Devoted to the Propagation and Defense of New Testament Christianity
VOLUME 10
June 12, 1958
NUMBER 7, PAGE 3

Roman Catholicism -- 'The Worship Of Relics"

Luther W. Martin, St. James, Missouri

The subject of this article is copied from a Chapter Heading in a book written by a man who was once a Roman Catholic priest.

C. L. Trivier, formerly the vicar of the parish of St. Michel, at Dijon, France, after a several-year study of the Bible, resigned his position in the parish of St. Michel, and from that time on, conducted his life and worship according to God's word, rather than by the doctrines of the Roman Catholic church.

M. Trivier published a book, entitled; "How I came out from Rome," and, in it, he devotes a chapter to... "The Worship of Relics." We shall copy the following information from that chapter.

. . . It was in the seventh century at the earliest that different portions of the bodies believed to have belonged to saints first began be to distributed here and there. I say, believed; for it is astonishing with what boldness false relics were, at an early age, imposed on the Church. I speak of false relics. Of course this does not at all imply that there may not have been true ones; nevertheless, it follows that it is extremely difficult to distinguish them. I will give some examples."

Did Christ Have Six Coats?

"There are altogether, in the present day, six coats without seam, said to have been the Saviour's. Now as there was but one, there must be at least five falsely displayed under this title."

How Many Nails Were Used On Christ's Cross?

"The Saviour was fastened to the cross by nails. Were there three or four? We do not know; but, in any case, there were not more than four. The empress Helena, mother of Constantine, professed to have recovered the nails, with the cross, about three hundred years after it had been buried under ground. She sent two of these nails to her son, who had one put into a helmet which he had made on purpose, and of the other he made a curb for his horse. A third, according to Collin de Plancy, was thrown into the sea by the empress Helena when she was in danger of being lost in a violent tempest, which was calmed by this means. All this, according to the same author, does not prevent the existence of more than forty of these nails — all declared authentic by their possessors!"

Catholicism's Heads And Torsos!

"Before the Revolution (French Revolution. LWM.) there were thirteen heads all said to have belonged to John the Baptist, St. Stephen, the first martyr, had eight. St James the Great, ten. St. Andrew had five complete bodies; St. Luke, eight."

The Case Of The Haunted House!

"But, undoubtedly, the most extraordinary relic of all those offered to the veneration of credulous souls is the house in which the Virgin Mary lived at Nazareth. Notwithstanding the vicissitudes of the times, the conquest of Palestine by the Turks, the devastating wars which occurred at the era of the Crusades, it is averred that this house still existed towards the end of the thirteenth century in a state of perfect preservation. On the 9th of May 1291, angels carried it away, and deposited it the next day at midnight (there was proof of the hour), on the little mountain of Tersalto, in Dalmatia. On the 9th of December, 1294, for no reason that could be assigned, the angels took the house away again from Dalmatia, and carried it into Italy, where they placed it in a forest on the borders of Ancona. After remaining eight months in this place, the angels bore it to a little hill a mile distant. This hill belonged to two brothers, who began immediately to dispute about it, each wishing to have the house for himself. To deprive them of all ground for discussion, the house went away again, and settled itself in the neighbourhood of Loretto, where it still remains. (See the 'Histoire de Notre Dame de Loretto', published at Lyons.) A splendid church (building. LWM.) has been built, within which the little house is enclosed, probably to prevent its going farther away."

"There are also two statues — one of the Virgin, the other of the Child Jesus. They were brought with the house, as well as several pieces of furniture and kitchen utensils, which came, it is said, from Nazareth. These two statues are of wood, and as specimens of carving are extremely bad."

"There is a collection of very costly dresses and ornaments which have been presented, it is not said to the Child Jesus, but to His Mother, by queens and princesses, after they had worn them on great occasions. The Child had His share of these garments, no doubt, when there were any to spare. The canons (clergy or monks. LWM) of our Lady of Loretto dress up the figures, and discharge this duty, it is said, with gravity. It is indeed a noble occupation for a man to employ his time in dressing and undressing a wooden statue. Still there are intrepid devotees who believe all these fables."

Conclusion

Do not forget that the above was penned by a man who was formerly a priest of the Roman Catholic church. If anyone would know just what myths and fables are believed and accepted by Catholicism, a member of the priesthood should know.

In the face of such Catholic mythology, is it any wonder that the Roman Church contributes much toward atheism and infidelity? How can Catholicism deny to the cannibal his penchant for shrinking human heads, when the Papacy apparently condones the veneration of skulls and bones? How can Catholicism decry to the colored man, his rabbit's foot, when the Roman church fosters `miraculous medals', and such like?

In short, all those things that are peculiarly Roman Catholic, demonstrate to the world Catholicism's lack of apostolicity. If her doctrines and practices were truly based upon the teachings of the Apostles, then she would be able to find her source of authority IN the Scriptures, rather than basing it upon the alleged traditions of the `Fathers'.