The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1870-08-17
Father Hyacinthc on THO InfaIIibiIity
dogma.

The following letter from Father ITyacinthe has
been published in the Journal de- DtJat:
c.,, serious question |, nov presented to all
the lnfallihiy o the Pope, they free TO with
hold their suhris ION to ~. Without doubt Au-
thortyi. the ve-y character Of orr Church. and the
principle which governs ouI faith but for that very
reason u 10 important that should distinguish be.
tween an apparent ana \ real authority bctween a
hl'rd ind a reasnniug and rvlrctiuG subm i.>ion-
RdfiOn1bHf oisegHtuU us-irDH. Tie question may,
therefore, he thus defined: Il the authority OF the
Council Of the Vatican laWfuif or, in other words
does the present Council possess the essential char.
acleristcs OF AN dscu neuical Council
The first OF these characters j. liberty. Now, not
withstandlng Tie secrecy In which u las been
sought to envelope the internal working Of the
Council as though 1t were Of the nature Of those OF
which TIVE Gospel speaks which possess IA affinity
With darkness sud which avoid tao HIGHT from tear
OF being judge az nor dJynafur op.rl jus light
has Already been cat upon H. aud VIII be sin more
viVidly apparent concerning 10. The repeated pro-
tests OF 80 many iliu-rious pr,aics representing
the most important and most enlightened portions
OF Cathocty are known, e Also their recent let
ter, at one" drn md respectful, In which, while
maintaining their negative votes tuev nave aineI
their tor re,rpg from tee dishouorine bat
tlcicld. the world cannoG l., unaware Of the
ab>cnce OF dignity, | may even say Of serious
Fa.h have been treated by majority Nlich would
not have beeH to.ethcl IN the ancient Councils
loth account Of IT, srti'iogs and u,ory coMyo-
stiou anu It's audaci,Us oppression.
Another condition, net !gss Important than tho
nized rs suoh IS ilo thulch, The Council, IN tact
had no mission to imrose new be icts upon the
| faithful but To ma,tlan AMI If S'edul 10 define,
| the ancient creeds. Too B.sh lps arc, above all
Others, witnesses Of tie traditional and historic
iuth Of their respective Churcaes and OF the Uni-
versal Church, and their sentence az Judges hm-
ited In advance hy the very nature Of tins tinony
| can only be pronounced unOn truths which have
| been accepted from t'e bcginnluf everywhere and
always, as revei'r'-QHoi sc4psr iOi U6iQae Quoi
al OsHhi6Us IT., then, trey sLouu happen To over
| step their powers, the Caurch wond not recognize
| compl shcl, and the Council would ronan with
| out authority sars."ases are not une1amped, IN !
to cite only one his ,orY has recorded the names of
stleneias anu flmui, and the almost universal de-
lection under which tO use the words OF ~ Jerome,
the world groancd ana was astSuishol 90 find itself
ArIan The danger IL no less at the urgent lime,
md II one OF the most important members OF the
Council (honsignor Kon-ich) il 20 be believed, the
Church las never know a 80 great peril Al such
| times 1t tehooyes even the humhest or Christians
to upht his voice M deituoe oi hs idlth and tue
I'm 81 a. FOR my ~ ! ''ei mysei inMnty
| suii-tH dUism AMMAN tadm WeI 'r'yd
| lprotost theru'ore, against the pretended dogma
| decree OF the Counc. Of Rome II Is because / ana
| Catholic, and wish to remain such, that refuse To
admit ~ binding upon the faith Of the faithful a
| doctrine nnNno~n 70 all ecee-asiica. antiquity,
which Is disputed even nov by numerous and emf
ncnt theooSians, and which implies not a regular
development but radical change in the constitu-
ton OF the Church and in tue immutahe rule OF its
faith II is because am Cnris!lan and visa to re
main such that pro est with all my soul against
| these almost Divine attributes to maa wIo is
| presented to our faith was about to say TO
our worship, A. unitinr in his person both the dom
ination which is opposed to the spirit Of that COS
pei OF which he rs the minister, and to tie ntilli-
biiitY which Is rcpuguant TO the clay from which,
like ourselves, he is formed. One OF the most illus
| trious predecessors Of Plus TX, ST Gregory the
Great, rejected NJ siCu OF antChrist the title 1f
Universal Bishop which WIS offered to him. What
would he have said to the lite Of mfallibe Pom
tins On the eth of September Of last year wrote
the follow line concerning the Counci then about
to assemble:
II Rpprehenslons which ! do net wish 70 share
should ne realized IL tbc august assembly should have
no more liberty its deliberations than "a has had In
Its preparations In one word, II should deprived
OF the essential characteristics OF uCunencal
Council would call upon God and upon mch 10 sum.
mon really summoned by the Holy Ghost in A
party spirIt-one representing really h Universal
Church not the silence OF some aud the oppression
OF others.
again utter that cry. l ask for truly free and
Gcumenical Council. And above all, now as al
ways, | appeal to God Man has been poweress To
procure tie triumph Of truth and justice. May God
arise aud take his cause In hand aud decide IT, The
Council, which should have been work OF light
aud peace, has deepcned the darkness and unchain
ed discord among the religious world. War replies
to 1t asa terrible echo IN the social world. War is
one of Gods scourges hut In INJECTING a chastse-
ment may II also prepare ren.edyf In sweeping
away the ancient edhce may II not prepare Inc
ground upon which the Divine Spouse OF the Church
shall construct the new Jerusalomf
PARIS, July 30, FRERE HIACINTHE,