New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1870-02-19
THE GCUMENICAL COUNCIL.

.nch character must address YOU, and during the
interval of a week much has occurred. On the day
on which / dispatched my last letter. Monselgheur
Dupanloup was announced TO speak. Oreat was INC
public expectation. for sklrmiSh If not good lgh'
was expected TO take place between nm ana III
Manning on the subject of the lnialnoillty oil lhe
Pope. Nothing of the kind however, took place for
the observations Of the French Archbishop were con-
fined TO one of the two new schemes which had re-
Gently been presented TO the Fathers These schemes
embraced the rights and duties of the Bishops-and
the relations of the Fathers the civil powers The
first il was which occupied DupaDOup for an hour
and quarter and Judging merely from the varied
and excited intonatons of his voice called forth all
his power But there is something more to speak OF
than of the voice which rang through the Council
Hall and was audible TO us outsiders who were wait
inc IN nick M some stray waits. Monselgneur Du-
panoup VINO has not been well, and who knew all
the difficulties of speaking in place so Ill adapted
either to hearing speaking begged PERMISSION OF
the President Legate TO address them not from his
seat nor from the movable pulpit on four wheels put
from the Bench of the Legates. The permission was
accorded and Immediately all the venerable Fathers
crowded round to hear the French preate. one Will
not take a solemn oath as to the correctness OF what
he reports from a city enveloped by darkness, but
my sources of information gOod-my desire to tell
vou what Is true is unimpeachable and DupanOnp
snoke beleye 10 the following effect He combatted
the scheme proposed asserted that the CuTia Romano
lad usrped most of the rights of the Bishops That
il dispensed privileges as favors 10 many priests
without their Bishops being consulted. that II was
necessary to restore the Episcopal power that our
Apostolic Constitutions had been falsified and that
the Government of the Church. instead OF beng IN
the hands of the Cardinals, was now confined to
few. Then turning to the Cardinals he continued;
You are the Senate of the POntif appointed
10 govern the Church: but at present you
are oppressed by "a despotsm No one of you has
had the courage to speak ont PLAINLY! He then in
vokcd the memory of Cardinal Sacchetti, Floren
tine who lived in the Pontifcate of Alexander VII
From his death-bed be rose and wrote TO the Pope,
and said he thought it his duty to urge upon bis Ho-
Illness the necessity of reforming the morals of the
Church. 80 remove abuses. and above all to cease
from rivaling other civil powers Utridm'-" would
10 God" said DupanlOup, " that another Cardinal
Sacchett would rise up among you with courage TO
plead for and save the Church. -Four other Fathers
spoke on the I'D inst, but commanded little atten
tlon, for Dupanloup had absorbed it all-they were
Nmewhat weared too and the hour of the midday
meal had passed So that on his ceasing to speak
there was a sound of a rushing wind something like
memories Of juvenile days, when school broke up
the doors were thrown open, and out came the
venerable Eatnefs IN hurry, not 10 give
the spectators strong impression of their dignity.
On the following day, that is the 22d inst there
was another Congregation SO that if the Fathers do
not hear or understand much. they are anxious to
give the idea that they are very hard workers. Five
of them spoke on this OCCASION but had heard the
speech of one Bishop only. an American from the
South quoted There" he said, 1.-The Bishops are
thought lightly of, since all authority is in Rome.
Receiving as they do their instructions from the
Cura Romano, they in continual opposition with
the aspirations of the people of their own diOceses
The only remedy for this" Though l do not myself
precisely see it,, he added was to restore to the
clergy and the people their ancient right of eecting
their Bishops" This sentiment was received with
applause, Enthusiastically expressed, and the Legates,
perceiving that the scheme" under discussion
would stand as slight chance of being favOraby re-
ceiyed as that of Faith" devised clever artiiCe
for withdrawing 1t.
Monsignor GandOlf Bishop of Civita Vecchia rose
and expressed bis appreciation of all that the Ameri-
Bishop had said, adding de hoe salts" and that
itwOud be better TO pass Oh to the other scheme"
The proposition was received with murmurs of dis
approval and GaDdolf and the Legates were silenced
Before proceeding further let me impress it upon
YOU then. as is evident from my report, that there
does not prevail among these Christian Fathers that
delicious harmony which most are so anxious TO
In the next place that the great struggle is
for pOwer-asnatural ambition from which not even
holy men. waiting for the inspiration of the Holy
Spirit, are exempt. The Holy Father wants to mo-
nOpoze il all, and his DlettSsind ErGtres want TO
come in for their share. Again though much has been
id of the corrupt morals of the clergy though jere
maids have been plantively chanted. and fountains
Of tears have been opened the true remedy that of
the abolition of the ceibacy of the clergy has never
once been limited at-anything but that for it is well
known that il would diminish their influence. in
the great struggle then. between morals and power,
morals are practically sent to the wall. Sunday was
aides n0n for on that day the Private Council elected
by His Holiness consisting of II Cardinals and IA
Bishops met for the first time. i have already ex
planned 10 you that any new propositions not set
down in the matter already prepared must be pre-
Sented 10 this Private Council or deputaton rather
before being discussed by General Congregation.
What the new matter was has not transpired, but
there is reason for beevingthat it was connected
with discipline On Monday, the oath inst, the Cen
eral Congregation again assembled and the speech
Of the season was that of StrOssmayer. Bishop of
Bosnia and SOrmo. In excellent Latin, for he was
formerly Professor of Latin in Vienna, and with
much fervid eloquence, he inveighed against the
cheme under consideration. against the condition
the Cura Romano and the Jesuits Per deos In
IOrtdIes, he rs said TO have exclaimed in q moment
excitement, carried away by classical reminiscent
es, an exclamation which will be followed perhaps
an accusation of paganism. Such was the effect
his eloQuence that four bishops who were in
sibed to speak gned their right and the official
iunal repeats that fOur Fathers spoke on that day
Twas in answer to former speech of Strossmayer
tat Dreux Breze Bishop Of Moulines is said TO have
relied that it belonged 10 the Holy Father to re-
ION the Cura7 We'll" said Strossmsyer "bnt