The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1869-12-16
The GcurnenicaI Council.
WHO ARE THERE AND WHAT is TO BE DONE.


copied does not appear We deem it of
sufficient importance to transfer to our col
unns. and have no doubt that it will prove
interesting to all classes of our readers
The General Council of the Catholic
| Church commenced its session on Wednesday
the Feast of the immaculate Conception.
No similar convocation of the higher prelates
and fathers of the Church has taken place
since the Council of Trent. three hundred
Years ago and it is therefore an event of
the greatest importance. not only to Roman
Catholics. hut to the inhabitants Of the whole
world
The Catholic hierarchy has often enlisted
the admiration Of ntanv who were strangers
or even opponents 10 IN" Catholic creed. Il
is the only monarchy am 'NG the gr%Nt r."
liginus organizations of the world. Neither
the Gretll church, nor a single one Of the
Protestant bodies Tor Judaism, nor Moham-
e'anisn. nor any otkpr mop -Ch-isti"n form
uf belief has monarcbal head. TIE pres
ent Pope. Plus TX was born on Nav !3.
1892. and is therefore now in his ISL wear.
In The list Of bishops of Rnme. az is given in
tie official Paual Almanac. he is accounted
the 25th Like all of his predecessors dur
II g the last 500 years lie is an Italian by
birth the last uon-Italan Pope having been
Adrian II. who was uollau6er. and died
In 1928 OF all the bishops Of Rome only
~ We're non-Itaians, and Of these 13 were
Frsnchmen. Germans, and 2 Spaniards.
The PontGcate Of Plus lX is one Of the
longest on record Having been elected on
the l6fh of June. 1846, he has'occupied the
Papal chair for % years and six months. 1t
is a well known lrgend-the correctness of
which. hewever. even most Of the Catholic
Church historians are not willing to defend
that St Peter was Bishop of the Roman
congregation for full 25 years. and with this
legend q common expectation has connected
itself, that no following Pore viii occupy
the apostolical chair en- quail length Of time.
until the last Pope under whose pontficate
this world will come to an end. Certain it
is that Pope, so far as documentary his
tory has been traced. has ruled for % years
OILY two have exceeded the length of the
poutifcate Of the present Pope. namely
Pins VI. who died in l779, after pontf-
cate of "a years and 8 months. and ia the
earlier history Of the Church, Sylvester l..
whose pontifcate exten1ed to % years and
10 months. The Pontificate of Plus TX has
been agitated by great storms which more
than once have threatened to sweep away
the whole of the TEN poral Power. At the
same time, however, the borders of the
church have been greatly enlarged, and lis
organizations IL many countries consoida-
ted. No fewer than 1l6 new dioceses, or
about one seventh Of the fetal number Of
Catholic dioceses, have been established by
the present Pope.
The Pope is assisted in the government of
the Church by the College of Cardinals,
which consists of seventy members WHOM
full. but there are several vacant hats at
present, which will probably be filed this
winter. The best known mem bcrs of the
Holy College. are Lucien Bpnaparte a cous-
in of the French Emperor Prince Schwarz-
enburg, Archbishop of Sprague; Prince
Hoheniohe, a brother of the Prime Minister
Of Bavaria: Count Reisach, who is now one
Of the six Cardinal Bishops. OF the other
four Cardinals, Archbishop Bonald Of Lyons,
Archbishop Rauscher, of Vienne, and Arch
bishop Cullen, of Dublin, have occupied
prominent position in the recent history Of
tue Church, and are widely known.
There twelve principal Arch bishops, who
branches Of the Church in whole nations aud
I49 archbishops and 723 bishoprics. and
a large numter of dioceses an partibus, or
without heads. making altogether 93I dio-
cescs in the hierarchy.
In the United States we have seen arch
bishoprics. held by the following prelates
Most Rev. Martin yhn Spalding. Arch
bishop Of Baltimore consecrated Sept. 10.
l848 formerly Bishop Of Louisville trans
ferred to Baltimore May G. 1864.
Most Rev John b Purcell. Archbishop
Of Cincinnati; consecrated October 13, 1888
Most Rev. Johu Nj. Odn. Archbishop OF
New Orleans consecrated March 6, 1912 !;
transferred TO New Orleans in 1861.
Most Rev. John McCloskey. Archbishop
of New York cunsecrated March 10. 1914 !;
transferred to New York. May 6. 1864.
Most Rev. Francis n Blanchet. Archh hish-
op of Oregon consecrnted July %, 1885
Most Rev. Peter B. Kenrick. Archbishop
Of St. Louis; consecrated Nov. 50, I84I.
Most Rev. Joseph S. Aemcny, Archbish-
op Of Sanfranclsco; cOusecrated June 10,
1850; transferred to San Francisco, July
%, 1858.
Uuder these there are forty-six suffragan
bishoprics. one Of " hich is over Philadelphia,
and the Right Rev. James Frederick Wood
is the Bishop. This gentleman and Bishop
Bailey, of Newark, n. j.. are converts from
the Protestant faith.
Besides Cardinals, Pltriarchs, Archbish-
ops. and Bishops, also the Generals of Mon
astic Orders and the mitred Abbotts have A
right of admission to the Council Accord
ing to a recent statement made by the Pom
tifcate Chamberlain, there are 20 Abbotts
and 80 Generals of Orders. Hardly any
of them has a literary name hardly any. we
believe Except perhaps. Father Becks, the
General of the JesuitsI. will be better known,
even in Europe, than Father Hecker, the
Superior If the American Paulists. But.
though well known, these Generals repre-
sent considerable army. Religious orders
of both men and women are again making
rapid ppseress. Ia the United States, in
England, in all the States of Germany (cs-
peciaiiy in Prussia) in France the number
, of monasteries is increasing with great celer-
ity. The Fraucisians again claim so 900
members, the Domnicans, 1000 the Jesu-
its 8 200i the Carmelites, 4 900 the Trap
lists. 1000; the Lazarists. 1000; the Par
lists, 900; the Redemptorists. 1000; the