The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1872-02-25
Tho Vatican Council.

Tho Vatican Council.
On Sunday evening, 4th inst, his Grace,
the Archbishop of Toronto, delivered. in
st. Michael's Cathedral, lecture on the
above subject, before the largest and most
Ncritical audience, perhaps, ever collected in
That sacred ed1tioe' at any period since its
by Pontifical Vespers, followed by Bepe-
diction of the Blessed Sacrament, and
| lasted two hours. In the course of
his remarks, His Grace said that a
General Council was an assemblage of
| bishops summoned by the Supreme Pontiff
to consult concerning the welfare of the
| laws for the guidance of the universal
Church. The representations of news
paper correspondents with regard to the
Vatican Council were very unreliable.
Many of their statements were totally
false; others contained grain of truth in
free might be inferred from the fact that
over ITO speeches we're made in the few
months of the session, and only three or
four speakers were called to ordor-the
occasion being that they were wandering
from the question at issue. The bishops of
the Eastern Church, who were in schism,
were invited to attend the council to confer
with the Fathers, with view to end their
schisms and nom Catholics were also in
vited by the Holy Father-not to sit in the
councillor only bishops in direct success
sion from the Apostles could do that-but
to attend, hear the voice of the Church, see
what was visible to all, lay aside their
heresies. and submit to the divinely ap-
pointed authority. His Grace referred to
the Christian history of Rome, and de-
scribed the appearance of St. Peters and
the Vatican. He then sketched the locale
of the Council, and stated the manner in
which the proceedings were conducted.
modified five times in the schema before
the vote on the final motion. 1t was i'm
possible to introduce fairer OF more ex-
haustive mode of discussing and voting on
questions submitted than that adopted at
the Vatican Council. This Council was
errors which had arisen during the 800
years which had elapsed since the last
General Council met at Trent-material-
ism, communism, pantheism, the state of
the Polish Catholics in Russia, the banish-
ment of the Church from Norway and Swe-
den, and its condition in Spain, Italy,
Germany, France, and other places. He
referred to the large lumber of bishops at
the Council representing the English
speaking people, anu TIE large number of
those who were Irish. He traced the history
of the Church in England, and expressed
his opinion chat England was being recon-
verted. If some OF the older countries of
Europe were rebeling against the Church.
the New World was acknowledging her
authority. Eighty years ago, the Catholics
in North America numbered one in 200; no W
there were one to five. His Grace then
proceeded to dwell briefly on the question
Of infalllbility. This has been misrepre-
sented, he said, as being infallible in every
thing, and even as impeccability. The true
meaning was that, when the Pope-actipg
as successor of st. Peter, as head of the
Church, and, as such, united to all the
bishops, as the head was united to the
body, and acting in the capacity of Uni
versai teacher of the Church after taking
all the means for finding out the truth
pronounced a doctrine to be true aud the
doctrine of the Church, or false and not
contained in the deposit of truth, then he
taught truth and could not teach error.
This was in cases affecting the whole |
Church, and this was deciding CT cathedra.
In the Protestant Churches each person
was considered iufaliibie, when he inter
preted Scripture according to his own
judgment. But in the Catholic Church. |
only ore was infalibie, and that only when |
speaking er cathclrG. The Scripture said,
g Some things are hard to be understood,
which the uniearned wrest, rs they wresu !
the scripture, to their own destruction"
And our Lord has said to ST. Peter and the
Apostles, " Behold, Satan has desired to |
grind you lin the pluraD as wheat, but / |
have prayed for thee lin the singular, to
St. Peter aione), that thy faith fan not, and
thou, when thou are converted, confirm thy
brethren" Again, =" He that heareth Won
leareth Me-" and {" He that will not hear
,he Church snail be as heather and
/ publican" Tho few Bishops who had
opposed the dogma of infainbiiity had
SINCE submitted to it, and proclaimed it in
heir dioceses, though a few children of the
Church, such as DR.. Dollisger and Pere
H. acinthe, had fallen away through pride.
The Council had only commenced it's
abors, which would extend over a vast
variety of subjects relating to the Church
md to society, and was only temporarily
suspended. He announced that he would
gam refer to this subject in two weeks
True Witness.
Judge Collens' lecture in behalf of the
Mission of tho Prisons" takes place to-