Vicksburg weekly herald. (Vicksburg, Miss.) 1868-1883, 1869-12-25
lFFom tho nadnis C~suHoEf
THE ECUaENl0AE COUNCIL.


AA9 EsuuANiiEtAl gOuuGlA which
aaso mbled In Rome Wednesday, Is
called the first council Of the Vati-
can, and will pass into history as
the twenty hrst Eeumenical oOun.
ell Of the church, counting from the
fFst, held at Nice in the year 235, to
the last council Of Trent the TWEEN.
tieth, which met in the year I545.
and terminated tie sitting in the
year 1868, three hundred and six
years since. This last named cOun.
ell wa cOnvOked by Pope Paul the
Third, and continued under Julius
the Third and Plus the Fourth the
present by John Maria Mastal Fer.
reti, the two hundred and fifty
eighth pOntif from Saint Peter
accepting the Catholic version of
Peters position after the death of
our Lord and Savlour-Who was
vested with the triple tiara, the
keys and the sword in the year
1916.
On the occasion Of the eighteenth
century ofSS. Peter and Paul, cele-
brated in June, 1867, the first for.
NAL announcement Of the council of
to-day was made. In the address
of the Hierarcy, presented in the
hall Of cOnsistories to the pope, Oc-
ours the following words, Rcknowl.
edging the intimatiOn that the pope
was to call 9 general council "Our
souls are filed with the greatest Joy
when we learn from your
sacred mouth that you have come
to resolution amid the many dan
gers Of the present time, Of con-
voking Jan ecumenical council 40
the greatest remedy In The greatest
peril Of Christianity according to
the words Of your renowned prede-
cessor, Paul Ill. May God favor this
resolve which he has himself in.
sPired you with, and may the men
Of the world who, inlrm In faith,
always learning and never arriving
at the knowledge Of the truth, are
blown about by every wind of doc
trine, have, In this sacred synod, a
new and most opportuue occasion
Of coming to our holy church, the
pillar aud foundation OF truth : Of
knowing and saving faith, Of re.
jecting pernicious errors ; and by
the help of God and the ~intercess.
ion of the immaculate mother Of
God, may this synod be a great
work OF unity, satisfaction, and
peace, whence the church may de-
rive new splendor, and q new tri.
umph Of the Kingdom of God be
obtained" On st. Peters day,
1868, the letters apostolic of the
holy see summoning this council
were issued. On September Sth,
following, the letter Of invitation
to bishops of the eastern rite not
in communion with the Roman was
signed, and the letter 10 non. Catho.
lies followed a week later. The
objects OF the council have been
variously stated, but further than
what was officially announced in
the Papal letters nothing deluite Is
known Of them, II is certain that
the discipline OF the church will be
revised in many points. 1t is as
serted that two new dogmas of
faith will be developed. But at
this moment there is much reason
for supposing that neither the dog
ma Of Instability nor that Of as.
sumption will be declared, as there
ls for thinking that they will. At
the same time popular rumor has it
that both Of these objects are the
chief objects whichthe summon
er Of the council has in view.
These are bis own words:
ain this Ecumenical council all
those things are to be most
accurately weighed and deter.
mined, which especially in these
most painful times particular.
ly regard the greater glory of
God, aud the integrity Of the faith,
and the beauty Of divine worship
and eternal salvation of men, and
both discipline and salutary and
solid instruction Of the clergy, Sc
cular and observance Of ~ecclesias-
teal law aud reformation Of morals
and Christian education of youth,
and the common peace and con-
cord OF all; and also, with most at.
tentive study, It Is to be aimed at
that, with Code good help, all evils
be removed from the church and
civil society ; that miserable wan
derers be brought back into the
straight path Of truth and justice
and salvation that vices, errors,
being expelled, our august religion
and its healthful doctrine receive
fresh life over all the earth, and in-
crease daily in extent and power,
and thus that piety, honorableness,
probity, justice, charity, and ali
Christian virtues abound and -four
ish, TO the vast benefit Of human So
cieiy."
A calculation made by the ponti-
fical chamberlain fixes at 1921 the
number Of persons having a right
ofadmission to the council. They
are as follows:
Cardinals W thout episcopal Jurisdiction Is
C.rdinal p,elAtes, patriarchs, archbish.
ops or bishops. ......... ,,.,..,. g9l
A IA Mt 49, 80