At the solicitation of the bishops in council assem- bled at Baltimore in 1846, the pope of Rome " consented," according to archbishop Kenrick, ''to the omission of the feudal phrases, and sanctioned a simfiler formulary to be used by all the bishops in the United States." Yet a gentleman who was present at the consecration cere- inonies of bishop Bailey and others on Oct. 30, 1853, was confident that the longer oath given in the Pontijl- cale Romanum, which he held in his hand at the time, was taken by the bishops elect, and the decrees of the plenary Council of Baltimore in 1866 contain no modifi- cation of the oath. It is believed that nothing regarded as essen- tial was omitted then or is omit- tetl now. We give the oath as reported taken by the bishops elect at that date according to the New York Times, Oct. 31, 1853:
"The bishops elect then knelt and severally read the following oath [in Latin]: 'Elect of the Church of N, I will from this hour henceforward be obedient to blessed Peter the apostle, and to the holy Roman Church, and to the blessed father, pope N, and to his successors canouically chosen. I will assist them to retain and defend against any man whatever the Ronnm pontificate, without prejudice to my rank. 1 will take care to preserve, defend, and pro- mote the rights, houors, privi- leges, and authorily of the holy Roman Cliurch, of the pope, and of his successors as aforesaid.
OATH OF PURGATION
266
OBADIAH
With my whole strength I will observe, and cause to be observed by others, the rules of the holy fathers, the de- crees, ordinances, or dispositions, and mandates of the apostolic see. When called to a synod I will come, un- less prevented by a canonical impediment. I will per- form all the things aforesaid by a certain messenger !^pe- cially authorized for this purpose, a priest of the diocese, or by some secular or regular priest of tried virtue ancl piety, well instructed on aM the above subjects. I will not sell, nor give away, nor mortgage, eiifeoft" anew, nor iu any way alienate the possessions helons;iiig to my table, without the leave of the Roman pontiff. And should I proceed to any alienation of them, I am willing to con- tract, by the very fact, the penalties specified in the con- stitution published on this subject.' The cousecrator held the Gospels open on his lap, and received the oath from the bishops elect, who, kneeling, also placed both hands upon the book, and said, 'So may God help me, and these holy Gospels of God.'
"The bishop elect and the assistant bishops now took their seats, and while the cousecrator read aloud the cx- amen rexainiuation] the assistant bishops accompanied his words in a low voice. The concluding questions were answered by the bishops elect. '//« ex totu corde, volo in omnibus con-'ientire et oberJire' [Thus from my whole heart I desire iu all things to consent and to obey].
"Among the questions in the examiuaiion are the fol- lowing:
'^ Consec. — 'Wilt thou teach, both by word and exam- ple, the people for whom thou art to be ordained those things which thou uuderstandest from the holy Script- ures ?'
"A7ecf.— 'I will.'
" Qu.. — 'Wilt thou with veneration receive, teach, and keep the traditions of the orthodox fathers and the decre- tal constitutions of the holy and apostolic see?'
'^ Anfi. — 'I will.'
"^u.— 'Wilt thou exhibit in all things fidelity, subjec- tion, and obedience, according to canonical authority, to the blessed Peter the apostle, to whom was given by God the power of binding and loosing: and to his vicar, our lord pope Pius IX, and to his successors the Roman pon- tiffs?'
^' Ans. — 'I will.' ■'
The examination having closed, the bishops elect were led to tlie cousecrator, before whom they knelt, and rev- erently kissed his hand. Monsignor Bedliii, laying off his mitre, turned to the altar and commenced the mas.s, the bishops elect being at his lol't hand, and tlie assist- ant bishops at their seats. See Barnura, Humanism, p. 271, 272.
Oath of Purgation. In an ecclesiastical process, wlieii full proof is not to be had against a person ac- cused and strongly suspecteil. he is allowed at length to clear himself by an oath :
"I, A B, now under process before the Session of the
Congregation of C, for the sin of ■, alleged to have
been committed by me: For ending said process, and giving satisfaction "to all, do declare, before God and this
session, that I am innocent and free of the said sin of
chariied against ine. And I hereby call the great God, the judge and avenger of all falsehood, to be witness, and judge against me in this matter if I be guilty. And this i do by taking his blessed name in my month, and swear- ing by him who is the searcher of the heart, and that in sincerity, according to the truth of ihe matter and my own innocence, as I shall answer at Ihe great day of judgment, wheu I stand before him to answer for all that I have done in the flesh, and as I would partake of his glory in heaven after this life is at an end."