The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1878-11-10
The Church of Enqland.

| neighbOr, the Times, sometimes violates
the proprieties in this respect. It's last Wed
nesday's issue has very absurd article in
the Roundabout column under the head
"Religio1s." Some person had PROFOUND
ed to the Times man the grave problem OF
the relative antiquities of the protestant
Episcopal Catholic Church" and the Ro-
man Catholic Church. Whereupon tie
Times considerably informs the querist
that the Protestant Episcopal Church is ON
American institution about hundred
years old, and that the said querist no
doubt must have intended to refer to the
"Church of England" 1t then goes on to
give the followin g learned answer:
The Church of England, from which the
Protestant Episcopal Church Is derived, was
| established. according to history, at q very
early date. Some hold that Britain was evan
gelzed in the first century, and Tertullian, q
the second century portions of that country
inaccessible to the Romano, were already in
oluded in Christendom. The customs of the
Church from that early day up to the time
supremacy, were different somewhat from
those Of the Latin Church, especially in the
celebration of Easter on the third day after
the 14th of the Jewish month Nissan, and the
practice of baptism by trine tffuson. After
the event alluded to, however, copformance
with Latin customs was enforced, until the
rupture of Henry VIII from allegieuce to the
Church of Rome ga We the Church of England
again national character.
What is meant by the querist in speak
ing of the Church of England is the present
Church of England, not the Catholic
Church as it existed for many centuries in
England in full subordination to the Ro-
man Pontiffs, but the hereey of Henry
VIII which is mathematical by the
Church, and which yet dares to call itself
Church. Was there any such heresy
before the apostacy of that monster7 Let
US sec.
During the four centuries of Roman do
minion following the invasion of Julius
Cesar, Christianity took root in England
rs in all other provinces of that mighty
empire. When the Roman legions finally
abandoned their English possessions the
Saxon invaders, that soon swarmed in,
found population embracing many
Christians, with their priests, monk and
bishops. There is not q shadow of doubt
that this portion of the Christian Church,
though infected with Pelagianism, was as
dependent as any other upon Rome for its
discipline and administration. However,
all this population was driven by the Sax
on into the mountains of Wales, and hes-
thenism again overran the land. If the
Times "Church of gland" had previously
existed, that was the end of it.
Next We find that, about the year 600,
ErpU0ru the Greaf opa hic
monks to convert that country. Ethelbert>
King of Kent, had married Catholic wife
"a French princess-and received Angus
tine with favor. England became Chris
tian. Was that the Times "Cburch of
England," founded by the Pope and gov
erned by Roman priests7
Going on three centuries, we find,
about the year 900, Alfred. the Great, a
true and jealous son of the Roman Catho-
lie Church. Did he for a moment claim
that his Church was independent of the
Pope, was national, was the "Church of
Eugland 7" A hundred and fifty years
more brings us to Edward the Confessor, a
Catholic Saint. Where was then the
"Church of England 2" Still q hundred
and fifty years more and, about the year
1900, we find King John in his controversy
with the Roman Pontiff. And what WAS
this controversy The Times tells us that
John "paid homage to Papal supremacy"
Is this subterfuge3 Does it mean to
imply that then, for the first time, England
recognised the supremacy of the Pope and
then abandoned the national character of
her Church
Ifso, how uncandid! King John did
not "recognise" the supremacy of the Pope,
for he had never in his life dreamed of
questioning that supremacy. What was it
then that he didf Simply abandon the
right which is claimed to this day by mary
governments-the most injurious abuse,
called a right-of nominating b shops.
But no one ever dreamed that such
nominee, even though actually consecrated
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