The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1874-04-01
Germany and the ponc.

The contest now going on between the Ger
man Government and the Roman Catholics is
one Of the most interesting religious con-
troverSies Of modern times. The laws passed by
the German Parliament which have caused the
trouble, were promulgated in May 1873, They
require that all bishops must be approved by the
German Government before entering on their
duties that priests must be educated in Ger.
many, and at seminaries chartered or controlled
by government; and that ecclesiastical disputes
must be settled by local tribunal and not at
Rome. The law was designed to put a stop to
interference in government matters on the part
of bishops and clergy; in a wori, to decide
whether the government or the church shall
rule in Germany
Soon after the passage of the laws referred to,
the bishops and priests commenced disregardiug
them, aud being fined IN consequence, it soon be.
came manifest that there was trouble in store
/ After some months of this indecisive worry, on
/ August Z, the Pope wrote to the Emperor, in
/ forming him tina: the measures of his government,
" for some time past all aim more and more at
the destruction Of Catholicism" and that " its
/ rigorous measures against the religion Of Jesus
Christ have no other effect than that Of
undermining your Majesty's own throne sug.
gestion which was interpreted as intimating the
pitch Of alienation which the Catholic subjects
of Prussia might presently reach. Arler taking
a month for consideration the Emperor replied,
on September 3
ITO my deep sorrow,n he wrote, ga portion Of
my Catholic subjects have organized for the past
two years political party which endeayors TO dis
turb by intrigues hostile 10 the State the religious
peace which has existed in Prussia for centuries.
shall maintain order and law in my
States against all attacks as long God gives me
the power. Many of the priests in Prussia
subject to your Holiness disown, TO my regret, the
Christian doctrine in this respect, and place my gov
erumeut under the necessity supported by the great
majority of my loyal Catholic sud Evangelical sub
jects OF extorting obedience TO the law by worldly
means. willingly entertain the hope that your
Holiness upon being informed of the true position
of affairs, will use your authority to put end
the agitation carried on amid deplorabe distortion
of the truth and abuse of priestly authority"
That in this correspondence the Emperor was
thought to have the best of it may be Judged
from the circumstance that Cardinal Cuen's u |
tramontane organ in Dublin instantly declared it |
=" as impudent and ridiculous fabrication as ever
yet got ventilation through the press"
The death of the Bishop of Fuda in Germany
soon left q vacancy which must be filed and BY |
the above law, every bishop must swear allegiance
to the government before assuming Office. Here |
was crisis, and the Pope Immediately issued |
bull abolishlng all the concordat stipuatons with |
Prussia, which required the approval Of the King |
of Prussia to all his appointments. The new
candidates for the new bisbopric have been called |
on to state whether they are ready to comply |
with the law, but no response has been received.
Just at this point the government has the |
partisans of The Pope at an immense disadvantage
1t will BE- remembered that among the old Catho-
lies who, like Pere Hyscnthe, dlsseuted from the |
doctrines of the Syllabus, and, declaring them
heretical went out from the Roman communion, |
was Dr. Reinkens, who procured cauOncal or
diDation at Utrecht, and thus provided old Cath
Olicsm with complete ecclesiastical orgauiza-
ton. Hin the Pope, in an eccyclical letter is
sued after the Fulda vacancy occurred, on No |
vember 81, solemniy communicated, along with /
all his electors aiders and abettors declaring the
old Catholics TO be unhappy sons of perdition,D /
and the general mass of Prussian heretics to con.
stitute the synagogue of Satan" The Prussian
government, nevertheless, has fully recognized
Bishop Reinkens, the Prussian Minister Of H.
structiOn, DR.. Falk, with number of high Off
cials and ecclesiastcs, having been at the cere-
mOny of his taking the new oaths above de-
scribed while the Prussian Budget for this year
appropraes sixteen thousand thalers for his salary
which will be increased by the Grand Ducby of
Baden, which has likewise recognized him. Here
then, the government has Q source of supply from
which to Gil up vacant bishoprics SO that the
consequence Of persistent opposition from the
Vatican may simply be to establish Catholic,
but not Roman, Church throughout Germany.
Such is one of the possible solutions Of the diff
Guilty, but there are others. The Pope, obstinate
as be has shown himself capable Of being, may
perceive the expediency of ordering his clergy to