The New York herald., 1870-05-15
The CesncH Of the vnfican-Tho DoSn"
de- Pide--prosrcss aud PrOspccts-


at Rome For the very accurate Eaglish ver-
sion which we are enabled 10 give our
readers we have TO thank the editor and pro-
prietors of the Catholic World, who have
kindly furnished us with advanced sheets Of
their forthcoming number.
| or the ffty-fve sclemata drawn up before
| hand this Is the only one which has been de-
nntiyely pronounced upon. The Council has
now been in session for period covering
moro than four months, and this is the result
of their deliberations. The document speaks
for ITSELF In one sense 1t Is very respectable
In another sense it is somewhat old-fashioned
and not little absurd. 1t speaks of Creation
and the Creator, Of Revelation, Of Faith, of
Faith and Reason, and concludes with no fewer
than eighteen anathemas bearing upon Chris
tian duty regarding those several sub
jects. The definitions, as will be seen,
are dogmatio enough. The thought that
runs through them all is simply this-that
some things lie within the range Of. reason,
but that all the higher matters that 60 to con-
stitute religion are to be received by faith and
faith alone. The Dogma de ride in its present
shape viii not make the world much wiser,
nor will it convince many that the Couacil OF
the Vatican is the repository Of wisdom in
fallible. The anathemas will convince all who
| had any doubt on the subject that the spirit
which condemned Calico, and which at later
date Lit up the fires of tho Holy Inquisition in
| Spain and Flanders, and gratifed itself by
dropping men and women into boiling oil in
Smithfeld, London, still lives. The dogma, it
is true, has been greatly modified in Council.
| The anathemas are not 80 sweeping as they
were intended to be. Thanks to Strossmayer,
and Dupanloup, and Dollinger, and Darboy,
and Kenrick and Ullathorne, and Newman,
and Schwarzenberg, and McCloskey. These
| men, and many others who have acted with
them, have powerfully counteracted the in
| huence of the Jesuits; and while they have
defeated the plan and purpose of the Council
they have done the Catholic Church good SER
vice. On the whole, considering what was
intended, we cannot refuse to admit that the
Dogma de Eide as now before us is
tolerably sensible and comparatively
harmless document. 1t will frighten nobody
1t can do harm. 1t will do no good. To our
mind it is fully convincing that the Council
has, up to this point, proved failure.
Our readers are now in possession of the
first fruit Of the Council. 1t is not very large
or very satisfactory result of SO much care
and culture. AS it is, however, they must
take it or reject it. Fifty-four sc1emata, ac-
cording TO the original plan, are still to be
discussed. Vigorous efforts have been made
to secure for the Scehn0 de Eccgesi1 the sec
oad place. It is said that this has been agreed
10, but as yet we have no authoritative infor-
nation on the subject. The presumption is
that the Schema dc Paroo CatecAismo has won
the second place, and that the De Eccyesii,
which covers the infallbllity DOGMA has been
pushed into the questionable future. AS the
hot season is now thinning Rome Of its popu-
Iation and forcing the bishops into more COM
Portable quarters, many Of them, in fact, hav-
ing gone home il is not unreasonable to con-
cludc that we shall not have any special reason
this year to dread the thunderbolts Of the
Vatican as welded by an infallible Jupi-
ter called Plus the Ninth. The op-
position is very determined, although
in the minority, and now that the
weather has come to their aid we should not
be surprised to find that the Pope and DR..
Manning had lost their opportunity for good
1t is said that DR.. Manning has declared it as
his opinion that the Church will be we'll rid of
all malcontents who refuse to accept Papal
infaliibility. This may be so but when the
best Catholics Of Europe and America say it is
not so it is time for the Council to consider
whether indscreet friends are not more dan
gerous than open and avowed enemies. Count
Daru, although no longer minister Of France,
| is good Catholic, and his letter to Antonelli,
although it failed in consequence of his own
resignation to command attention in Rome as
| ministerial document, was expressive of the
sentiments Of the majority Of French Catholics.
| Had Daru remained in power we should have
expected to learn that Rome had yielded to
| FraDce because Rome needs French soldiers.
| The plebiscite, however, has made France for
the present forgetful Of or rather Indifferent to,
Rome. But it will not be wonderful if the new
| Foreign Secretary OF France repeats Darius
demands. 1t is notorious that Spain is
against infallibility; that Italy will not submit
| to it; that Bavaria is unqualiiedly hostile
| that Austria has issued threat that Russia il
determined to make sharp work with Catholi-
cism in Poland if the dogma is proclaimed, and
that American Catholics, so numerous and Sc
respectabie. are becoming ashamed Of theil
Church. If the Pope and the Council take DR.
Manning's advice the malcontents may prove {
| little too numerous and somewhat too power
full. 1t is not wise, to say the least Of it, in th
Pope to provoke fresh Reformation. Religion
| is too shaky all the world over for Rome to rul
| the risk of a fresh schism.
Within the next few weeks we shall expec
| to know whether the Council has or has no
| been an absolute failure. If infallibility is no