The Hawaiian gazette., 1870-09-14
JOHN BowRIyG.

The PAPAL AVAILABILITY D,.GMA.-The adoption
| of the Papal intaiDiry dogma was probably a fore
! gone conclusion from the time of converting the
Ecumenical Council. The Council was called we
my believe, for the express purpose of adopting
1.-THE Pope having been well aware, from imfurma-
ti0n at his command, that majority of the church
digniaries could be trusted to sanction it, The af.
trmat+ye vote, 49, is large, but the IS negatives
form array OF dissenters not TO be despised on
account of numbers ard sill less by reason Of the
learning, intelligence, pety and church influence
that they represent. So paramount is the law Of
obedience in the Catholic faith, and such is the
stress Of church discipline, that We should not,
h"wever, look for any outward opposition or ap-
parent want of conformity TO the new dogma among
those who voted negatively. Ii is not in lis mme-
date effects that the operations of the dogma will
be perceived No considerable proportion of ad-
herens 10 the Catholic church. either of priests or
the laity, may be expected to withdraw from the
connection on account Of the dogma But it would
be cause Of surprise if, in the future tue church
should not experience more difficulty shan in the
past in extending the sphere of its influence over
new generations, and detachng wOrshippers from
other faiths. We have said in a former article on
this subject, that there is really no material differ
enee between the assumption of inlaibty in mat.
tiers spiritual by one man by council of men, or
by whole ecclesiastical body. The one man might
decide as wisely aud WELL and as auihoritativelv
as hundreds or hundreds of thousands of men, But
there is AN ineradicable objection in human nature
to one man power, particularly when exercised in
the domain of spiritual affairs (experience having
shown that the power is just likely to be abused
as when welded in purely temporal conccrns)
The Catholic church will therefore have to combat
more openly than ever before this natural human
prejudice. She will also he obliged to confront on
field where there are few ambushes the growing
doctrine of the right Of private Judgment This
right is not in fact denied more srrnuously by the
adoption of the Papa iniabty dogma than pr,-
yinusy; but the denial is put IN form calculated
To rouse more vigorously The opposition TO any iu-
vaslon OF the right. 1t seems to US that the Ecu
menical Council have given 10 the non Catholic
world vantage ground of attack, better than any
that has been occupied hitherto. The Catholic
church has ventured upon new and great risk at
a time when it might have been more judicious to
avnd it, That the Catholic church is buld and con-
iden, and expects important beneficial results 20
follow from the declaration of the DOGMA signifies
nothing in our judgment. All the Other divisions of
the Christian church equally confident in their
ultimate ascendancy. Buldness and determination
are great thng- but when opposed TO equal bold
ness aud equal dcterminaiion-in an arena where
conflicts are not decided by force of arms-their
best efforts neutralizcd. With all the other
Christian secis combating her with unanimity |
and Zeal never encountered in all her history, the
Catholic Church now enters, we think, on more |
critical epoch than she has ever known