The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1869-08-29
The Council of the Vatican.

That great aud important change is
impending, no one who regards the signs
of the times can doubt-that n complete
union between many of that denomination
and the true Church is not remote, is
equally true. How tbisis to be accomplish
ed, it is not in mans power to say with
certainty-it remains in the counsels of
God. But of. it's ultimate consummation
there can remain little doubt.
A great event is approaching in the
central city of Christendom, and as yet
English churchmen (perhaps excusably
enough) have shown but little if any sign
of sympathy. At the same time, it is
Council at Rome should in some way affect
the future of the Universal Church. This
can scarcely be denied, whether our ex-
peetations point to the future establish
ment of the Gcumenical character of the
Council, or whether it BIO thought more
probable that, like some former assemblies,
it should, though intended by the terms of
its summons to attain that character,
eventually fall short of 1t. This we at
least know, that within six months, unless
some unforeseen event occur, the bishops
of the major and most important division
of Christendom viii meet in solemn con-
ference, under the presidency of the first
Bishop of Christendom, and in the very
seat of the Prince of the Apostles.
But what ought we to do? Confessed!y
this is very difficult question, and one to
which we are by no means prepared to
give an off-hand reply. Like many other
difficulties, however, perhaps, it will be
found more capable of solution when its
Importance has been thoroughly recognised,
and Il proper desire has been manifested to
solve it. At present the question is not
exciting much interest amongst us. There
are, of course, many causes of this lack OF
interest. Anglicans have been so long
accustomed to isolation that they are not
even yet alive to it's real miseries and its
terrible mischief; and, above all, there is
abroad n very general feeling of soreness
at the fact of the English Episcopate not
having been Summoned to the Council and
this prevents Anglieans from seeing in the
approaching session any cause for con-
graduation. This fact, acting further on
the English characteristic of exclnsiyeness,
has made many feel that they have nothing
10 do with the matter, and that their
presence and their sympathy are alike I'M
desired,
Yet, ON the other hand, it is difficult to
imagine the possibility of the Pope
5ummoning our bishops to the Council.
Even had he done so, we confess that we
should hesitate very much before acknow-
lodging to any feeling but one of appre-
hension as to the result. We speak, OF
course, looking at the natural side of the
some people have done, of want of courtesy
or irregularity i'll not having issued such
IL summons, we ought surely to place our
selves at the Roman point of view. Look
at the Anglican body from that. What,
during the past three centuries, has its
Episcopate done to claim share in Ca
thoIIc Councils? Has not the Anglican
Communion, notwithstanding its own Ca
tholic heritage, persistent'y fraternized
with Professionals both at home and abroad?
Has it ever seemed to care an iota about
its Catholic name and character? Docs il
even now present to foreigners, as n whole,
and Judging merely from the outside, any
appearance of Catholicity Do the acts gifts
governors, or their speech, look or sound
! like the acts or the speech of successors OF
the Apostles Is it not almost universally
| believed outside our own communion that
/ they are not indeed SUCCESSORS of the
/ Apostles at all What reason, in fact, has
! Plus TX. to induce him to issue any sum
/ mons TO us other than he would have had
/ to, c. g., the presbyterian body in Scotland,
or to the pseudo bishops of Scandinavia
| In what way to outsiders can we seem
! superior, at all events, to these last Of
course, we ourselves know that the facts,
as regards the Catholic character of our
! communion, are just the other way. We
know that our bishops are apostolic, our
priesthood valid, our doctrines Gas contain
ed in The authoritative documents) Catholic;
! but others do not know all this, and we are
! bound to remember that it is the fault of
our own communion that they do not. II
Is, perhaps, less the fault of his Holiness
than the fault, the grevious fault, of the
Anglican body itself, that communion
which is really Catholic, should appear to
him n merely Protestant sect. Bearing this
in mind, We must say that it is rather an
exaggeration to speak of deliberate in
| sultp being intended to the Anglican
| Episcopacy by our not being summoned.
| We much fear that there must still be
| lingering, even among members of the Ca
thOlic school, too much of the egregious
amour propre, which has been the crying
sin of the Anglican Church ever since its
separation from visible Catholic unity, and
| which has been the cause of that marvellous
blindness which has supposed her to be the
model Church, the perfect representative
in theory and practice of the purity of
primitive times; and, therefore, if not the
superior, certainly the equal of the veneer
able Churches of the East, and the august
| 81.