CHAPTER XVI.

THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH.

The Government of the Church-Its Form and Administrators-The Doctrinal Code of the Church-Explanation of the Tenets-What the Councils of Trent and the Vatican Enjoin.

THE

THE GOVERNMENT OF THE CHURCH.

HE Roman Catholic Church, for the purpose of the present description, may be defined as the community of the faithful united to their lawful pastors, in communion with the See of Rome or with the Pope, the successor of St. Peter and Vicar of Christ on earth. The government of the Catholic Church may be considered monarchical, inasmuch as the Pope is held in it to be the ruler over the entire Church, and the most distant bishop holds his appointment from him, and receives from him his authority. The dignity or office of Pope is held to be inherent in the occupant of the See of Rome, as successor of St. Peter, by virtue of the commission given to St. Peter, not as his own personal prerogative, but as a part of the constitution of the Church, for its advantage, and therefore intended to descend to his successors, as the episcopal power did from the apostles to those who succeeded them in their respective Sees. The election of the Pope is made by the six suburban bishops of Sees in the immediate vicinity of Rome, namely, those of Ostia and Velletri, Porto and Santa Rufina, Albano, Palestrina, Sabina, Frascati, who are always Cardinal bishops; and by the Car

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dinal priests and deacons of the ancient churches of Rome, who form the bodies of Cardinal priests and deacons. These Cardinal priests may hold dignities in other countries as archbishop or bishop, but in the Cardinalship they are simply Cardinal priests.

The Catholic Church being essentially episcopal, is governed by bishops, who are of two kinds: bishops in ordinary, governing dioceses, who bear the name of the See over which they rule, and titular bishops bearing the title of some ancient See, who govern temporary districts as vicars-apostolic, or assist otherwise in the government of the Church. The powers of bishops, and the manner of exercising their authority, are regulated by the canon law; their jurisdiction on every point is clear and definite, and leaves little room for arbitrary enactments or oppressive measures.

Each diocese is generally, when fully established, divided into parishes, each provided with a parochus or parish priest. The appointment to a parish is vested in the bishop, and a parish priest holds for life, unless he is removed for just cause after a trial. Where canon law is not fully established the clergy corresponding to the parish priests have missions or local districts with variable limits placed under their care, but are dependent upon the will of their ecclesiastical superiors. The parish priests are assisted by curates, who are removable. A great number of clergy are devoted to the conduct of education, either in universities or seminaries; some occupy themselves exclusively with preaching, others with instructing the poor, or attending charitable institutions.

The parochial and other priests directly subject to the bishops form the secular clergy. Besides these there are numbers of priests belonging to religious orders, who form the regular clergy, that is, priests living under a regula, or rule. These are the monks, such as the Benedictines, Carthusians, Cistercians, etc.; the Mendicant Friars, the Franciscans, Dominicans, Augustinians, and Carmelites; the Regular Clerks, such as the Jesuits, Redemptorists, Passionists, Lazarists, etc. These are immediately subject to their

own Superiors, and the Bishop acts on the regular clergy through these Superiors.

The most solemn senate in the Roman Catholic Church is a general council, that is, an assembly of all the bishops of the Church, who may attend either in person or by deputy, under the presidency of the Pope. When once a decree has passed such an assembly and received the approbation of the Holy See, there is no further appeal. A distinction, however, must be made between doctrinal and disciplinary decrees. When a general council cannot be summoned, or when it is not deemed necessary, the government of the Church is conducted by the Pope, whose decisions in matters of discipline are considered paramount. The discipline of smaller divisions is maintained by plenary councils, provincial or diocesan synods. The first, embracing the archbishops and bishops of a country, or separate province, as the United States or Australia, consist of the bishops of a province under their metropolitan; the latter of the parochial and other clergy under the superintendence of the bishop.

THE DOCTRINAL CODE OF THE CHURCH.

The formulary of faith is the creed of Pius IV., issued after the Council of Trent, with some additions after that of the Vatican. It is as follows:

"I, N. N., with a firm faith believe and profess all and every one of those things which are contained in that creed, which the holy Roman Church maketh use of."

Then follows the Nicene creed:

"I most steadfastly admit and embrace apostolical and ecclesiastical traditions, and all other observances and constitutions of the same Church.

"I also admit the holy Scriptures, according to that sense which our holy mother the Church has held and does hold, to which it belongs to judge of the true sense and interpretation of the Scriptures; neither will I ever take and interpret them otherwise than according to the unanimous consent of the fathers.