New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-08-23
Pere Hyacinthe's New Church.

The cold Catholics Of Switzerland have
met at Berne to lay the foundations OF
their new ecclesiastical organization; and
after reading a long account Of their pro-
ceedings reported for the London Times by
a sympathizing spectator, | am constrained
to say that they seem to have made a pre-
clous null of it. Before l go further I
should say that these gentlemen, although
called together under the mann of 'Old
Catholics" lid not separate without reject
ing that appellatiOn and declaring that
they should call themselves, and desired
others to speak Of them as Christian
Catholics" "a request which, for my part, l
shall be glad to comply with, inasmuoh as
it so plainly intimates that all sthe other
Catholics in the world, even the "Old
Catholics of Germany, are unchristian
Catholics, and that the Catholic Church
founded at Jerusalem more than 1900 years
ago has dwibdled down to the faithful
dock who have Mr. LoysOn for their shep-
herd.
Open war now exists between the Ger
man "Old Catholics" and the christian
Catholics" of Switzerland, for the former
regard Mr.: Loy-on's marriage as a pre-
mature and unw.se act, calculated to
bring contempt upon the new reformation,
and to suggest to it's foes that, like all the
misfortunes that have befallen mankind
since the time of Adam and Eve, there
were a woman and that old serpent the
devil at the bottom of it. Mr.. Loyson.
when he last went to an "Old Catholic"
Congress in Germany, was insulted and
driven from the room; and l regret to say
that even at this c~Onvocation of his own
friends at Berne language was used which
constrained him and another gentleman
who had once been a Romish priest to re-
tire for the space of half an hour. They
finally returned, and harmony was re-
stored. The offensive language on this oc-
casiOn had no relation to Mr.. Loyson's
marriage; it referred, on the contrary, to
the subject of bishops. Some OF the
posed to the mere idea of bishops hat they
metaphorically foamed at the mouth, and
Mr.. LoysOn and q colleague of his, Pfarrer
Herzog, got up and LEFT the room. They
both propose to be bishops of the new
church themselves, and they were in no
humor to listen to arguments tending to
show that the new church did not need any
bishops, and that all the bishops in the
world were hang-d0g rascals.
purpose of finally settling the constitution
of the new church. 1t was composed of
NEARLY eighty delegates" from Balse,
Berne. Geneva, st. Gall, Lucerne, SOleure
and Zurich. Out of the eighty, however,
only tour were priests or ex-priests, to wit:
Mr.. Loyson, Pfarrer Herzog, "whOm gen.
eral repute designates as the first bishop of
this church." Pfarrer Gaschwind and an.
other Pfarrer, name not given, of Zurich.
The title of the new church caused some dis.
cussiOn. "Old Catholic was voted down;
Liberal Catholic" was strongly advocated,
but christian Catholic carried the day,
The Roman Catholic Church was voted to
be no church at all, but only q corporation
of heathenish idolators. The new church is
to be governed by a council, consisting Of a
bishop-when they get One-three priests
and five layman, and the bishop can do
nothing without the council. When the
meeting had got thus far, a member pro-
posed that they should have no bishop.
This motion obtained strong support. IAN
able professor OF Berne University" a dele.
gate from ZOffingen, and a Balse deputy,
declared that bishops were a nuisance, and
that the new church would die if it got a
bishop. 1t was at this point of the pro-
ceedings that Mr.. Loyson and his colleague
retired, and they were only induced to re-
turn by being informed that the meeting
had voted, ''amid much laughter" on the
suggestion of Pfarrer G~aschwind, that "a
bishop is a necessity for Us Catholics,
although a necessary evil"
Even after this was settled and arrange
ments for stripping the bishop of all auth.
Orlty were made, so great was the fear of
the laymen that they made another effort
to rob the ogre of some of his terrors by
calling him by another name. The term
"Antistite was suggested, but this was
ruled out by reason of the fact that this
was the very word used for bishop in the
Roman Catholic mass. And, finally, moved
by the remark of the president of the meet
ing that i they changed the name of bishop
'the Catholic folks will think our religion a
new one" they reluctantly consented to
retain the dreaded appellatiOn, but with
the proviso that the council might depose
the bishop at any time. The question of
how they were to get a bishop, and who
was to consecrate him, was not discussed.
The correspondent through whom / have
obtained the above interesting facts states
that the new church has not as yet made
much progress save in Geneva. Five of
the priests are already married" and the
others are looking out for wives. "Confes.
sion is no longer obligatory" the election of
the clergy by the laity is a fixed principle,
and the new church has obtained posses
sion, by the aid of the authorities, of four
edifces which belonged to the Roman Cath
olics. those idolators being now compelled
to worship in barns or halls hired for the
purpose. The whole influence of the present
Swiss government is thrown in favor OF the
new church. and it is rather astonishing
that its progress has not been more marked
than it appears to be. Perhaps when Mr..
Loyson or Pfarrer HerzOg is made bishop
it will spin along more merrily.-LOndOn
C~oY7espondeace NeU York World.
California Silk Culture.