The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1892-09-13
CATHOLIC PRELATES.
Big Guns of the Church Who Will
Assemble for Discussion.
AN IMPORTANT MEETING SOON
To BE Held in New York-..The Arch
bishops Are to Discuss Matters of
Moment to the Church in America,
and Cardinal Gibbons viii Preside
at Their Deliberations.

are now being Maue lur mOsb III
portant meeting OF prelates OF the
Roman Catholic church OF the United
States. in some respects it will be
more notable than the great council at
Baltimore. At the latter there were
archbishops and bishops, mitred abbots
and theologians and the heads OF
religious orders. At the coming coun,
Gil there will be no one participating
under the rank OF archbishop.
The council has been called by Pope
Leo MIL, through Cardinal Ledoch.
owski, and will meet in New York on
October 10.
Thecoming session will be important
in the respect that 1t will be the first
meeting OF the heads Of the Roman
Catholic church in the United States
since the third Plenary Council IN
Baltimore, and for the reason that for
the first time the result of the rulings
OF that council will be formally dis
cussed.
1t may seem strange that bishops are
not admitted to the coming council.
However, this is but formality. Every
diocese will be represented, for the
pope's instructions to the archbishop's
are that they shall consult their sut-
fragan bishops on all points before
attending the council.
Cardinal Gibbons, whose diocese-now
an archdiocese-is the Oldest in the
United States, will preside, as he did at
the Baltimore council. 1t was for his
services in this capacity, by the way,
that he received the red hat. The
sessions OF the council will be secret,
and the pope will be the first to know
the result.
This much, however, has been
learned: The school question which is
now agitating Catholics, since the ex-
pertinent Of Archbishop Ireland at Far
ibault, Mimi, and its discussion at
Rome, will come up. OF course, there
are differences OF opinion with regard
to this question. As an instance, Arch
bishop Corrigan is thoroughly opposed
to Archbishop Ireland's plan for the
improvement OF Catholic parochial
schools. Some Of the other archbishops
stand with DR.. Corrigan, and yet more
Of them agree with Archbishop Ire
land. This matter and others will be
fully discussed, and the decisions ar
rived at will be forwarded to Rome,
where they will be passed upon by the
pope.
So far as the archbishops are con-
cerned they meet upon an absolutely
equal footing. Each prelate is absolute
in his own arch diocese and is response
BILE only TO the pope. So il Archbishop
Ireland chooses to adopt one plan with
regard to Catholic and public schools,
and Archbishop Corrigan elects to fol-
low another. method, no one nearer
than Rome can say nay to either. Nor
will the coming council make any
change. II can discuss the matter and
take vote this way or that. But as
has been said the whole affair must
afterwards be passed upon Mt tho Vati-
can. And it may be that the pope will
allow things to stand just where they
are. He is very loath to interfere in
church matters in America where only
a difference of opinion is to be settled.
So the only outcome of the meeting
OF the archbishops may be the appoint
ment OF another American cardinal, or
perhaps two. Pope Leo is known to
have been anxious for the past two
years to give the United States at least
one more seat in the college OF cardin-
ais. He may do this at about the time
OF the Columbian Exhibition in Chi
cago.
It will be, in many respects, re-
markable gathering-that OF the Amer
lean archbishops. All are men OF
marked ability, and some have more
than national reputation. Cardinal
Gibbons is perhaps the most versatile
OF all the American prelates. He is
comparatively young, as cardinals go,
for he is not yet sixty years OF are,
and Pope Leo has more confidence in
him, so it is said, than in other OF his
advisers.
He has wonderful influence at Rome,
as was shown when he saved the
Knights OF Labor from condemnation,
when he practically reopened the case
Of DR.. McGlynn, and when he crushed
the scheme to send from Europe bishops
to rule American dioceses where Eng
disappearing Catholics are few. His
books, although OF religious character,
are popular
Fathers" has reached a sale of nearly a
quarter OF million copies. He is q
man OF executive ability, as was shown
by his administration OF the archdiocese
nj Baltimore, and he is a great pulpit
orator.
Next to Cardinal Gibbons the most
prominent figure in the coming council
will be Archbishop Ireland, OF Mime
sofa. He was the pioneer in the work
of Catholic colonization, and has estab-
lished a number OF colonies in the
Northwest, and one feature OF these is
that no liquor is sold in any OF them.
Archbishop Ireland has but recently
returned from Rome, where he was
highly honored, and it is thought that
he will be the next American prelate to
made a cardinal, although he is but
fifty-four years old.
Another striking figure in the council
will be Archbishop Patrick Feehan, OF
Chicago, who is also regarded as com.
ing cardinal. He is veritable son OF
Anak, standing some 8 feet 5 inches IN
height, with proportionate build. Al
though over sixty years Of age he is as
straight as an arrow, and his hair is
still black.
Archbishop Patrick j. Ryan, Of Phil
adelphia, who will also be prominent,
is the orator of the Catholic church:
He is six.footer, with great broad
shoulders and a big head, well matched
with red hair. 1t was he himself who
once remarked jocularly that while he
might never receive n cardinals hat, he
was at least always sure Of having a red