Roman Catholicism in Spain

Anonymous

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• Publié par: uwlie
• Publié le: 08 décembre 2010
• Nombre de lectures: 28
• Langue: English

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The Project Gutenberg eBook, Roman Catholicism in Spain, by Anonymous This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org Title: Roman Catholicism in Spain Author: Anonymous Release Date: June 3, 2009 Language: English [eBook #29025] Character set encoding: ISO-646-US (US-ASCII) ***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ROMAN CATHOLICISM IN SPAIN*** Transcribed from the 1855 Johnstone and Hunter edition by David Price, email [e-mail] ROMAN CATHOLICISM IN SPAIN. BY AN OLD RESIDENT. EDINBURGH: JOHNSTONE & HUNTER. LONDON: R. GROOMBRIDGE & SONS. M.DCCC.LV . EDINBURGH: PRINTED BY JOHNSTONE AND HUNTER , HIGH STREET . CONTENTS. Page INTRODUCTION—Variableness of outward practice of Christianity—The like as to that of Mahometanism—Roman Catholicism most subject to that modification—Excesses of Roman Catholicism in Spain accounted for by Spanish history—The Goths and Moors of Africa—Their conversion to Christianity—The aborigines of America—Traditional coincidences with scriptural truth—National character of the religion of Spaniards—Religion of the affections—Santa Teresa—Amatory propensities in connection with religion—Knight-errantry—Motto of Spanish nobility—The four primitive orders—Loyola—Religion the pretext for wars of Spain—Three distinct features of the national character of Spaniards, illustrated by Isabella the Catholic, Charles V., and Philip II. CHAPTER I. THE SPANISH C LERGY —Their primitive state—Their subsequent organization—Barraganas—Immoral practices of the clergy—Their wealth, and its sources—Their territorial possessions—Their influence and incomes—Their opposition to the sciences—Their ultramontane principles—The “pass” of the Spanish sovereign necessary to the validity of the Pope’s bulls—Doctrine of the Jansenists favoured by the ministers of Charles III.—Port-Royal and San Isidro—Parish priests —Sources of their income—Many of them good men, but deficient in scriptural knowledge and teaching—Their preaching—Abolition of tithes by the minister, Mendizabal—Effects of that measure—Poverty and present state of the clergy—Their degraded character and unpopularity—Their timidity in recent times of tumult—Ecclesiastical writers of the Peninsula—Power of the Inquisition curtailed by Charles III. CHAPTER II. MONACHISM—The superiority of the monastic over the secular clergy —Reasons for it—Orders of Monks—The Carthusians—Their advancement in agriculture, and love of the fine arts—Their seclusion and mode of living—Only learned men admitted to their order—Their form of salutation—Curious adventure of a lady found in the cell of a Carthusian—The Hieronimites—The Mendicant orders—“Pious works” —The Questacion—Decline of Spain accounted for—Vows of chastity, poverty, and obedience—How vow of poverty eluded—La honesta—Vicar-general of the Franciscan orders—His immense income—Religious orders have produced many great and good men —Cardinal Ximenez de Cisneros—His celebrated Bible—Corruption of monastic orders—Insubordination of friars to the bishops—The Jesuits 47 31 7 p. i p. ii —Deplorable reputation of their literature—Pascal, Escobar, Sanchez, and Mariana—Suppression of the Jesuits by Charles III.—Their subsequent expulsion by Espartero under Isabella II.—Nunneries, though spared on suppression of religious houses, utterly useless —The Pope’s attempt to perpetuate them by concordat—The lives of the nuns described—Their means of subsistence is now precarious —Convent de las Huelgas. CHAPTER III. C ELIBACY AND MORALS —Illicit relations formed by the clergy—Shameless avowal of their fruits—Ferocious character of love in the cloisters —Three flagrant cases—Murder of a young lady by her confessor, the Carmelite of San Lucar—His trial and sentence—Murder by a wife of her husband under the direction of her confessor, the Capuchine of Cuenca—His trial, imprisonment, and escape—Murder of a lady by the Agonizante of Madrid—His trial and execution—Scandalous occurrences in the Convent of the Basilios of Madrid—Forcible entry of the civil power—Murder of the abbot—Suppression of inquiry —Shameful profligacy of the Capuchines of Cascante and the nuns of a neighbouring convent—Mode of its discovery—Imprisonment of inmates of both convents—Removal of prisoners—Their mysterious escape—Exemplary performance of vows in some cases—Dangers of celibacy—Spanish women and their influence on society CHAPTER IV. THE MASS—Its introduction but modern—The Spaniard Lainez opposed it—On what grounds—Description of the ceremony—Its religious and secular peculiarities—Sacerdotal vestments worn while celebrating it —High and Low Mass—Both performed in an unknown tongue —Consequent indifference of the congregation—Mercenary character of the mass—“Masses for the intention ”—Masses for the dead—The