Richmond daily Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1842-1861, 1853-07-06
Fom The Tablet.
Catholic View Of the Russian 1uesiion

Inc claims OF the Emperor of Russia based on the COM
hunty Of religion between himself and the Greek schs.
naucs OF Turkey, appear the more unjust and insoent
when We consider, what in fact not generally known ,h
the Russian aud Greek schsnatics differ on vital no;n
oil discipline involving doctrine To call the Greek clsm
by the name of the Greco Russian Church os p;
has dono in the Sened or draft of Convention sbe Il ~
tempting to force upon Turkey as false ,heoopc,l
1t politically. Where it not Tor the hazv
reasoning which IS the unhng mark of heresy and schism
me RUSSIANS and Greeks would claim TO %. one
Win each other than witt the Catholic Church which ,e
uite in resisting. She Greeks initiating the blind hatred
d The Donatists OF old will not allow validity Of Catbo
nc Baptism, and treat al apostate Catholics who como In
them exactly ifthey heahens bapiizinc tber
without condition II is the nature Of schsm to deenen
ana widen as 1t goes on, and it WAS not ill The
year 1885 that the Greeks adopted this rle on the v;
i uosatd preext that the Laiins" had altered Their
rite and baptized by sprinkling instead OF Inv cf,;o
u 80 the change had been made in the thirty x.,r 10
20 anu TOO Tor At the former date the schismatc
Patriarch Of Consannople approved Of the onno.i ,e
Tor Russia OF receiving Catholic apostates and In,L
Grams ana also with chrism only and not re-
oapusm! Ever since 1867 the Russians have maintained
this practice and have paid attention to the decrees or
the mother Church sisterChurch OF Byzantiun TIE
reason OF this is obvious. Russia's aim Is TO be huge
amatng power absorbing within itself nation after
nation. She wishes TO proscytise not in order In
souls but TO make the empire homogeneous. bence
wherever pToseytism would be politically
avoids it. Thus she does TO bring the
On any great scae WITHIN the pale OF the national Church,
anu Where she does aim at making prosciyez she usn
such material methods will accomplish the resu, viii
the least trouble to the State In the Baltic provinces
rom loOOOO to 10000 Duihcrans have been brought
nto the Russian Church. If the question Of the validity
OF their baptism had been allowed 10 be raised nerhon
not one quarter OF these conversions would have been
ehected The process very simple the Lutheran ritual
u already more splendid than that of other
they have of that mysterious dread of tho R,ss;
schismacal Church with which the Bride of Christ in
spires those alien TO the FAITH thus they become Rps
sans 10 religion much as an English Dissenter becomes
member of the national Church when he gets rich
No troublesome questions are asked about bis
oapusmi no change Of life il required Of him and
nc easily gBdes out Of one heresy into another Like
bngand Russia prefers to keep the condition of commu
MON with the established very pabe and easy and
not all disposed to theological consistency az the
price Of political power Again. the Russians have adop
ed compendious method Of making converts similar 10
that which In IN ireland In the palmy davs of
secuiion when to be seen coming out OF Protestant
church constituted Protestant in the eyes of the
law Any one VINO has even once partaken Of the Sa-
crament from the hands Of Greek Priest Is regarded m
convert, aud compelled formally TO renounce his own fib
Tor that ~ th State. Among the thousands Of uheran
fnns Eslhonian', Letes, and Germans in the Russian
army dispersed as chat army the face Of the vast
empire many are obliged to abstain from the consolation
OF the Sacrament nnlcs they willing 70 receive from
the hands Of Russian Priest Compelled as they are TO
join IN many OF the Church ceremonies they arc ote,
tempted TO receive the Sacrament likewise after which
the law refuses to recognize them any other character
than as members Of the Creek Church (Kohrs Russia
p Sg5) This applies also 10 those unhappy Catholics
who 10 moment Of weakness may have accepted Inc
| ministratOns n a schismatic Priest.
| lis an advantage which the Emperors of Ru.s, IL.
rive from this policy that they avoid by IL any dercn
Tor the decisions Of Constantnop!e which would Al M 10
ply that the will OF the Patriarch could control Of %
Cur. The Pararohate Of Moscow has long 400 ,ne,d
IN the imperial supremacy aud even by the phrase Ge
eikussiah applied IN the Ssnsd TO the Oriental
eaChurehes generally, The Patriarch Of Cons,aptinoplc Il
already being taught that he s not 20 expect To ba b
rope OF the new Home, when the Gar shall bave rca
zed his long cherished dream Of the revival of tho
er Empire This appears TO be strongly Eel, y the PATTI,
arch and even now, IN the very cradle and cariest ~
o. events which il will take centuries TO deveope
,nh violent dispute arose between him aud Prince
henschikoh on the point Of discipline which frns ,b
SUBJECT OF the present article. A good de, of con,,o
yersy has lately been going IN Greece and orkev on
ths question, started two years nro bv the spena ~,
tempt DIN Palmer, ofMagdaleno COLLEGE To obtsin f,
the synod OF Consian tnopca solution of bis digcc,
! about baptism, a. Anglican seeking connrnn,;o,,
WITH the Greek Church. lie forced upon heir at,cr,i
long memorial the preposcrous position Of te ,ien
hl church. one branch Of H. the Russao sdrit,io, d.
validity Of Catholic and Protestant Baptism and Tho ob
the Constantiuopotan, rejecting IT, and vet al te s,roc
ume, receiving 20 communion without nouirv Aft tboc
VINO are 90 admitted by tho Russians lie bumv cavod
ior the sake Of his conscience 10 be satisfied an tbi.
umeu but elected from the Greek Prelates only vcrv
Drei and rather iemperod reply 10 the effect that tbere
vas out one Baptism; and that they knew nothing about
.oe Nusaans admitting any other However In recent
oIe-pooPence from Constsntinople we read that tina
Nnhen Oermanos lately put forth pamphlet attacking
e husan church for its facility IN admitting Latin NJ
isns Prince henschikof compelled tho Pfelate IN win
draw bic publication such an incident as this shows tI,,
'oe RUSSIAN Pro'octorae no. likely to be very accepta