The Holy Office

There are two different tribunals at Rome to which is intru9ted the judgment of books, pamphlets, articles, and other writings referred to them as liabie to a charge of endaneering faith and moráis. One oí these is the congregation of the holy office, or inquisition, and the other Is the congregation of the index. The very name of the former of these will cause a thrill of hori-or in the minds of those whose knowledge of the inquisition is de?ived from the calumnies and exaggerations that have been heaped upon it by its snemies, says the Ninetcenth Century. It Í3 not my business to defend it in my present paper. I would only remind the reader that it is most unfair to impute to the Roman inquisition the cruelty and injustice of the Spanish tribunal. against which the popes again and again protested. The Spanish inquisition is now happily defunct, and the Roman congregation of the inquisition alone survives. It is a permanent committee cbosen from the cardinalitian body, and holds its meetings always within the precincts of the holy city. It was instituted in the year 1542 by Paul III. by tho constitution bezinning with the words "Licet ab initio, " and had for lts chief object to arrest the progresa of the doctrines of Luther. The congreg-ation of the holy office, or inquisition, holds the irst place among Roman congregations. lts members are sorae dozen cardinals, more or less, selected by tha aope on account of their knowíedge of theology and canon law, and their skill and energy in the transaction of ecclesiastical business. It has urisdiction over a field of greater mportance than any other tribunal whatsoevor, for it has intrusted to it heguardianship of the purity of aith and moráis throughout tho Jhristian world. Alone of all the Roman courts ïfc las for its official president the popo ïimself, although in point of facthis multitudinous duties rarely permit of his presence at it= meetings, and üs place is taken by one of the carináis chosen by Min, who has to roport to the holy father the same ivemng all that takea place during its sesslon. Besides the cardinal who acts as president there is a secretary, who is usually the senior cariinal present; a coramissary, whose business it is to decido what questions shall be referred to the consultors for their opinión, and who is always a Dominican;a promotor fiscalis or Dublic prosecutor, who conducts the case, and an advocatus reorum or counsel for the defendant, who seeks to clear the writings of the charge of false doctrine. In addition to the cardinais who compose the tribunal there is attached to it, as I have said, a number of consulto -s, and of these a certain r.umber ace selected, under the name of qualificators, for what is the most difficult and delicate part of the work entrusted to them. The consultors includ'i the most celebrated of the Roman thcologians, tecuVir and regular.