The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1873-12-27
Facts About the Churches.

The great pilgrimage to Jerusalem, now organ
izing in Paris, will start at once.
The Rev. Father Paolo Grassi, the incumbent
Of the basilica Santa Meria Maggiore, has lately
made a public recantation Of his former faith,
and been baptized by the Rev. James Wall, Bap-
fist minister.
The Nuova Roma reveals the hand of the Pope
in the affairs of France, alleging that the Bour-
bon pretender would gladly concede all that the
people of France demand would the Pope but
consent to it.
The case of the Rev. Charles Parnell of Liver
pool, England, prosecuted for ritualism, is not
likely to be pressed to an early decision. The
proctor is engaged in getting up the evidence,
but makes very slow progress.
The subject of foreign missions is beginning
intensely to occupy the attention of the Quakers,
and they have recently sent a number of mission
aries into the field. Madagascar has been their
principal objective point 80 far.
The persecution of the Catholics has now
ceased in Japan in accordance with the edict of
liberation, which is at present hardly required
for members of other religions, Professionalism
having made but little progress among the Jap
anese.
The Rev. Mr.. Knight of Dundee, Scotland,
lately on trial before the Presbytery for taking a
somewhat too scientific view of prayer, has been
acquitted. But his troubles are not over, for a
minority of the Presbytery propose to carry the
~ IL hi5hSA SOuib'
The proposed pilgrimage Of American Catho-
lies TO Rome, the shrines of st. Philip and st.
James, and to the Lady Immaculate at Lourdes,
leads a writer in the Freeman's Journal to pro-
pose a journey to st. Augustine, Fla, as the
cradle Of Catholicism in the United States.
The proposal of the old Catholics to hold a
general council of the Anglican, Lutheran, Greek
and other non-Roman denominations has met
with such popular approval as to bid fair of sue
coEG SaUnral IpoHInN rrpIofnG in ENGLAND hoya
expressed themselves as cordially in favor Of such
a council.
The brothers Lemann, two converted Jews
who entered the Catholic priesthood some years
ago, have written a series of letters to the Paris
Univers upon the contrast which exists between
the position of their former co-religionists in
Rome under the pope and their present condition
in New York mildly doubts the authenticity Of
the contrast.
An interesting paragraph of news comes from
Switzerland. 1t is the unexpected triumph of
the liberals in the strongly Catholic canton Of st.
Gall, where by two decisive votes Of the legisla-
ture the priests have been first forbidden to at
tend the annual Mehrerau festival to be held I'M
der the management Of the Jesuits in the Tyrol,
and in the next place have had the custody of
the public graveyards taken from them and trans
fcrred to the authorities of the parish.
= correspondent from Germany gives an ac-
count Of the Lutheran sisterhoods and Of their
work in the great cities. One of the most prom
inent of their houses is in Berlin, another in
Strasburg. The sisterhood at Berlin-pledged
for liTe-number seventy, but not more than
twenty are to be found at the convent. The abb
sent ones are busted either in various city hospi-
tails or in private families, where their services
are sought by the slck-bed. Seven are at present
in the German hospital in London. They take
their places, unshrinkingly, in a smallpox ward
or a lazar hospital.
The ultramontanes in Austria have just had "a
severe lesson in the recent action Of Prince Furs-
tenberg, bishop Of Olmutz, who has given way
under the pressure of the civil power. The i'm
mediate cause Of collision between the authorities
temporal and spiritual was a recent decree of the
minister Of worship enjoining on all parish
priests the duty of reporting the death Of any
Italian subject within their cures, either to the
Austrian minister at Rome or the Italian minister
at Vienna. The prince, refusing to permit this
within bis diocese, and declining to publish the
decree enjoining it, was fined $4,000, with the
information that the fine would be repeated again
and again until he submitted.