New-York tribune., 1870-04-30
THE TWO COUNCILS.
THE CATHOLIC. AT ROME.

THE CATHOLIC, AT ROME.
A SERMON BY MoNsIGSOR CAPEL-THE REFORMED
PREAMBLE OF TIE SCHEMA DE FIDE-fNFAL-
LIBILITY DISTANT SECRECY IMPossIBLE-
WHY FRENCH TROOPS SHOULD NOT BE WITH
DRAwN-THE ORIENTAL PRELATEs--iIEALrH
IN ROME.
TFRoa OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT
ROME April 5.-We watch every incident and every
shade of opinion as indicating the probable results
of the Ecumenical Council, and one Of these incl
dents is q sermon preached on Sunday Last by Mon
signor Capel 1t is well known that he sympathzes
strongly with Bishop Strossmayer and others who
denounced the anathemas hurled against Proestans,
and the intermixture of Professionalism with Ration
alism and unbeef in the Preamble of the Schema de
Fide, 1t was felt to be gross outrage by Monsignor
Capel and he accordingly delivered on Sunday last
the sermon that he had intended TO deliver on his
turn to England. In the first division he maintained
az a general principle that belief in the dognas of
the Roman Catholic Church was essential to
salvation, and justified what some called
the intolerant zeal Of the faithful by the
solemn importance of the subject Were he to
see cup of poison in the hand of any one. and were
he to dash it aside, would any one charge him with
rudeness Besides, in laying down certain dogmas
as essential TO salvation, they did nothing more than
what other churches did. The Anglican Church
sad "Whosoever believeth, &c, shall be saved, and
Presbyterians did the same in their Westminster
Catechism and were they accused Of intolerancef
He called this the intolerant division of his sermon.
He passed then to the tolerant part Those who had
never heard Of Catholicsm-those who were ignor-
ant-he regarded as belonging to the soul Of the
Church, provided they were friends with God. SO,
also with educated men who had studied and
prayed and yet could not receive the Truth
they were safe. Many of the flower of our univer-
sites had joined the Church Of Rome-he
would not mention names-some at 30 or
40 or 80 years of age Would any say that mp to
that age they had been dishonest and insinceref
Charity forbade it. If these the opinions Of tho
Roman Catholic Church generally, all that can DO
said about the damnatory character of that Church
is, that they have made and still make much ado
about nothing and that human nature is too strong
for damnation. Monsignor Capel excepted two
clsses from the kindly hopes which he held outthey
were che sensual who devoted themselves altogether
to selfindulgence and the indifferent, who, in this
glorious City of Rome, gave themselves up TO the
study of art | Archaeology anything else rather
than religion As orator. Monsignor Capel holds
high position, and, rising man in the party which
is now in harmony with the enlightened spirit Of the
age promises hereafter to exercise considerable infu
ence over the opinions of the members of his church.
This brief notice of him and of his will not
therefore be regarded as perfectly unnecessary.
With the exception of Saturday last the Council
has sat in its Congregations daily and is resoutely
preparing some DEGREES for speedy PRONUNCIATION.
The day. however of the ceremony it has been found
impossible to fix as everything depends the pro-
gress of the discussions and voting. All that is
known is that the Knights of Maltar-two of whom,
by the by are Englishmen, Sir George Bowyer and
Major de Haviland-have received directions to pre-
pare their uniforms and whatever else may be neces
sary for the 11th inst, next Monday with an ntima-
ton that their attendance might not be required be-
fore the 18th inst. This then is the latest day fixed
for the promulgation of a decree and even this is
not regarded as deinitive, since all the arti-
cles of tho Schema de Eide have not yet
been voted On its being brought up again
from committee in its reformed state, its gen.
eral principles, by superior order, were first dis
cussed then the Preamble, and then the articles
separately, together with the canons. To recaptu-
late. it was the Preamble which Occasoned the
great and disgraceful excitement have already de-
scribed but through the energy Of Strossmayer and
the decided action of the Prussan Government, the
Objectionable portions were omitted, and the re-
formed Preamble has now been adopted. The work
actually ia hand consists in discussing and voting
each of the IS articles of the Scheme separately,
rather the four chapters under which they are
classed 1t is hoped that this tedious work will be
concluded this week; and, the Fathers are work.
ing more in harmony, the probabilities are that by
the 18th inst Plus K. will have the boundess sat
sfaction of imposing orders on the consciences OF
many millions of men, at least some points.
As regards Infallibiity, ilstill looms in the dis
tance, and no one can say when it will be brought
forward. Several subjects take the precedence of it
after Easter. This theme is inserted after the XIth
article of the Schema of the Dognatc Constitution
de Eccesia Christi which article the XIth treats of
the supremacy of the Roman Pontifi, and it is not
till this Scheme is brought forward that the real
fighting will begin. The ever ready, ever witty
Romans have already anticipated the decisions of the
Council in the following verses; but first you must
receive little explanation There are certain kinds
of Lucifer matches manufactured in some of the
Italian towns which not permitted to pass the
Roman frontier, that man rejoicing in the name
of Moscatelli was appointed TO supply the lieges.
So delighted was he with the work of his hands that
he chrstened his matches Infallibles, title which
was taken advantage of az follows:
concilis 81 adunatO
II Padre han decretato
Che Infabili qui sono,
Moscatelli o Gran Pho Mono.
The Council has met together
And the Fathers have decreed
That Infallibe are here,
Moscatelli and the Great Pho Mono.
It may be concluded from the presence OF all tho
Fathers at the recent meetings of the Congregations
that the opposition to the new regulations which
once strong has died away. In fact, by their
assisting ut the discussions, the malcOntents have
practically 81 mitted to the new regulations. The
great struggle, however, will be on the principle
TO whether majority of votes is sufficient to
ton dogma, or whether moral unanimity is abso-
lutey necessary. On this point the Jesuits, in the
last number Of their ergan, the Cipiitd Cattscd,
insist at some length, that unanimity has been
A. III. a.