Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1867-09-27
The Proposed General Council.

The snnouncemeut that . General council
OF The Roman Catholic Church u 10 be held at
Rome Rome ~, wal excite very general interest, Is
seems TO be the mark Of q renewed spiritual
seiivtty, from which much may be hoped for
me isture No such Council has been held
SINCE the famous one Of Trent, In isi5. The
Authority OF Its DEGREES hardly met with that
universal acceptance which those OF fairly
conducted Council now would be likely to
nnd' Prom the time OF the first General Coun-
cil, A. ID. 325, for twelve hundred years, the
authority OF these bodies, so far as the West
ern CHURCH was concerned, gradually CEN
uaiized itself mainly because of the historic
desperate struggle II cost TO get that Council
OF Trent called. and 1t certainly cannot he
Questioned that on the whole, 1t, and the
ana revived that Church, so that IL eained
more, morally and spiritually, than il
lost temporarily, during the next afty
thar in proportion 10 its external and
apparent loss OF power as politIcaI
body. it has gained as spiritual power.
The recent loss OF the States OF rhs Church
as q temporal dominion, the threats of Iart-
baldi on Rome itself, and the less OF political
influence in Austria. IN Italy, in France, and
In Mexico, have been apparently severe blows:
but yet it is all in one sense like the loss of the
farmer IN spring, when he has put SO many
bushels OF wheat into the ground as seed. He
loses so much old and shriveliedu mp grain, but
receives f1fty.fold increase OF fresh, plump,
well-developed wheat instead. The Roman
Catholic Church IN this country is q hundred
ioid more thriving, industrious, wealthy, in-
teIlieent, and liberal in its contributions than
mat In any other country can possibly afford
to be. alt is not ali vapor." was the quaint
and pleasant remark OF the Pope. on receiving
he medel OF steamer In sll ver well fr eig hted
with geld, through the American Bishops
Indeed, this recent assem- bly, to commemorate
the spiritual dominion Of the Catholic Church
seems 10 have inspired the Pope and Cardinals
with the idea OF another General Council
Heretofore. these assem- blies have been dreaded
ana avoided by the Popes, as supposed antaco-
m lint
proposed, and seems about to be carried out,
with degree Of unanimity that is one OF the
best prognostics for good.i
1t is worth being borne in mind, that as in
the Pan-Anglican Council Of the Episcopal
Church, now assembled In Lambeth Palace,
under the auspices Of the Archbishop Of Gan
terbury, SO in Rome, in the proposed UnIver-
sal Council, American Bishops and American
ideas appear strongly as animating the new
life inspired into these ancient and venerable
religious bodies II was, we believe, Rev DR.
Claiming who first proposed. in Boston, that
the members Of his own and other Protestant
churches should subscribe literally to aid the
that city. The other day about seventy
thousand people assembled there, to witness
and partake in the inauguration services
connected with the erecting OF a suitable
building Of this kind. 1t is by kindly and
liberal feeling to all, with equal rights,
every nation must hencetorth prosper. How
the proper authority is to be united with indi-
vldual liberty Of action in each denoi aination.
must be settled by its own au ,horities; but we
should not be surprised If, when the preates
OF the Roman Church from all parts OF
the earth be assembled, 1t were found that an
enlarged freedom of action should be cheer
fully conceded, both TO the parish clergy and
to the laity, larger indeed than has so far been
esteemed practicsbie. Terms, even, might be
arranged on q few points by which both the
Greek and Anglican churches might be
brought into sort Of working harmony with
that OF Rome, that would greatly extend the
inf uence and usefulness of all Compared
with such result, whether the Pope resides
in Rome or any other city is little natter
Suprt me Pon;Ifs have been absent from that
city for seventy years at a time. The removal
TO Avignon did no ultimate damage to the
Chul cn. 1t injured the city more than the
Pope dom. And SO now, were the Pope to es-
tahlish imself in New York il would iniure
Rom- as municipality more by far than It
would his ecclesiastical power, and dsputa-
ton from that city would socn be following
him with liberal terms to win him back
PhNadslpdin Lsdder.