THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE PRESS.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXVIII, Issue 46, 15 November 1900, Page 20

THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE PRESS.

The Catholic members of the British Institute of Journalist*, who were in London for the annual Conference, attended High Mass at Brompton Oratory on Sunday, September 9. They numbered over 100, and represented Scotland, Wales, and Ireland. After the first Gospel, the Rev. Father Christie preached the sermon, taking for his text the words, ' Honor all men ; love the brotherhood ; fear God ; honor the King ' Man was like to God. said the preacher, in that he possessed intellectual powers ; the highest act of his intellect was to know God, Who ia most perfect. The Church had always fostered both divine and secular learning. But education was nowadays brought within the reach of all, and the result was that the people had acquired a great share in the government of the world. This brought with it responsibilities which had not always been easy to undertake and they needed, therefore, some agency or power to complete and develop their instruction. This the Press could help to do, for in the newspapers they could read the history of the world as it was, and learn that there were other lands besides their own with rights and prejudices and history that had to be taken into account if the peace of the world was to be maintained ; and the same could be said of affairs at home. It was through the Preas they could learn of their opponents who would have something to say on their Bide, and also the points that had to be considered i' harmony were to be maintained. Alluding to the dangers of the Press, he observed that on« of the greatest was that of sinning against truth. The English Press had a high reputation for truth, but there was a danger lest reports were too readily accepted and spread which do harm to the feelings and the rights of third parties. Another danger was that the great power of the Press should be used to the detriment of authority. This was a very delicate and difficult subject to deal with, for the Press was one of the great means to ventilate grievances and to express or form public opinion But we must always remember that authority comes from God, and we mus , beware, lest in attempting to reform what miy;ht be amiss, we undermine duly constituted authority and by continual criticism bring it into disrespect and so open the door to revolution and anar-hy, and be sowing the wind where may be we would have to reap the whirlwind. With regard to Catholio journnlists it was necessary to speak of the attitude of the Press to the Holy See. While all Governments have to b- obeyed as represen'ing God, yet the prerise form of such Government had not been specifically ordered hy God ; but in tbe case of the Church it was different, for Almighty God had willed and ordained that the Government of the Church should be an absolute Monarchy, and it was not th refore possible or lawful for a Catholic to urge any change in the Divinely appointed constitution of the Church. Not only had the Pope baen appointed to rule the Church, but he was responsible to God alone ; and therefore to him alone was given the grace and light necessary for its Government. So, too, the Pope alone, througn being in touch with atl the different countries and their Bishops, could judge of the different needs of the Church and the comparative claims of its different portions. But while the Catholic Press must refrain from se. king to direct the Holy See, it is able to assist the Pope in his work by loyally supporting his claims and so enlisting public opinion to h.a side Thia could especially be the case with regard to the temporal power. The Holy Father, who must know best, had declared that the temporal power is necessary, not for the existence, but for the well-being and good government of the Church. It should be our c ire, therefore, to train up those around us to support those claims. We could not tell when this question lni^ht come into the sphere of our politics, and it would be well to secure the support of the united Carholic world on the side of the Holy Father. This the Press can help to do, and if, having the power, we refrain from using it, could we be called true children of the Church f For a son who does not come to the assistance of his mother in her distress had no claim to the title of dutiful son ; and the holy Fathers had warned that he who had not the Church for his mother could not have God for his Father.