The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1870-03-27
The Gcumenical Council.

against the Ecumenical Council! l won
strate what their own opinions are, because to
abiure Catholicity and set up nothing positive
in its place is mere Atheism. No thinking man
perceive that every religion in the world must
OF necessity be false except one, because the
existence Of two true religions is impossible,
and that no religion is true which has any mix
ing its doctrines acknowledges they were erro-
neOus. 1t would be n tedious task "to stand
like Adam naming all the beasts" as Dryden
says i'll his magnificent poem, "The Hind and
Panther" so l will not make any observation
respecting the blasphemous rawlings of the fol-
lowers of John Wesley and of Joanna South
cote. ct hoe genus ommc. But it has been very
much questioned as to what are the doctrines
Gf any which "the lady of the spotted mutf"
Ito the poets EXPRESSION Processes TO teach.
They may be described as a compound of Eras-
tianiSm and NestOrianism. The proposition
that the authority of the Church is derived
from the civil power was the doctrine of Eras-
tus. The denial that our Lady is the Mother of
God, while protesting to believe that our Saw
Nestorius. Only Nestorius, following out
his reasoning, held necessarily that our
Lord was two Persons. But the Angli-
asian Creed so they contradict themselves.
Indeed, the only opinion to which they in real
ity adhere, and the only doctrine they are all
agreed upon is Erastinnism. l am far, howey-
er, from denying the antiquity of Protestant
ism. 1t is as ancient as the time of Cora, Da-
than, and Adrian, who first protested against
the authority of Moses and Aaron. So now,
the brawling sects of Professionalism (Proteus-
like in its various forms, for error is always
multi orms) raise their feeble cries of hatred
against the Catholic bishops who are the sue
cessors of the Apostles, and against the Pontff
who is the successor of that Apostle to whose
name the title "Protos," signitying the prince
or primate, is pretixed in the signatures. All
heretics, however, are contemplate enough eX-
cepting the Photians who we'll nigh as power
full as the Arians of old, are also equally fero-
cious and equally hostile to the Catholic faith.
But the word "Rome" signifies strength; the
Church of the Eternal City is not merely
nable fortress or stronghold which Divine wis.,
dom itself built on tho very ruins of Paganism I
laying its spiritual foundation on the Rock,
world in communion with the vicar of St. Peter
need not care for the ignorant hooking of the
Anglicans; and even when she endures-as in
Poland-the sanguinary persecution of the
his age as in every other: STU es Petrus, ct
upper hanc Petrdns aedifcabo ecclesiam mean ct in
erarum porto non superabunt adcersas cam"
The heterodoX papers seem to consider the
Pope, the Holy Gcumenical Council of the Va
Scan, and the Catholic Church as objects of
'idicule They must regard the Catholic
church in an extremely superficial manner if
hey think her ridiculous. The Church did not
appear so to profound thinkers like Macaulay.
he, on the contrary, thought the existence of
he Catholic religion, after all the opposition
" 1hc WOElus WIS souicInlS miraculous, ana
hat she would last as long as the earth should
'ndure. To thoughtful mind it must appear,
1t least, very wonderful and worthy of consid-
ration that, when the Churches of Asia and
africa fell away from the faith into heresy and
nfidelity, the Church was recompensed for
he loss by the conversion of Europe and that,
fter the detection of part of Europe by the
lutheran schism, then Immediately America
vas discovered by Columbus; and, of the two
Continents of North and South America, more
han half the former and;nearly all the latter
5 Catholic. Thus the Church has never given
'ay in the perpetual conflict that she has waged
With this world and "the god of this world"
ut what she loses in one quarter she more
han makes up in another.
" Magma est reritds ct prGratbt" Half of
rance was Protestant; now the Huguenots
orm but very inconsderable minority, in
eed, in that Catholic country. In Germany,
90, Professionalism. once SO powerful to be
he cause of the Thirty Years War, is now at
very low ebb, indeed. But we may rest as
ured that, even in the event of the apostacy
f Italy or Spain (Which God in his mercy
vertD, ample amends would be made to the
'hurch by the complete conversion of Eng
and, Scotland, Holland, and Prussia to the
'atholic faith.-Register.