The Charlotte journal. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1835-1851, 1845-03-07
From The n. y. Express.
Policy of the Church OF Rome

IN The last Methodist Quarterly ReYlep
we notice Review Of Durbin's obsefva
lions 10 Europe, mud sundry other poemi
cal works, under the general title Of 18th,
Policy Of the Romlsa Church." which il
5 marked in the liable of contents as from lh,
, pen Of An lialian Exile" This may b.
fairly considered as oue Of the mos, remark
able papers upon subject Of the kind eyel
published in this country; especially ~het
} considered with reference 10 lis AUTHORSHIP
aud the organ Of its u'ieIanee. IL asserts
with this pos,ulate: that the Romish eler
gy. calar aud regular, mus, be considere,
as well appointed, one minded army. pre-
pairing itself IN the unconguersble spirit O
. Gregory VII, 10 renew, for the last time
The contest for the Supremacy Of he Church
over The State, tina. is 30 say, for the Pope''
universal monarchy. "fha. this ID :he
true object TO which the pTese"; es,Faordi
nary exertions Of tho Roman Court uiIim
a,ely tend" says the writer, "no reason
aG!e dcub, eau, for momon', be enter
tanned" The argument iha, Rome doe,
not generally exert tho power (Which she
believes herself 10 possess, as o matter o.
divine right,) IN our days, he holds TO bo
no argument to dispiove The intentions aad
designs he impu,es, or 10 warrant the infer.
ence that il has aeeu, or soon will be, reln-
| pushed. He contends tina, she has ever
been prompt to put them forth whenever
there was an Opportunity TO extor, obed-
ence; and he all1Ges 10 the pregnant and
startling fact that the presen, Pope GREGG.
rs XVI, bu. n few years ago, attempted
10 weld this power, with unexamp'ed alb
soluieness, agalns, Portugal and Spain
quoting ia proof from the Ailocuiion Of
March. 1871 and observing that the Span
lsh government, 10 their manifesto Of July,
le4l, ayerred tina! the holy See had never
since the time Of Gregory VII. until the
present, maintained prelensions so high, or
promulgated Ihcm in manner 90 impatient
and so reckless.
10 this connexIon, he quotes authentic
statistics, going TO show The extent TO
which the Roman ecclesiastical establish.
ment, in the United States, hos increased
within the past eigh, years. lie puts down,
as for The yeur 1885 for instance, the nun.
Der OF eccIesias,es, oil Establishments and
Of worshippers Of .his denomination thus ;
i2 bishops, archbishop, 3+l priests, 300
churches, 10 colleges. 81 converts, and
600, 900 population. la lS44 the numbers
given are as follows; II bishops; bishops
elect. 6: Apostolic vicsraie. : dlocesses,
81 priests, 643 IAN increase of clergymen
since the last year Of 55,); churches, Gil;
other stations, 46l +; seminaries. 10; (slu.
dents, 26l j periodicals, Is. aud the popu,
la,ion 1900, 000,-moEe than double in
eight years)
He then comes 10 the consideration Of
the question, whether OF not. in the presen,
condition Of the Romieh Church and OF
Chtistcndom, there are reasons 10 believe
the Roman clergy will at last come OF, of
the impending contest victorious To
throw light on the course Of his argument,
he refers to the pas! history Of the Roman
Catholic Church. and proceeds to show
that the Roman, Frahkish aad German
governments have ever taken that church
under their patronage for the advancement
Of their own political interests; and that
she. who was al frs, a supPliau,, and after
wards an ally, always ended, when she could,
as an imperious tyrant. From The times OF
Constantine and Theodosus, down through I
those of Pepin and ChatIem1gne, of Ohio I
and Henry Ill. 10 those Of King John and
Of Arason, when the aspirations Of Gre
CORY VII. seemed to be near their accom-. I
p'lshmeut, he takes a rapid review Of her /
presensions and Of her unwillingness 10
make concessions 10 the State for the pur
pose Of establishing her power He next
comes 10 the beginning of the lilb cenlu
~, when THIS power began TO decline, and
instances the refusal OF Philip the Fair to
submit thereto, The stand made by the Ger.
nan government against il, the refusal OF
Edward III. Of England TO acknowledge
/, aud to i,s rapid declension through the
eigns of Popes Sixtus w., Innocent VIII,
alexander VI, Julius H., Leo X, and Paul
H., and so on, from the peace of West,
,hala, in l64S, through those Of the Pyre.
ices in 1905, and Of Utrecht in 1913, then
Trough the suppression Of the Jesuiis in
762, the imprisonment and death Of Plus
VI. in France, in l779 and the retirement
o Paris Of his successor Plus VII, in 1913,
$ the primale Of the Catholic Church."
down 10 the restoration Of popery (bu,
sofully shorn Of its pFetensions) in lSl4.
III this the writer argues, furnishes the full.
st proof that "the exaltstlon of the Rom.
sh Church is The work of politics, "--and
hat 10 quote Pope Plus ". she =" cannot
ubsls; without The suppor, OF Kings"
Brought down now TO the restoration OF
'opery, and, as consequence, of the Jes
its, or Italian Esle proceeds TO extend
lis inquiry, as TO the true condition Of the
Roman hierarchy, 10 our own tines aud
While describing the re establishment OF the
orssinsii!utions and practices ofIhe Church
$ the consequence OF these restoratlons, he
wells with great force on the aid and coun.
enance given to Catholicism, upon political
considerations, by Protestant governments,
nd with much ucumen crilieises the whole
curse Of that policy which was adopted by
he Z" Holy Alliance" He mentions Fred
rick Schleee's lectures in Venice, before