The Elko independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1869-1872, 1869-10-16
IN. Old and m. H.-

Catholic bishops will meet in Rome. in Ecu
menical Council. This is the most important
church affair, either in the Catholic or Prot
cstant churches that has or will be Witnessed
in the present century. 1t has been now quite
three hundred years since this great council
has been called together by the Holy See, and
we may well believe that nothing less than
some great question as To the future of the
Catholic church has caused Pope Plus IN to
assemble at Rome the heads of his church
The letter calling this council sets forth that
ABUSES" have crept into the minds of some
of the laity and that even some of the priests
do not teach the doctrines of the church in
their purity. This is not all, several Catholic
rulers, Francis Joseph, for instance, have al
lowed schools to be established in which no
religious faith is taught, and have legalized
marriage contracts outside of the walls Of any
church, away from the control or influence of
the ''Holy Mother" Worse than all, the
Pope bitterly complains that the sacredness
of his own person is no longer respected by
the powers of the earth, and that men are ac-
tually thinking for themselves. The articles of
faith laid down by "early fathers" those who
lived and dreamed in converts during the
long period when mems minds seemed to
grope in utter darkness, are doubted even by
professed Catholics, and the revelations of
science are placed above the musty dogmas of
the church. The whole of the Pope's COM
plant and the burden of his wailing may be
summed up in these words. He has placed
himself against the progress of the age, and
desires to be backed up in so doing by the
highest tribunal known to his church, one
whose edicts are believed TO be infallible 10y
all good Catholics. There is to be no review
| ing of the whole church fabric, no attempt to
heal over the vast breach caused by the re-
/ formation with the object of establishing a
united church upon a faith that would unite
all who believed in Christ, and Him cruel
| fed" all who tried to be Christians in the
broadcast and highest sense of the word. DR..
Canning, of high church ritualistic notoriety,
evidently brought himself to believe that the
calling of this council was to unite the Christ
ian world. 1t was to be gathering together
of the heads of the various churches IN apOs-
tolic council to endeavor TO unite them all un-
der one broad faith; but the Pope in his let
ter to the Reverent Doctor plainly and emphat-
ically told him that he could come and
sit at the feet of the Bishops during their de-
alterations, with the promise of good scold-
ing when all was over, but not a word was he
to say; there was to be no discussion of prin-
ciples of filth during the sitting of the coun-
ell. The dogmas of the Catholic church are
not to be changed; new ones may be added,
but the old ones are to remain intact, pierced
as they are through and through by the light
of science that has revealed God to us as lie
has displayed Himself III His wOndrous works.
1t is struggle between the old and new. In
vain the Pope has sent ont his bulls To the
pious of Catholic Europe in vain has he writ
ten fathcrly letters to them; yet they have dis
regarded his udmuuitious, laughed at his
threats, and have continued to make their
, laws and policy conform to the agc. DispoS-
ing of the idea of rc-rstubii.hing tina; absolute
, control over mems minds that his prcdcccs-
sors one held and that he has always claimed
e by his own power, he now calls together the
heads of the church i'll ccumercnl council.
What will it amount to? Nothing, absolutely
, nothing. Five centuries ago the meeting OF
) this council would have been the greatest
event Of the age. It's decree would have dc,
posed princes, scattered empires or impris'
/, oncd men and women kby the thousands, but
now it will meet and adjourn, and what il
may do or leave undone will have no more
effect upon the civilization of the age than q
town-mceting in the back woods of Maine
Such is the contest between the old and tho
new.