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"MARIOLATRY"Extracts from "The Roman Church in Italy"

by Alexander Robertson D.D.

Edited by Sylvia Lacoski

MARY SUPPLANTING CHRIST

Fra Paolo Sarpi in his "History of the Council of Trent" sketches the rise of Mariolatry in thepapal church. The phrase "Mother of the Divine Son," used toward the end of the third century,was used not in her honour but in honour of Christ to show that He was born Divine. Bydegrees it was used in honour of Mary instead of Christ. In the eleventh century a canonicaloffice was instituted in honour of her which gained ground by decrees of church councils and

popes until the Jesuits came on the scene in the sixteenth century when it advanced in leapsand bounds.

In many cities in Italy great columns are to be seen on which stand a female figure with acrown on her head and sceptre in her hand. These are monuments to Mary, "the Queen ofHeaven," raised to celebrate her Immaculate Conception - a false Romish claim, promulgatedby pope Pius IX, December 8th, 1854, that she was born free from original sin.

Prayers to Mary

The Cult of Mary in the Roman Catholic Church has not only come into rivalry with the worship

of God and Christ but has to a large extent supplanted it. Many more festival days arededicated to Mary than anyone else; every town and village has its own local Madonna days.Every church has its Lady Chapel enriched with votive offerings of silver hearts, crosses,rosaries, scapulars, splints and crutches, mementos of her supposed cures and healings.Sometimes her statue is set on the high altar, dressed in cast-off finery and in abundance ofglittering tinsel ornaments and set on a dais, to be adored.

Mr. Ruskin in his "Stones of Venice" says:

"...Take the vilest doll that is screwed together in a cheap toy-shop, trust it to thekeeping of a large family of children, let it be beaten about the house by them till itis reduced to a shapeless block, then dress it in a satin frock and declare it to havefallen from heaven, and it will satisfactorily answer all Romanist purposes."

MULTIPLICITY OF MADONNAS

If one Madonna brought an advantage, to be doubled by having two, and quadrupled byhaving four, and increased twenty times by having a score, or twelve dozen times by having agross, why not have them? The manufacture of Madonnas is now a part of the recognizedindustry and there are as many human needs and desires to exist.

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When someone wants to win at the lottery he prays to one Madonna, or to get rid of a cough toanother, or if to destroy heretics or for the benefit of souls in Purgatory to yet another.

Why does the church multiply Madonnas until they are plentiful as blackberries and magnifyMadonna worship until that of God and Christ become secondary and unimportant? Forvarious reasons, but mainly, to make money! The more festival days that there are the morethe money flows into the coffers of the church and into the pockets of the pope and priests.

When Count Campello left the Papal church the Archbishop of Spoleto sent a message that hewanted to see him. Upon his arrival the Archbishop said, "I was glad to see you in the chapelof the Holy Images the other day, I hope you felt them influencing you to return to the bosom ofthe church." The count replied he felt no such influence! The Archbishop exhorted him to go toa certain Madonna and pray there and leave a gift and if she did not help him to go to another.The count retorted, "It is a shame of you, a so-called Christian bishop, to talk to me in that way.Why, you are no better than an old pagan who would say go to Venus and of Venus does nothelp you, go to Diana."

The Real Mary Insulted

Mary in the Magnificat calls herself the ''Handmaid of the Lord," and the Saviour has told usthat "the servant is not above his Lord." Need we wonder that a church that sells Christ dailyon the altar for so much hard cash should not scruple to trade and traffic His mother.

Ruggero Bonghi who had the distinction of being at one time the only clerical member in theItalian Parliament, but in whom clericalism was associated with culture and intelligence, wasaccused of using offensive words to the Madonna. Replying in a letter to the daily press hesaid, "I offend the Madonna? No! but those who offend who make merchandise of her, whopretend to spread her worship whilst only seeking gain for themselves, who do not fear toclothe her in a pagan garment."

O happy day in which the Catholic nations would divest themselves of those beliefs thatdegrade them in the eyes of Protestants, and in which the priests would cease to obscure theminds of the people with ludicrous superstitions!

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