I am forced to skip some points and the other "four wounds" at this time. I urge you, Readers, to consider that time is very short for the physical support of the Church in the West. We shall soon see fines, imprisonments of the clergy, and a general wearing down of the property of the Church across America and Europe.
Perhaps some of Blessed Antonio's ideas will urge you to consider the near future.
163. Finally, I would like to indicate
briefly a seventh and last requirement, that is: "the Church should administer
her temporalities watchfully and carefully." The Church has always insisted
on this from those entrusted with her administration; her possessions belong
to God and the poor, and any loss through negligence or inertia on the part
of administrators would amount to sacrilege. It was disregard of this important
requirement which gave governments greater opportunity for taking over churh
administration and perpetuating the restrictions imposed on the Church and her
temporalities.
164. It is true that the Church,
persecuted and oppressed, has always been at odds with temporal authority, whether
friendly or otherwise. She has also had the much greater burden of providing
for the good of souls. There has never been sufficient time available for her
to obtain perfect method in administration, nor a completely secure organic
economy. If we consider what the Church has received during the centuries of
her existence, and how much has been lost through lack of serious, careful administration,
we can only imagine where the Church would be now if her temporalities had always
been wisely administered. But the limited energy of the human spirit is never
enough for two simultaneous undertakings, despite their mutual connection.
The spiritual aims of the Church necessarily absorbed almost all her attention,
and very little practical application could be devoted to the care of her temporalities
until the more important part of her legislative discipline (directly concerned
with the salvation of souls) could be finalised. Moreover, only experience could
show the immense damage inflicted on the spiritual element in the Church by
neglect of her material affairs.
Christ's example is sufficient to
persuade me that at the beginning it is impossible, and not even fitting, to
pay much attention to temporalities. I think he made do with an unfaithful administrator
even amongst the apostles to show us that the rule of the spirit was to be the
one object which did not permit of distraction, even at the risk of material
failure. Let me conclude by pointing out that Pascal II's generous proposal
of renouncing all fiefs is sufficient evidence for what I say. The great man
had laid the axe to the root of the evil tree, but his own time was too soft
to sustain such a remedy.
165. This book, begun in 1832 and
completed a year later, lay forgotten for some years. The time did not seem
ripe for publishing what had been written only as a release for my own sorrow
at the sight of the afflictions endured by the church of God. But now (1846)
that the invisible head of the Church has chosen as pope a person [Pius IX]
who seems destined to renew our age and give the Church the impetus necessary
for a new, glorious stage of unimaginable development, I have remembered these
pages and willingly entrust them to friends who have shared my sorrow, and now
look forward with me in hope.
