, 1875-09-12

An editorial in the London Times, printe
below, gives currency to and discusses aom
curious 1umors relative to the dedication OF tn
Roman Church to the Sacred Heart:
When it Wa announced that the Pope had dedicate
"the Universal Catholic Church TO the Sacred Heal
Of Jesua tbs Protestant and the nbalteyog world d
not permit Itself to feel any embarrassing onotioI
Seeing in the event only another Pa folly, It paHse
70 lea1 visionary themes, with the reflection that on
incredihdlity more or less would matter little But
w1uld seam that The Church Of Roma itseH il dis
tufbsd By tho Pspal decree. Writing from Rome,
correspondents gives glimpse Of An e1nbarrzsstul
disagreement which may be commended to the motto
Of the ze.lots Of consistency. In
letter. he described the 1se Of what be called tine Ees
Religion During the sitting Of the Etumenica
Council. many Cardinals, Bishops, aud Abbots hat
urged the Pope 10 dedicAte the whole Church to tn,
Sacred Heart Of Jesus. The Pope would, no doubt
have instantly obeyed The suggestion II it were the
habit Of Rome to act On the spur Of the moment for II
is well known that the visions Of AiArKuerite Marie
Alaeoque have no more devout believer than His Ho,
nesa But the Papacy does not net the spur Of the
moment, Even its attribute Of infalhhilty cannot
dispense with elaborate machinery, which works
slowly and ths creaking Of which Il sometimes heard
over the whole Christian world. No contrast can be
Greater than that tetveen the almost mechanical pre-
cRop aud methodca processes OF the reality and the
popular idea Of despotio spiritual chief who, being
iniaAhe when ho speaka &c eaheara on questions OF
faith and morals might be supposed to Be free from
the liability 70 go astray in giving those practical de-
cisions which of incalcuabie importance to the
everyday life Of the Church.
Madenosene Alaoo4ues marvellous vlsion--the Catho-
no world underwent the new dedication, aud the
event Was celebrated in the Church Of the Jesu with
pomp worthy Of the most splendid days Of Latin
Ritual. At the same time the Catholic xeal Of France
organized pilgriuages to the scene Of
tie miraculous dreams, and the Cardinal Archbishop
OF Paris afterwards consscTAed the Church On Mont
martre to the SAcre Cnur. l3ut strange To
say, nothing Taa said France about ths
performed In Rome, and now her religious ~
well II her Secular journals denying TINT it over
Waa performed at all The ev.dencs OF the journal
print represents the French Academy, gcholarshir
phloaonhic caution, and Partisan irony, and ther,-
fore cannot be supposed to be intrusted with the
authority which can doubt for it is published
under the authority Of Cardinal Guibert hifosef and
Is sold At the dooEs Of Notre Dame- Well that small
Pope and the sacred Heart scus missionaries hcd
bean 50 eager that the Universal Church should be
dedicated 70 it that they canvaesed for signatures with
the devotion OF election agents. to show how wide
spread Was their wiah, and taey obtaned several
millions Of names Binding them in thirty
psoa to He tAsy Int ted The
told treated them rather cavalierly According to
Florence journal be soems to have thought that they
hare told them that to dedicate the Christian Church
to the Sacred Heart would be act OF autology since
as mere existence implied such dedicatjon already
tholicsm distinctly states t6at 10 put The thirty vol
Of signatures on one side and refused to comply
With 1a6 request.
Tet the truth ia that the Pope has dedicated the Uni
verss Church to the s4cred Heart With ali the pubci-
ty which can come from official documenta and oor-
geons ceremonies. The statement that be hss rejected
the ptaJer supported By the thirty volumes Of sigma
lures is, then. either untrue or misleading.
What then IL the Of this strange attempt tn
hide from Paris IN the month Of August m event
which happened in Rome in the month Of June7 Il
cannot 10 any fear shst The French people would be
shocked BY the last Papal innovation for they can be
shocked by nothing ecclesiastical.
IbOBA dey
larger number than most people representations
apal innovations a. 80 many new aids to faith Nav.
he French people would haFe been rather plaaseti
han otherwise to nd that the Pope had dedicated tic
church to symbol which French nun lad the
1onor to bring into prominence, for they would hsye
zken the act al compliment to their own country.
Chey often speak indeed II they found it dinicut
low, specially French.
Can It be that the astute theologans Of the Vatican
Inspect they have rnade mistake aud that thew yish
lesson is importance By saying u tlo about It "a
'oss'ble7 "e must dse.ss the vulgar taea that such
discovery would cast any doubt on the dogma Of
ApA lufabi1ty, FOR that doctrine says nothing about
'apaf acts It does not deny that tic Pope nay err
Fhen ha does not speak IN the name Of the Church on
Luestionx Of faith or mornls,