The Sun.
London, England, 1867-07-02 00:00:00

objects of the present imposing assembly of prelates
at Rome is to give the Pope the opportunity of
announcing the assembly of a General Council in
the course of next year. According to St. Vincent
de L6rins and other ecclesiastical authorities a
Council is an assembly of ecclesiastical prelates, the
object of which is to regulate everything which
appertains to the faith and the discipline of the
Church. There are provincial, national, and gene-
ral councils, or representing a province, or a State,
or of all Christianity, and their decisions have the
force of law according to the extent of their juris-
diction. The first instance of these councils was
that of Jerusalem, held in the year 50 by the
Apostles for the abrogation of the ceremonies of the
Mosaic law. There were some others in the second
century to regulate the celebration of Easter ; but
it was only when the Church could assemble in
peace that such councils became more frequent
and more numerous. The general councils,
which are also called (E..mmenical Councils (from
the Greek oikounene; the habitable earth), summon
ecclesiastics from all parts of the world to discuss
heresy or schism which menaces the whole Church,
and to propose measures of general discipline, to
decide upon some points of doctrine, and to regu-
late others. It is the Pope in his quality of the
Head of the Church who convokes the General
Councils, because no other than he has power over
all the Bishops at once. Nevertheless, the presence
of the powers of the Church is required to give the
assembly the necessary authority over the votes,
and to prevent any opposition which might paralyse
the powers of the Council. No Council is oecume-
nical unless it be in communion with the Pope,
who by himself or his legates presides, proposes
the questions, and confirms the decision. To
the Bishops alone, in their quality of Pastors
of the Church, belong the right of judging
and speaking at such• Councils. These Councils
only transmit to posterity, in writing, what the
Church has received from antiquity by tradi-
tion. The twenty (Ecumenical Councils were held
in the following order
1. The Council of Nice (325) against the Arians.
2. The Council of Constantinople (381) against
the Macedonians. _

3. The Council of Ephesus (431) against Nes-
torius and the Pelagians.
4. The Council of Chalcedonia (451) against
Eutyches.
5. The second Council of Constantinople against
the three Chapters.
6. The third Council of Constantinople (680)
against the Monothelites.

7. The second Cuuncil of Nice (787)
against the
Iconoclastes.

8. The fourth Council of Constantinople (869)
against Photius.

9. The Council of Latran (1123), to regulate
various matters of discipline.
10. The second Council of Latran (1139),
against Arnaud de Brescia.

11. The third Council of Latrau
(1179), respect-
ing discipline.
12. The fourth Council of Latran, against the
Albigeois.

13. The Council of Lyons (1245), against the
Emperor Frederic the Second, the author of a
famous book—" De Tribus Imposioribus" (Moses,
Jesus, Mahomet).
14. The second Council of Lyons (1271).
15. The Council of Vienne, in Dauphiny (1311),
against the Templars.

16. The Council of Pisa (1109)1
against the
great schism in the West.

17. The Council of Constance (1414), against
the Hussites and three anti-Popes.
18. The Council of Florence (1429).
19. The Council of Bale (1431), which, after
twelve years of discussion, ended in schism.
20. The last, the twentieth Council, was the
famous Council of Trent (1545-1563), which under-
went even more vicissitudes than that of Bale. It
was opened on the 17th December, 1545, and trans-
ferred to Bologna on the 2d of April, 1547. In-
terrupted and then again opened at Trent on the
Ist of September, 1551. Suspended on the 18th
April, 1552. The Council was then resumed for
the third time on the 18th of January, 1562, and
definitively closed on the 3d December, 1563. At
its last meeting 1200 prelates were present.
The meeting now being held at Rome is in pur-
suance of a circular letter from the Sovereign Pon-
tiff, Pius IX., dated the 9th of December last, ad-
dressed to all the prelates of the Catholic world, in-
viting them to come to Rome to celebrate with
him on the 29th of June, 1867, the fete of the bien
heureux Apostles Peter and Paul. The Pope an-
nounced also that at the same time it was his in-
tention to inscribe upon the list of Saints a certain
number of martyrs, virgins, and confessors, among
others the bienheureux Germaine Cousin, shep-
herdess of the environs of Toulouse, Francoise des
and the bienheureux martyr Pierre
dC'.ik.nrciburie
esia,SsPanish Inquisitor ; also, Leonard de
Port Maurice, the martyr Josephat, Bishop of
Polotz in Lithuania, the martyrs of Gore= in
Holland, and no less than 205 Japanese martyrs.
Among the latter are Alphonse, Narvarette, Domi-
Franciscan, Pierre de Zaniga,
nican, Pierre d'Arila,
Augustin, Charles Spinola, Jesuit, and his com-
panions. Also the Laico Joahin, Firomaga, and
Lucie Preitery.
On the occasion of the centenary of St. Peter the
different cities of Italy have just sent to the Holy
Father, through the medium of Monseigneur Balma,
Bishop of Ptolemais,
a sum of 300,000 f.
Soon after the arrival of M. Darboy, the Arch-
bishop of Paris, at Rome, he had an interview with
the Pope,
and presented a letter from the Empress
and a letter from the Imperial Prince, conveying an
invitation to visit their Majesties at Paris ; but as I
have already stated, his Holiness, with thanks, de-
clined to accept the invitation on the ground of ill
health, and increasing
infirmity. I am informed
that the Archbishop of Paris has sent a letter to the
Empress with this intimation.
Magnificent weather has favoured the grand cere-
mony of the award of the prizes to-day. The cere-
monial took place in conformity with the programme
I sent, but it concluded at so late an hour that it is
impossible to give details to-day. The cortege of the
Sultan was very splendid.