, 1870-01-23
SUNDAY, JANUARY IS, 1870.
TIE ECUMEdIcAL CouACII:


THE GCUME11cA1 COUNCIL:
Tho reports which are received daily OF
the doipgs Of the Ecunsnicl Council can
not be said to be Trustworthy a they vary
from dsy to day, and arc very contrsdic-
tory. II hks been repeatedly ststed that
there Was strong opposition to the decla-
ration Of Papal infsl1ihalty, aud it has bsan
also autho.,tatirely stated that the Amsri-
can Bishops we're opposed to it; and again
it has been stated that tre council would
be unanimous, and that the American
B:shops were among the nost Jealous
champions Of the dogma. The fact is tha.
the information We get Is but the gossip
among those excluded the council, and
that it comes to us colored somsvhAt
by the wishes or feelings Of the reporter. In
thin respect the Roman correspondence OF
the French, English, and American Catholic
pape,s il not different from that OF the
secular papers, except that the Roman
Catholic writer's Ill fayoz tho dogma and
assume its adoption.
The latest report from the council is 10 the
effect that the German Bishops, including
those Of Hungary, and perhaps Of the other
6lavonic States, have taken the position
that the authority aad weight Of Bishops
ought to be measured By the nu1aher Of
their people, Ihe comparatively few
Bishops Of Germany represent many millions
more Of Catholic people than do thoae Of
Italy yet oue-third or more OF the prelates
in the council are Italiaua.. The old sees,
which unce contained large Catholic popu-
lationa, and, in past ages, represented, in
fact, the strength Of ths Church, are yet
Kept mp, though they have dwindled into
insignidcance. In the olden time, wb.n tbs
Church vas in the height Of her glory,
Italy was, politically, commercially, and
roGgiously, power in Europe Eoc9ealasd-
cal dign,ties then were greater than politi-
cal ones are now. Men Of tho most eralted
blood sought to be prelates of the Church,
and the Church WAS never unwilling to
create new Offices. When lCbarlemague
was crowned Emperor Of Rome the
Church created hosts Of Bishops and Arch
bishops from among his friends, and dur
ing the long centuries of clvl war and con-
guest which followed the c1estlon Of new
diRnities continued. The attifes Of the
Gnelphs and the Ghiba1hnes we're succeed
Cd By those Of the Medici and Farnese, and
each sought TO strengthen its power By FL
ing the Church with its adherents. Since
those days Italy has degenerated IN every
sanse; he1 once famous universities exist
but little more than in Name her people
have fallen into groes ignorance, and So
ciety has become divided into two Glasses
ecclesiastica and thsir dependents, and non
ecclesiastics. There are in Italy over q
han taillion c1erics Of all grades. and the
proportion is equally great Of Bishops,
A1chbiahops, Mitred Ahbots, heads Of
orders, and Of thu other classes Of prelates
who have seats in The council The popu-
latiou of all the Italian States is about
eJ,Oo0,0 600, while the Roman Catholic pop
platipn in the German States and of thu
sIavi races 1esches probably $4,000, 600
These Suites have about one repres entativt
In the council to five Italians ard that tn
German Bi6tops, representing living peo
pIe md { living Church, should feal s8
grisved that they are overwhelmed b,
hereditary prelstes, representing historica
sees, aud having no constituents, is by n
raeana remarkable in this sge- .-
The Co1lege Of Cardinals il, with thse
exceptions, composed e1cluaive1Y OF Italian.
The preIates representing Engliah-hpeakin
nations arc: United States, 62; Bntia
Arnerics, 81; ireland, %; England. Is
Scotland, 4. Total, 1so; OF about ons-se1
enth OF the whole council.
Il il b. trne that the German md sll
yonic pre1ates have protested Against th
preponderance Of Bishops without flock
twill be novelty in the history Of tt
Church government and will fall direct
under The ban Of that paragraph Of th
Syllabus which condemns popular rights
governments Of any Kind. 1t Is hard
prob.bIe that any such protest, justified 6
it may seem TO American readers, has bee
made The government Of the Church
oae Of Absoluta power. The pzelates ther
selves a,o not, theoretically or otherHiss
representatives Of thu people in any sens'
They arn Iegates Of the Church authorit,
sd, gathered IN council, are no more thu
80 many Generals Summoned to oouns
witt, but nevertheless to obey, their sop
zior IN authority. Az veil might Brig
dior demand that, because he represented
aetuh brigade Of meu, he WAS entitled
moro wsight than anothsr OF the same ra1
on the stad. Tho protest may have be'
made, Is stated, but it viii be naade to de-
cars, md be addressed to minds viii
must necessarily reject it as destructive
tho fundamental principles Of abso!r
church government.
The Rom.n Catholic peorle Of all oou
riaa seen to anticipate that thu infa1hbi''
Of the Pope will be declared az dogma
the Church; and, except among those "
make abstract theology study, the uhs
matter Seems to be treated with great
difference. The infa1llbilty Of the Chur
it4elf IS the e,iating doctine, and wheth
4hAt infallbility be in Pops or council, or
both united, does not appear to excite a
particular interest s1nnng the Romau Cat
olio lnisy.