The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-02-04
The Council and the Church.

From hs Pail Mall Gazette. .
While Protestants may we'll afford to view
with indifference the preliminary arrange
ments of the Council of the Vatican, or, at
least, are stirred only with the curiosity
which attends the expectation of q rare
pageant, there can be no doubt that to Catho-
lies of every school they are fraught with
vital significance. The glimpses which news
paper correspondents are able to obtain
through the screen in st. Peters, which wells
the Holy Father from the vulgar eye, reveals
furious dissension already broken out between
the parties who are met to proclaim an ever
lasting unity of faith. 1t would seem that
several sharp debates and some tolerably
close divisions have taken place on the mere
questions as to the method of procedure and
the liberty of discussion. The several leaders
are collecting and disciplining their forces,
and our familiar Institution of the parliament
ary whip" will soon be in full exercise under
the shadow of the Capitol. But the combat is
joined thus early not cut of mere party jea-
lousy, but because the whole policy of the
ruling faction forms one progressive whole.
The final object is the utter crushing of free
thought within the Church; for this end they
desire the syllabus to become an article of
absolute faith, and demand the power to sup
plement it when necessary by fresh issue ad
hoe of infallible DEGREES. The dogmatic as
sertion of the Pope's infallibility is the means
| to this end. In order to secure possession of
| that engine, they introduce arrangements of
| the business Of the Council which shall re-
strict it to the discussion of what the Pope
| proposes.
To silence counter-suggestion they insist
on his right to fix regulations and to nomi-
nate committees who shall examine and either
sanction for consideration or absolutely pro-
hibit any independent motions By carrying
these rules they expect to secure the basis for
the whole structure they desire to raise. And
because the Liberal party and the Episcopal
party see that this is the case, they combine
| to resist what they assert to be infractions of
the right of the Council and assumptions of
authority which the Pope has not yet OBJ
tanned. They combat the system in its first
| stages, because they see that if these are won
the dogma of Papal infallibility, with all its
consequences, is as good as carried.
Nor let us suppose that this dogma is alone
or chiefly what is dreaded. Taken abstractly
it would add strength and consistency to the
position of the Church, and would facilitate
the accession of new converts to its creed.
To vest in one individual the power of de-
fning the Catholic faith would typify and
express more vividly than ever that unity
and authority which are the highest claims of
the Catholic Church to universal veneration.
In its struggles with the outside world,
whether of rulers or of controversialists the
| Church would be able, with new dignity, to
take it's stand ON the principles which its
actual head might lay down to meet new
cases. which were never foreseen by ancient
councils of fathers Whoever is drawn to
Rome by the tremblings of his own spirit by
the sense of doubt, and by the
longing for conviction, would be
doubly drawn by the assurance that OIL
! all open questions there was one suprem,
guide, actually living, frequently speaking
who could settle every point beyond cavi
with word Nearly all the new converts
with Archbishop Manning at their head, are
thus, by the constitution Of their minds, ar
, dent partisans of the proposed dogma, ant
what charms them would doubtless charm al
: of like character who are still outside tn,
fold But while these are the obvious advan
, tages which commend the dogma to accept
ance, there is terrible danger behind. Whel
the Pope is made infallible, what will he say
The present Pontiff has issued the syllabus
and pronounced the Virgins conception i'm
1 maculate; but what may he do after he
freed from every restraint? What may an
3 other Pope do? What may half sane Pop,
s do? What might heretical Pope do? A
: food of questions like these must flow il
: upon the mind of every rejecting Catholi
before he brings himself to declare that tn
y express inspiration of the Holy Ghost ha
moved every bull in times past, and wi
t move every bull in times TO come; before
d processes that he will believe and follow in
}, plicitly and undoubtingly every word tina
o may have issued or may yet issue from whose
b ever sits in St. Peters chair. The past, il
!! deed, is in some parts bad enough to get owe
s but the future is terrible to anticipate. II
of Il hoa