The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1870-01-05
THE GCUMENIoAL COUNCIL.
IT'S GENERAL CHARACTER.
from the New York Tribune.l

From the New York Tribune.l
The Council which opened on Wednes.
day at Rome occupies very conspicuous
place among the religious assemblies OF
modern times. In tho Roman Catholic
Church no such assembly has been held
since the Council of Trent, which closed
more than three hundred years ago. And
it is noteworthy that during these three
huudred years no other form OF religious
belief has been able to convoke Council
which to an equal extent embraced repre-
sen ativps from all parts of the habitable
gIoh". The Eastern Church is confined to
Il few, though vast, countries in Eastern
Europe, Northern and Western Asia. aud
bern and Eastern Africa, and again
broken up into number of parties, which
have no bond OF union, and have never
even attempted to assemble n General
| Council. Professionalism now bids fair to
become as widely extended as Roman
| Catholicism, roofing itself in every coun-
try Of the world but it is divided INTO
hundreds of organizations, which thus lar
have in their history no meeting, in which
all these organizations were officially rep!
resented, though of late. as some hope,
the initial step toward the fu'ure Ecum-
enical Councils of Protestant Chiisten-
dom has been taken Ivy the General Con-
f.rences Of the Evangelical Alliance. Out.
side the Christian word no such meet
ngs are at present thought of. There
was time when Buddhism had its Gcum-
enical Councils, ATTENDED by the heads Of
| retigion from various countries but this
tine has long SINCE been past. IEternation-
l 4 nj
purposes base sprung into existance dur
ing the past few years, and lid fair to
have grand future; bnt thus far. in point
Of universally. the EcumenicaI Council
of Rom' which opened on Wednesday is
the grandest International Congress o.
the present century, and, in general OF
modern times. and it therefore justly CON-
mands the intense interest, not only OF
those who, with pious reverence, look for
| ward to its acts as n new manifestation Of
Divine truth, but Of aii WHO are rot indiff.
-rent to the religious and moral ideas
| which at the present time sway so large q
portion of the human race.
| TUE CATHOLIC u1ERARcuY-How IT Is CON-
POSED.
The opening Of the Council will FIRST of
all direct the attention of the world to the
| members who composed it. The Catholic
| hierarchy has often enlisted the admiration
Of many who were strangers or even op-
ponents to the Catholic creed. 1t is the
only monarchy among the great religious
arganization- of the world. Neither the
Greek Church. nor single one OF the
Protestant bodies, nor Judaism, nor
| Northumberland, nor any other non Chris.
,ian form of belief has monarchial head
The present Pope, Plus TX, was born on
May l3, 1892. and is therefore now in his
18th year. In the list of bishops of Rome,
as it is given in the official Papal Almanac
he is accounted the 257th. Like all of his
predecessors during the last 300 years, he
is an italian by birth the last non-Italian
Pope having been Adrian IT,, who was Il
Hollander, aud died in 1923. OF all the
bishops of Rome only 40 were non-Italians,
and OF these Is We're Frpnchmen. I Ger
mans, and Spaniards. The Pon,iicate
of Plus TX is one of the longest on record.
| Having been elect, i on the 10Th of June,
1916, he has occupied the Papal chair for
% years and six months. 1t is well
| known legend-the correctness Of which.
however. even most Of the Catholic Church
historians are not willing TO defend-that
ST. Peter was bishop of the Roman con-
greeatiou for full % Years. and with this
legend a commoTcxpectation has connec-
| ted itself, that no following Pope will &C.
cupy the apostolical chair an equal length
of time, until the last Pope, under whose
pontficatun this world will come to an
end. Certain it is that no Pope, 30 fur as
documentary history has been traced, has
ruled for IS years. Oaly two have exceed
ed the length of the pon,ificate ofthe pres
ent Pope, namely: Plus VI. who died in
1899, alter ponticate of "a years and
eight Llonths, and in the earlier history
ofthe Cbu CHI, Sylvester, L., whose pontifi
cate extended to % years and 10 months.
The ponti6cate of Plus TX, has been agi-
tated by great storms which more than
once have threatened to sweep away the
whole of the Temporal Power. At the
same time, however, the borders Of the
Church have been greatly enlarged. and its
organization in masy countries consofida-
ted. No fewer than Is new dioceses, or
about one seventh of the total number of
Catholic dioceses, have been established by
the present Pope. Plus TX, ia earnestly
devoted to the uItra-Papal theories. which
have long been traditional in Rome, though
they are regarded with regret by many
within the Church, but personally he is
hiahly esteemed, not only by all parties
within the Church. but 10y all who have
come into personal contact with him.
THE COLLEGE OF CARDINALS.
Il
Of most Of the Italian Cardinals little is
known outside of Italy. The only one
/ fbon, xuho has a world puidl, remit a.