The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1871-04-26
DIR. DoLLINGER's POSITION.

DIR. DOLLINGER'S POSITION.
From the N. y. Tribune.
From a rumor that King Ludwig of Bavaria
purposes to support DIR. Dollinger in his OPP
position to the dogma aofinfallibility, to make
him Minister of Public Worship, and, as soon
as the necessary Liberal preponderance is
secured in the Representative Chamber, to
abolish the concordat which has regulated
the relations of Church and State in Bavaria
since 1917, the expectations of new re-
formation within the pale of the German
Catholic Church seem to have drawn great
deal of encouragement. A schism among the
faithful, liberal Catholicism with its head
quarters at Munich or Fulda, rivalling a cor
rupt and effete system whose court shall be at
Rome, new departure for the ancient creed
which no longer meets the wants of civiliza-
tion-such are the consequences which are
looked for from the protest whose leading
points we published the other day, and
the communication which naturally fol-
lowed it. We do not believe these ex-
pectations are well founded. The decision
of the Vatican Council has made opposition
to the doctrine of infallibility, or any other
dogma, new or old, impossible within the
Church, because whoever protests places him
self outside the Church by the mere act of
protesting. Defining an article of faith is
nothing but drawing the line between Catho-
lies and non-Catholics; and nobody knows
better than Dr. Dollinger himself that the
cornerstone Of Catholic faith is absolute, un-
conditional acceptance of every doctrine
which has been formally adopted as portion
of the creed of the Church. DIR. Dollinger
may satisfy himself that the dogma of infalli-
bility is contrary to reason and inconsistent
with historical facts; but then he must also
satisfy himself that the Church which an
nounces this dogma as an essential part of
her creed is Church teaching error. To be
logical, therefore, he must renounce the
Roman confessioa and declare himself Pro-
testant.
This inevitable consequence of his present
course is so we'll understood in Germany, and
must be SO plain to his own mind, that we
can hardly anticipate any serious attempt to
make his accommodation the beginning of
a new Catholic movement. What is COM
monty called the Liberal Catholic party has
never had much theological significance, and
in a movement of this kind would probably
be found on the Roman side. 1t is a party
which has aimed to reconcile the discipline
and customs of the Church with modern
ideas of progress, and to promote harmony
between Catholicism and the principles of
political freedom; but in all matters of doc
trinal belief it has been Ultramontane in
its tendencies, and some of the bishops
who are accounted its leaders were among
the stoutest advocates of Papal infallibility
in the Council. The opposition to the new
dogma came principally from prelates who
held Gallican theories of the rights of the
inferior hierarchy and the civil power as
against the Roman Court. Since the deini-
ton, there is no reason to believe thet the
Munich professor will find many adherents
in this party. His followers must be drawn
from the few who, like himself, objected to
the dogma on theological and historical
grounds, and the miscellaneous multitude
who for reason another. ready to
| forsake the Church on slight proV0cation.
| If any serious movement result, therefore,
| from Dollingers manifesto, it is more likely
to be in the direction of Professionalism thar
of reformed German Catholic Church.
The attitude of the Bavarian Government
need not seriously complicate the situation
DR.. Dollinger may be retained In his profes
sorship at Munich, but the bishops will always
have the power to refuse ordination to stu
dents who prepare for the priesthood under
his teaching, and any bishop who declines tc
execute this power can be deposed The Gov
ernment may indeed secure to such recalci
trant ecclesiastics the physical occupation o
their places, and the revenue that belongs tt
them; but this would be to try the expert
ment which Henry VIII tried in England, ant
the result would be the same; the new Church
which meant to be only localized, indepen
dent Catholicism, would Immediately beoom
distinctly Protestant. There is no groun
for supposing that either the Government O
the people are ready for any such radica
change as this. The concordat may b
abolished, but concordats and all other form
of union between Church and State are thing
of the past, and both priest and people &c
along very we'll without them. What effec
the course of DIR. Dollinger may have in Civ
ing fresh vitality to German Professionalism
is too soon yet to predict. But it is unret
sonable to suppose that it will modify th
character of German Catholicism, or mat
gurate new reform where the Reformatie
of Luther already meets the wants of ever,
bedy who is not content with the ancieI
creed.