The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1869-10-31
Preparations for tie Graad Couucil--The
Prospect.

Preparations for tie Craad Couucil--The
Prospect.
The semi detection of Father Hyacilthe and
the sensation oocasioned by tie same have not
made the world Indifferent to the approaching
religions demonstration at the Vatican. The
bishops have set out on their pilgrimage to the
Mecca OF Caristendom, and from all points
they are now converging towards the Holy
City 1t il calculated that not fewer than one
thousand bishops will take their places in the
Council Hall at st. Peters, and the crowd
promises to be reasonably representative and
nearly as motley as possible. In spite of the
absence of Professionals and other non-Catho-
lies there will be no lack Of variety. There
| viii be prince bishops and pauper bishops,
bishops IN scarlet and bishops in serge,
bishops with fine equipages aud bishops with
none, bishops who can pay their own bills and
bishops who viii live at tie expense of the
Pope. Tue ltyeried lackey and the gorgeous
carriage will attest the character of the one !;
the Roman hackman and the dirty cab will
attest the character of the other.
| Preparations at st. Peters are going on
! apoce. The gcand green embroidered carpet
to be supplied by the King of Prussia is
| hourly expected from Berlin. The artists of
Rome are busy executing portraits of the
| Popes and other church digntaries whose
names are prominently associated with
| previous councils of the kind There
| are, it appears, to be galleries on the
| the right aad left of the Pontifcal throne
/ specially reserved for the shorthand reporters
| and official sheologians. Besides these there
are to be two. other galleries, one for ambas-
sailors and persons of distinguished rank, the
! other for sovereigns or members of royal
| families who may at the time be in Rome and
| seek admission to the show. With the excep-
| ton OF such favored persons no outsiders will
| be admitted. Nor is it to be supposed that
| the shorthand reporters will in any sense be
representatives Of the press. The shorthand
reporters will report only TO the Council itself.
II has panied us to see that the Council in this
particular is 80 far behind the age II ought
to have been less fearful of the fine free air
Of public sentiment and more wiling TO face
the light of day. 1t is gratifying to US to know
that if any exceptional liberty be taken
with the rigid rules which have been laid down,
| that liberty will be exercised in favor of the
| New YORK HERALD. All things considered,
| il is now certain that Rome will, on the Sth of
| December, present spectacle and enjoy
holiday which have had no parallels in many
| centuries. How long the Council will sit is
| matter Of some doubt. 1t may be years Or
L 81
and abrupt termination. In any case the first
day will be the greatest When the great
pageant Of the opening day is over the sensa-
ton will be ended, and the many thousands
| who journcyed Thousands of miles to see the
show will gradually dispense and seek their
| own homes.
| But what is the prospect? What win the
| Council do? We cannot say that anything has
occurred OF late to warrant us to hope that it
will accomplish anything very great. If the
latest rumor be well founded the Council will
only be dumb show. 1t will meet to ratify
what has already been agreed upon. In such
a case it will, indeed, be the tamest of all tame
| affairs. For reasons at once numerous and
weighty we cannot believe that the rumor to
which we have alluded has any foundation in
fact IT is not possible that the Pope and his
advisers have made up their minds to insult
the many devout adherents of the Catholic
Church, who are looking forward to the ap-
| preaching Council in the confident belief that
ii will solve for them many of their doubts and
remove ont of the way many of their stumbling
blocks There must be some form Of discus
sion. Conclusions must be arrived at. II
Archbishop Manning is OF any authority we
are not left in doubt upon one point. Speak
ing Of the Council and its effects he says -
''The Syllabus will become the rule Of thought
with respect TO the eighty-four errors which i
condemns, and the eighty-four truths which
were condemned by those errors will become
the rule and law Of the intellectual belief o.
man." 1t il very doubtful whether the truths
condemned by the errors will ever become The
rule and law of the intellectual belief or man
but when such language as that we have quoted
is used by a dignitary like Archbishop Man.
ming il is not doubtful that an attempt will b,
made to make such the rule and law Of tho
Roman Catholic Church. II is now M
longer doubtful that the question o
Papal infallibility will be considered and
In some way authortatively settled. In whom
does infallibility reside? with what limits
and on what subjects2 The Church and I'll,
world are anxious to have those question:
answered. It will not do to say that ever.
one of tho two hundred and twenty Pope
l n~J all