Straight From The Bull's Month

With reference to your "Gallup Poll" on the Catholic Church's excommunication statement, it appears to be necessary that certain misunderstandings should be resolved.

The statement is not a Papal Bull: it is a decree Issued by the Supreme Sacred Congregation of the Holy Office. The distinction should be familiar to students of history.

The decree does nothing in fact other than make explicit a state of affairs, and indicate actions to be done or not done in relation to that state of affairs, which had existed and was existing before the promulgation of the decree: that is, atheistic materialism is opposed to the Catholic Faith fundamentally and without possibility of reconciliation.

With regard to implementation: the decree itself makes it clear that "Catholics who profess and particularly those who defend and spread the materialistic anti-Christian doctrine of Communists, ipso facto, as apostates from the Catholic Faith incur excommunication."

The position of the faithful is not one of "the purest Irrationality." For sufficient reason persons will receive from the competent authorities permission to read works failing under the ban of the decree, and others will not have their "liberty" of thought taken away.

It is a fallacious definition of liberty which would lead to criticism of the decree as being unreasonable—members of the faith accept such aecrees for the same reason, and in the same manner in which civil society accepts regulations concerning, for example, the sale of dangerous drugs to persons unqualified to use them with discretion.

A Catholic as such considers the authority of the Church sufficient and competent, nothing more or less. It is difficult to know-what reasons persons not in communion with the Church have for criticising the decree-on grounds which are unacceptable to those whom the decree binds. If you disagree with the teachings of the Church, you may in consequence disagree with the decree or regard it as unimportant—if you accept the teachings of the Church you accept the decree.

Persons who express opinions on these matters should, to be "intellectually honest," have studied them, even if only in an elementary fashion: otherwise they should remain silent. The expression of uninformed opinion by those aiming at that "university ideal" would, we feel, be inexcusable.