When a Roman Catholic dies, the priest anoints his sense-faculties with blessed oil to keep away the evil spirits, some say. Whoever asserts that to be the purpose is wrong. 824. Or perhaps it is to purify those organs from all evil. You are nearer the mark now, but not quite right yet. The last anointing is to purify the soul of those sins it has committed through the misuse of the various bodily senses. 825. Would you explain something about the Sacrament of Extreme Unction? Extreme Unction is that last of the Sacraments for the individual,...

The Catholic attitude to war 1557. You speak of a Christian solution of social troubles, but did not the Great War show the utter failure of Christianity altogether? No. Christianity did not fail. The nations failed to observe Christian principles, a totally different thing. When I say the nations, I mean those in political control of their destinies, and the general outlook of the peoples concerned. Many individuals who fought were excellent Christians, believing the cause of their own country to be just and defending the right as they conceived it with the highest motives. And this on both sides....

Douglas Credit 1550. Have you ever heard of the Douglas Social Credit scheme? Yes. It advocates the issue of free credit to consumers to enable them to purchase the goods they themselves make, but which in the present system so many of them cannot possibly buy. It is claimed that the scheme does not involve inflation because the amount of credit to be released is to be calculated only after the goods equivalent to it are actually in existence. The money-supply is to be strictly proportionate to the goods-supply. 1551. Does not this scheme conform with the principles given in...

Catholics and the Labor Party 1543. You have shown clearly that a Catholic cannot support communism, and have said that no Catholic can be a socialist. Can a Catholic, then, in conscience support the "Socialization Objective" of the Labor Party in Australia? That Objective is briefly, the socialisation of industry, production, distribution, and exchange, by the constitutional use of Federal, State, and Municipal administrative machinery. Labor men are anything but agreed upon what that objective involves. They differ as to its interpretation and application. But taking it on its face value, I do not think any Catholic can in conscience...

Communism 1533. The Catholic Church forbids a Catholic to be a communist! That is true. Communism is opposed to the law of God, is anti-Christian, and violates the fundamental rights of man. Apart from this, it will never remedy existing evils, and can only lead to the greater distress of those whom it pretends it will benefit. 1534. Your Church's solution of this terrible mess is faith! It is not. Her solution is common-sense, strict justice all round, and Christian charity based upon faith. 1535. It matters little to me whether the Christian religion be right or wrong. I stand...

Socialism 1522. Would you tell us the view your Church takes of socialism? Socialism is a very broad term which men interpret in many different ways. Communistic socialism is, of course, condemned by the Catholic Church. Mitigated forms of socialism, which aim at social reform, but which ignore religion and rely upon purely materialistic methods, are also condemned. In these and similar senses of the word no Catholic can be a socialist. The Catholic program is social reform which demands true consideration of the workers by employers according to the demands of both justice and Christian charity, at the same...

The Church and the Worker 1493. Has not the state always had the support of the Church in repressing workers? Certainly not in the case of the Catholic Church. She has always condemned injustice, insisting that men should be brothers in Christ. 1494. Can you give me one case where the Church has actively assisted the lower orders against the oppression of higher powers? Certainly. In Catholic times, when the Church had power, the people of England owed Magna Charta, or the great Charter of their liberties against the royal tyranny, to Stephen Langton, the Catholic Archbishop of Canterbury, and...

The Church and Capitalism 1480. Why does the Catholic Church defend the capitalist and attack the worker? She does not do these things. The Catholic Church defends law and order, and human rights. She is ever ready to denounce injustice, whether of the government, or of any private individual. If a wealthy Catholic did not pay just wages, and were seriously defrauding his employees, the Catholic Church would be the first to condemn such conduct, and warn him that, if he continued in such conduct, he would risk eternal damnation. On the other hand, if an employee accepted good wages,...

The Social Problem 1474. What is the use of educating children at all, when the Church does nothing to remedy the evil conditions of the society in which they must live? No one can honestly accuse the Catholic Church of not endeavoring to do her part in this matter. 1475. Are not Catholics taught that the economic distress of the world is caused by supernatural influences, and that they must simply endure it? No. Catholics have been urged over and over again by their Church to do their utmost towards the rehabilitation of the world. They do believe in God...

The Church and Education 1459. Do Catholics regard state schools as monuments of blind bigotry, that they won't use them? They are not monuments of blind bigotry. I believe that the state school system was evolved by men who honestly but mistakenly believed it to be the best system for our country. But they appealed to blind bigotry in order to secure their purpose. Sir Henry Parkes said publicly in support of the necessary legislation, "I hold in my hand a bill which will spell death to the calling of the Roman Catholic clergy." It did not. And in order...

