The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1875-09-30
THE CHURCH IN IRELAND.
FERMENr AMONG THE PRIESTS.


The Dublin correspondent of the New
York Herald writes concerning the church
in that country: Apropos OF the Synod of
the Roman Catholic prelatss which is being
held at Maynooth, tire interest taken by the
outside world in its secret proceedings is
growing daily. In the Roman Catholic
system, as Is well known, all the legislative
and governing power is in the hands of the
bishops; the second order of the clergy have
no controlling or decisive voice. Tbs pres
ent, being national" synod, includes
among its members the Irish heads of the
| religious orders which have establishments
in the country, and also elected
representatives of the several diocesan
| chapters, where those institutions
exist. But the powers OF those two classes
are limited to cOunselling the bishops; they
have no final vote. AS TOR the laity. they
are not represented at all, nor are they pres
ent at the discussions; and the present
/ synod, acting on strict caDoDical lines, does
not permit them to hear the formal az
nouDcement of the "decrees" or resolutions
| which have been adopted. The specialties
of this system will at once explain why usu-
| ally so little interest Is manifested in EplS-
copal gatherings. Neither clergy nor laity
| have any voice in the deliberations, and the
| Legislation" is usually confined to some
matters OF ritual, tending to increase the de-
corum of divine worship, or Is directed 10
effect
SOME IMPROVEMENT IN CLERICAL LIFE
which is sure to have the sympathy, or At
worst the indifference, of outsiders. In the
present case, however, il is known that
some questions will come under considera-
ton in which both clergy and laity must
feel unusual interest, and the settlement
of which, quite apart from higher spiritual
concerns, will have important temporal
| consequence The first of these is tho edu-
cation question. There are in Ireland three
Queens colleges" maintained out of
| for their support. Certain changes
lately effected In Trinity College and
the University of Dublin place those insti-
| tutiOns, so far as principle, on the same
| footing as the queens college. In all these
establishments the instruction is strictly
secular" ranging over the ordinary sub
| jecis of high class education. No religions
instruction is given and the lecturers are
bound to avoid giving TO their instruction a
religious complexion of any kind. 1t is.
however, fair 70 say that they are also en-
Joined to avoid giving any pretext for offence
by reference which might be construed even
by bigoted persons as hostile to religion.
The Roman Catholic objections TO this sys-
| tenn are we'll known. 1t Is contended that
| side by side with secular learning
YOUTHS SHOULD BE INSTRUCTED IN RE-
LIGIoN;
otherwise they will grow up irreligious men.
And. as the duty OF the church is to main
| tain religion, she must condemn any system
which ignores it. But the bishops usually
go further than this. They claim a control
over the system of education. They insist
that they have a divine commission TO con-
denim false doctrine and to prevent its being
taught. Here come up all those vexed
questions about Galilee, etc. Men ask
whether professor OF some ply sical science
Is to be stopped from teaching, say some
scientific theory on "vital force," because it
is supposed to run counter to the Mosaic
eosmcgony. Or, again. is a proitss OF
history to be stopped short in his
account OF Joan of Arc or the
| Spanish inquisition because his views
| do not quite accord with modiaeval no.
tions upon sorcery, or may seem TO clash
with the condemnation OF religious tolera-
ton in the Syllabus. The Irish bishops set
up in 1854 Catholic university in oppcai-
| ton to the queens colleges, and they have
maintained it during the twenty-ore years
which have succeeded almost entirely out OF
| the voluntary contributions OF the people.
This is heavy tax on this poor country,
| especially considering it is practically for
unfolding a competition with the British
| treasury. They feel that this ought not 10
go on forever, or. perhaps, that 1t can not.
Cardinal Cullen, as president of the Synod,
has notified officially that the education
| question and
THE POSITION OF THE CATHOLIC UNIvERsTTY
must form prominent subjects OF delibers-
ton. It is, therefore, only reasonable TO ex-
pect that the bishops will call upon the
Irish popular members TO force those mat
ters upon the attention of the house OF COM
mons next session. This may not only con-
| siderably diversity the parliamentary cam
psIgn, but may influence considerably the
struggle between the two English political
parties. The second matter of general inn |
portance likely TO engage the attention of
the Synod is the position ofthe parish priests. |
Hitherto, whenever man was appointed
parish priest he was practically independent |
of Epscopal control, at least so longas he COM
United no grave offence rejecting shanle on 1
his calling. He might talk what view he /
pleased in politics, might act as he liked /
20 to schools, etc, and 10 all intents /
was unaccountsble for his setione or his /
omissions. But the 0'Keefe CASE has shown
that If this Quasi-independenc9 has its aG- |
vsntages for the parish priests, it has serious |
drawbacks for the bishops, and 1t may be |
said for the community at large. British |
law while it tolerstes, is still hostile to the
organization of the Roman Catholic church. |
| II refuses to recognize the cardinal principal |
| of the organization, viz, tho
| SUPREME CONTROLLING AUTHORITY OF TIE
POPE.
The Irish Court OF Queens Bench hiss de-
cided, in one of the many 0'Keefe trials,
that even now pspal rescripts and bulls are
wholly imperative in Ireland, and this in
the teeth Of the fact that papal brief is
necessary for the appointment of a bishop,
and that appointment by bishop is the
| only way by which a clergyman can be-
come parish priest. The result has been
that it is very hard to get clergyman out
OF parish in any case, and next TO impossi-
BILE to get him legally dispossessed OF The
parochisl house and church If he chooses to
set his bishop at defiance. On the other
hand. IL can not be denied that the bnlk
OF the laity, while they sympathized With
O'Keefe in the early stages OF his quarrel
, With his bishop, and considered that ne had
been originally hardly dsalt with, have
.o.-.. ..,..a q look ,1rnnr TIA Affair vii h