The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1870-03-22
France Debating 10 the Eeumenical
Council.
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From Mt PTOrldtNes journal.

From tie PTOridtEes journal,
The French government has demanded
Of thu, Pops. o seat,fOr diplomatic repre-
se6Ati3e t6eitS Own, intthe\ cumeniC&l
Council. Tle6bIeetof This demand 8 ID
enable Frame Ito prevent the ,aaopuon 81
the dngma Of PRpd IntAl ibiltty. Tie de
manG TOO, Is said 10 be Seconded by the
Emperor Of Austria, who entertains SINH
lar views Of Papal Iniallibility. Count
Darll, the French Minister u Foreign
Affairs, Is about 10 issue manifesto on the
subject, declaring what It will he the duty
Of France TO do in case the dogma Is
adopted. He has already said that after
this event It will not be possible 10 retain
the French sin, Rome on account :nt
the opposition 0f7all French Catholics to
the dogma, but he processes 10 believe that
It's adoption will not be urged by the Pope
when he sees how impOlitic tile measure
must be, This view Of tho matter has
been communicated 70 the leading French
EcclesiastiC in the Council, and the, Minis.
ter has Instructed him TO urge It both upon
The Fathers Of the Council and upon Chr.
aInSl Antonelli, n
y Il Ii well known That France for q long
time past, has charged herself to o certain
extent with keeping the peace In the Pa
bal dominions, which she does by support
Ing there about SIX thousand soldiers
Without these, the Holy Father would
scarcely Layo any dominion at all Lat
tcrly, TOO, the French Minister Of Foreign
Affairs lias engaged to look intothe tinan'
cial affairs Of the Holy See, which means
tint he Is willing TO show the Pope how
TO nav his heavy debts. Tie minister
now writes to Cardinal Antonelli that all
this may be no longer possible Il the dog
ma Of ifiallibility Is decrced, TINT the eli
CaQements ofthc Concorlat may be great
" weakened, and the good understanding
between France and Rome may be broken
Aiter this It may be considered tolerably
certain that the Council will make no de-
cree Of Papal Iniallibillty. 1t will be at
tended with too many risks to allow the
Pope any longer 10 think II desirable. In
deed, should France secure for herself q
Diplomatic seat in the Council, II may be
assumed that she will control It's proceed
inrs, and that II anybody has intalliblhty
accorded to him, 1t viii DO Louis Napoleon
himself ,.t :, G.. .a,i4it
All this Is very odd to those who are
not accustomed to 4 union between Church
and State. Here Is q Council composed
Of ccclcsisatics from oil parts ofthewOrld,
assembled to decide upon matters Of re-
lIgion, and especially 10 fix the doctrines
ola great Church. If left to itself, II
would probably declare that, in matters
Of thc revealed will of God, tho Pope Is
clothed with m authority TINT cannot
err; that so far as spiritual truth Is CON
cerned, he stands In the place Of the AL.
mighty, and Is in reality what he has al.
way claimed to be in name, tho "Vicar o.
Christ on the Earth" This they would
do in virtue OF their authority Us repro.
scntatives Of the Catholic Church Of oil
ChristcndOm, Us they claim 1t TO be- But
Just rs they arc about to announce
their dogma, the representative Of
France tAkcs his sent in the assembly
and rovcrses I'LL their proceedings
Whatever was right, now becomes
wrong. The dogma may be ever so true,
Il may be ever so rGligiOusly believed, and
It's proclamation may be ever so impor'
tant. All this Is Of no account whatcvcr
A single monarch, who carries guns and d
purse, forbids the proclamation, and what
Ia believed to be the truth OF God L
straightway held in allegiance Tho d.
vine command is likely to be powerless In
comparison with, the command Of tho
French government !, Such Is political
religion III Europe.