Catholic and Protestant countries 1448. If Catholicism is true, why are the most backward countries Catholic, and the most enlightened and progressive countries Protestant? Let me lay this ghost once and for all. The assertion implicit in such a question ignores the facts of history. A few centuries ago Spain was the dominant nation, and it rose to power as a Catholic nation. On your principles, pagan Romans could have argued that their paganism was true, pointing with scorn to Druid-ridden England, and its lack of culture. Italy, under Mussolini, is today leaping to the front and disturbing politicians of...

Poverty of Catholics 1441. The Catholic Church is a blight on social welfare, asking the public to support too many religious institutions. The irreligious man perhaps thinks that there are too many. But the religious man will say that there are not really enough. God is not likely to complain that works of mercy are being multiplied in His name. And what public is called upon to support these Catholic institutions? Let those complain who do so. Catholic institutions are supported in the main by Catholics and by such generous non-Catholics who admire their charitable work. And the man who...

The Worship of Relics 1438. Why do Catholics worship relics of Saints? They do not worship relics as they worship God, by adoration. If you mean worship in the sense of honor or veneration, then Catholics certainly venerate the relics of Saints. The law, "Honor thy father and thy mother" extends to their persons, body and soul; to their reputations, and to all connected with them. We reverence their remains even after death. And if we are not to venerate the remains and relics of the Saints who have been so entirely consecrated to God, are we to desecrate them?...

The Angelus 1428. Why do Catholic Churches ring bells at daybreak, noon, and sun set. The ringing of these bells is to remind Catholics to say the Angelus, a short devotion in honor of the incarnation of Christ. Three rings are given three times separately, and then nine rings, according to an ancient custom. The devotion is called the Angelus because the first words of the prayers to be said begin as follows, "The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary." The Angelus, therefore, reminds us of the message of the Angel Gabriel who brought the good news of the...

The Rosary 1417. Attending a Catholic Church one evening I was disgusted by the rigmarole called the Rosary. What is that Rosary? The Rosary is a special form of devotion to Mary. One takes a set of beads, divided into five sections, each section consisting of one large bead and ten small ones. Holding the large bead, one says the Our Father, and on each of the small ones, the Hail Mary. Between each section or decade the Gloria is said. While saying the prayers, one meditates or thinks of the joys, or sorrows, or glories of Christ's life and...

Devotion to Mary 1411. It is unscriptural to attribute power to Mary. That is a very unscriptural statement. At His mother's request Jesus changed water into wine at Cana, though He had said, "My time is not yet come." St. James tells us that "the prayer of a just man availeth much." Jas 5:16. How much more the prayer of Mary! 1412. Does the Bible sanction such prayers to Mary? Yes. All through the Bible you will find God conferring favors through the prayers of others. In the Old Testament we read of the prayers of Abraham, Moses, and of...

The use of Latin 1392. Why, in all ceremonies and sermons, do Priests speak in Latin? In the Epistle to the Hebrews, Heb 5:1, you will find these words, "Every Priest is ordained for men in the things that pertain to God, that he may offer up gifts and Sacrifices for sins." A Priest has two chief duties: to offer sacrifice to God, and to sanctify men by his teaching and instruction. Now, when a Priest is speaking, not to men, but to God in the name of men, he speaks in the language of the Church — in Latin...

Spiritual Healing 1377. Why don't you include public healing services in your Catholic ceremonial? Because such services are not in the spirit of Christianity, nor included in the commission given to the Church by Christ. 1378. If you are a Christian Priest, who told you to drop healing? No one ever told me to take it up. 1379. Christ gave us the religion we need, and we need a religion of healing. We do not. We need the religion of Christ. The poor, whether by lack of health or wealth, have always existed, and always will exist, according to Christ....

Liturgical Ceremonial 1356. I am interested in Catholic worship. Christ was poor and humble. Yet Catholic ceremonial is full of pomp and display. Does your religion teach humility? Yes. We are taught to be humble. And Christian humility orders a man to be unassuming and gentle. But it does not forbid a man to worship God as befits God. In fact, the more humble a man is, the more he magnifies and glorifies God, and depreciates self. The Catholic Church says, "God certainly deserves the best we can give Him. Whatever else we may do, let us not be mean...

Images 1343. Why are Catholic Churches decorated with images and statues in direct violation of the second commandment? The second commandment is, "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain." Protestants, of course, call that the third commandment. But they are wrong in doing so, having taken that part of the first commandment which refers to images as the second of God's commandments. But do those words forbid the making of images? They do not. God was forbidding idolatry, not the making of images. He said, "Thou shalt not make to thyself any graven image...