solemn mass on Christmas eve, or Noche buena—Its profane accompaniments—Passion week—Thursday—Good Friday —Adoration of the Cross—Processions—Anecdotes of Isabella II. —Brilliant rites and ceremonies on the day after Good Friday —Uproarious conduct of the faithful on that occasion—The mass as celebrated at Toledo—Judicial combat, or judgment of God CHAPTER V. D EVOTION of Protestants scriptural and reasonable—That of Roman Catholics poetical and affectionate—Religious enthusiasm leads to insanity—Mental devotion as distinguished from physical—Nature of Roman Catholic devotion accounted for by the worship of images —Intercession of saints—Saint Anthony—The illiterate guided by bodily vision rather than spiritual discernment—Horace confirms this —Illustrated by popular errors—Sensual and poetical elements were introduced to devotion by the Greeks—Destruction of images by the Emperor Leo the Iconoclast—Opinion of Pope Leo the Great—Images adorned like human beings perplex the mind between truth and fiction —Familiar examples—Money-contributions for adornment of images —Belief that saints can cure certain complaints—List of those—Saint 102 87 73 p. iii p. iv Anthony of Padua’s miracles—The fête of San Anton Abad—Virgin Mary, and her innumerable advocations—A list of several—The Rosary —Statues of the Virgin—Immense value of their wardrobes and trinkets —The most ugly of those statues excite most devotion—Virgin of Zaragoza—The heart of Mary—Month of Mary (May)—Kissing images —Anecdote of the Duke of A--- and his courtezan—Habits and promises—Penance CHAPTER VI. FEAST-DAYS—Processions and Novenas—Corpus Christi—How performed in Seville, and the sacred dances of los seises—How in Madrid—Procession of Holy Week—The Santo Entierro—Clerical processions—Procession of the Rosary—Rites of Roman Catholicism —Jubilee of forty hours—Romerías or pilgrimages CHAPTER VII. PURGATORY —Deliverance from by devotions of survivors—Those devotions described—Difference between dogma of purgatory and other dogmas—Modes of drawing out souls—Masses for the dead —Legacies to pay for them—External representations of images and pictures—Day of All Souls and its practices—The Andalusian Confraternity of Souls—Mandas piadosas—Debtor and creditor account between the church and purgatory—How balanced—Bull of Composition—Soul-days—Responses—Cepillo, or alms-box —Financial operation—Origin of bills of exchange and clearing house —Wax Candles—Their efficacy—Cenotaphs—Summary of funds, and reflections on their misapplication CHAPTER VIII. AURICULAR C ONFESSION—A sacrament inseparable from that of communion—Obligatory on all once a year—Plan of discovering defaulters—How punished—Evils of confession—Power of the priest —Four evils pointed out—Discoveries in the Inquisition in 1820 —Facility of obtaining absolution—Louis XIV.—Robbers and assassins—The confessional—Practice, how conducted—Expiatory acts—Refusal of absolution—A husband disguised as his wife’s confessor—The injunction of secrecy on part of confessor —Advantages of the knowledge he gains—Jesuits advocate the confessional—No fees for confession, but gratuities are generally given CHAPTER IX. FASTS AND PENANCES—How observed—Indulgences—Spain is privileged by the Bull of the Holy Crusade—Description of that bull—Prices of copies—Commissary-General of Crusades—His revenues—Their shameful application—Copy of that bull—Other acts of penance—The Disciplina or whipping—Cilicios CHAPTER X. FALSE MIRACLES, R ELICS, AND R ELIGIOUS IMPOSITIONS—Veneration of crucifixes and statues or images—Their power of healing—Picture at Cadiz—Lignum Crucis—Veronica—Bodies of saints—How procured 187 170 152 142 122 p. v p. vi —Inscriptions—Lives of saints—Maria de Agreda—St Francis —Scandalous representation of the appearance of the Virgin to a saint —Fray Diego de Cadiz—Beata Clara—Her fame and downfall—The nun, Sister Patrocinio—Her success, detection, confession, and expulsion—She returns, and is protected by a high personage—She is again expelled, but again returns and founds a convent—Its disgraceful character and suppression—Her flight towards Rome—Occurrences on the road—Her return to Spain C ONCLUSION 201 Introduction Variableness of outward practice of Christianity—The like as to that of Mahometanism—Roman Catholicism most subject to that modification —Excesses of Roman Catholicism in Spain accounted for by Spanish history—The Goths and Moors of Africa—Their conversion to Christianity —The aborigines of America—Traditional coincidences with scriptural truth —National character of the religion of Spaniards—Religion of the affections —Santa Teresa—Amatory propensities in connection with religion —Knight-errantry—Motto of Spanish nobility—The four primitive orders —Loyola—Religion the pretext for wars of Spain—Three distinct features of the national character of Spaniards, illustrated by Isabella the Catholic, Charles V., and Philip II. Christianity, although of divine origin, and, consequently, like all that participate