The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1894-10-20
PROGRESS MADE.
Cardinal Vaughan on the Condi-
ditions and Prospects Of Bring
ing About the
REUNION OF CHRIsTENDOM
The Growth of Catholic Ideas In
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The seventh annual conference of the
Catholic Truth Society was opened in
Preston, England on September II, his
Eninence, Cardins1 Vaughan, who has
been the head ssS ths society from it's
foundation, prssidipgs The aim is to use
the.press to disseminate Catholic truth,
botth4with view of enlightening those
not in the Church as to the true position
Of Catholicity, and also for the edifcatlon
and instruction OF Catholics. A very
large number Of valuable and interesting
publications by distinguished Catholic
authorities now figure in the society's
language and number OF auxiliary
works have also been fostered by society.
The fame Of "Catholc Preston" as it ie
often fondly called, rests on the fact that
it's Catholic inhabitants are almost en-
tirely Of English descert. There are sew
eral other towns in Great Britain with a
large Catholic population, but in these
cases the numbers are owing to the large
influx of Irish Catholics, while in Pres
ton and the surrounding district the
Catholic faith has been handed down, as
i'm ireland, through the stormy days Of
persecution.
The conference opened in the public
hall, handsome and commodious struc-
ture, at 7 ,45 this evening, with concert
10y the combined Catholic choirs of the
town. At the end of the first part, amid
a bnrst Of vociferous cheering which
broke from the great gathering which
was present, Cardinal Vaughan advanced
to the front of the platform and delivered
IN address on the reunion of Christen-
dom.
His Eminence said that it was an en-
cou72ging sign of the times that there
was growing desire for the reunion Of
Christendom. The Uathlolic Church was
a vast and permanent society for the re-
union of ChriHtendom. The ofiic1sll ,Rac-
Gotta contained indulgenoed prayers for
reunion, which were in use all over the
Church, and quite recently the Pope
made new appeal to the conscience Of
the world 1t was plain that no scheme
of reunion would be Reunion of Christ.
endom which left out the apostolic see
and the many million Christians in com.
munion with it-more than half the
whole Christian world. His Eminence
said he should make two statements.
First, as to the possibility of compromise
the Church was free to admit changes
and notifications in her discipline, and
IN legislation which concerned time and
circumstances for the sake of some
greater good, but she could not accept
reunion on the basis of common formu
laries or creeds, or one being left to give
his own Interpretation of the doctrines
expressed in them; nor could reunion be
other than one based on Christ as liv-
ing divine teacher, and no word that our
Lord spoke, and no truth contained,
either explicitly or implicitly in what he
said could be accepted on condition of
change or modification or compromise in
the Church's divine constitution. His
second statement was to the visible mark
of unity impressed by Christ on His
Church. Our Lord Before He went out
to suffer prayed, in the hearing of the
Apostles, that visible mark OF unity
should distinguish His Church. It was
to be the work Of the Father. So it was
superhuman. And it was to embrace all
men Of every cline, In fact, they now
included men divided sharply by policies,
national rivalries and agitations- Celtic
and Latin races; English, Irish and
Scotch; French and Germans: and Jap
anese, Mongols and Indians; Oriental
and African tribes and peoples, in union
and submission to the Visible Shepherd
on earth. Twelve hundred bishops in
communion with the Holy See all
preached one and the same unity. There
was nothing else like it on earth. Il
It was 9 standing miracle, and a vision
OF divine glory before the eyes Of men,
and such had been the history Of the
Catholic Church for nineteen centuries.
st. Cyprian, st. John Chrysostom, and
st. Augustine all pointed this out, and
ST, Ambrose rightly summed up the be-
lief Of the Church in every age in the
Il words, Ubi Petrus Ibi Eccleeia. It fol-
lowed that the Church Of God on earth
was not a invisible Church made up.of
gall who led decsnts lives and called Christ
Lord and Savior; and secondly, that the
Il 1l,urlt not comp posed of branches il
ant but secret amity;
HMM 81 th II t1 s. order,