The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1872-10-25
THE "oLD CATHOLIC" CONGRESS-.

: journed. During the session @
f this "Old Catholic Congress-" o
} it is called, there came mp for con
sideration some exceedingly i'm
+, portant propositions, the deter
mination of which must inevitabl,
effect the secular as well as the re
ligious affairs of Europe.
That convention at Cologn,
called itself the "Old Catholi,
Congress-" for the reason that tn,
} central idea of the promoters o
that congress was, that the Chris
tian church at large should unit,
and assume the ground occupied
| by the primitive church anterior
| to the great schism which eventu
ated in the formation of the Greek
Catholic and the Roman Catholic
Echurehes; from the latter o.
which the various forms of PRO
testantism have been directly OF
indirectly derived.
In aiming to achieve this result,
that Congress styling itself the
"Old Catholic" has proceeded by
first inviting all the grand divis
ions of the Christian Church
throughout the world to cooper.
ate and send delegates to theil
Congress. At the head of this
movement are some of the most
eminent theologians of the Roman
church; and it has received the in
dorsement of men prominent in
the Greek church, as well as OF
some in Protestant churches. In
the endeavor to carry out the
above mentioned purpose, they
must, of course, come directly in
conflict with the whole Papal Sys-
tenn as administered in modern
times, so far as its claim to infali-
bility, to temporal sovereignty,and
to hierarchical supremacy, are
concerned. It is, in Il word, to
ignore the pretensions of the Ro-
man papacy entirely, and to effect
al evangelical reunion among all
Christian churches outside of the
Papacy, on the simple basis of the
Christian faith as it was before the
papacy was instituted. 1t is to
make the Christian faith "Catho-
lie" that is to say, UNIVERSAL (as
the word implies) as it was of
sold" They therefore style them
selves "Old Catholic"
Such q movement is by no means
novel. 1t has been initiated tor
some years past. But in its mi
tiatory form it did not embrace
the Latin Church; it was confined
to the Protestant Episcopal Church
of England and of America, and
the Russian or Greek Church.
Now such men as the celebrated
DR.. Dollinger, of Germany, emf
nent in the Roman church, have
renewed the movement in prob
ably more positive and practical
form. The matter has, however,
been confined chiefly to the clergy;
but recently the laity have taken
it up, and the agitation of the
subject seems to increase. At the
adjournment of this recent Con-
gress at Cologne a committee was
designated to prepare an 'ad-
dress" to the Christian churches
of the world on this subject. This
paper will be anxiously looked
for; and it will doubtless set forth
with fuliness and ability the plans
and purposes of those now at the
head of the movement.
And at the very same time that
this Congress of .'Old Catholics"
was in session at the city of Col
ogne there were three Emperors
convened at Berlin. And it is q
circumstance not a little remark
able that those three men repre-
scented all the great divisions of
the Christian church. The En-
peror of Germany, q Protestant,
the Emperor of Russia, Greek
Catholic, the Emperor of Austria
a Roman Catholic. While they
took council together for the |
peace of Europe and the harmony
of its nations, that Congress ut |
Cologne were taking council to-
gether on the peace of the Chris
tiaH church and the harmonic us
reunion of the Christian world.
And it is matter worthy of
note that the Russo Greek church
has manifested its Endorsement of |
this system of iiarmonizing the
Christian world, upon the basis of |
the primitive Christian faith, in n
most ardent and uncquivocaI man
ner. Ten years ago a society was
instituted by the Greek church, |
which, as is well known, is the es-
tablished church of the Russian |
Empire, known as the ''Societv for
Instruction.
This society was first organized, |
and by the Emperor's permission
Incorporated, at Moscow, the |
Holy City" of the Russians. It
has since spread its branches
widely. One at st. Petersburgh |
is presided over by the Grand |
Duke Constantine, brother to the
and the whole royal
family take deep interest in its
progress. 1t aims to inculcate |
religious instruction among the |
common people by the circulation
of tracts, by lyceums, by lectures
in the Christian faith and the orr
gin and progress of the Christian |
1t summons to it's aid |
both laity and clergy, TO discuss
ecclesiastical questions; it strives
to abolish religious disabilities,
and to correct ecclesiastical errors |
and priestly abuses. 1t is indeed |
a National Christian Association. |
And the number of persons in |
other countries, who make inquiry |
of this society concerning these |
things, appertaining to the Orien-
tai church, are becoming more and |
more numerous every month.
Whatever may be the result of
this movement as at present pro-
the agitation of these |
Iiberalizing and evangelical ideas
cannot fail to have a beneficial |
effect Hpon the people and institu-
lions of the Old World.-Cincin-
natl Weekly Star.
THREE WISCONSIN GIRLS MAKE |
A SENSATION IN MUSICAL CIRCLES
IN NEW YoRK.-There recently ar