Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1894-09-06

SSh'oLI"tASo, dud SopCSIdLl9 bOustue al
lerents OF the Armenian and Of the SO.
called orthodox or Greek communious
that the pope first addresses his plea
ID" utilization. A fusion of those &c.
clcslastlcal bodies with the church of
Rom has been repeatedly attempted
by the occupants OF the papal chair,
and tehre have been moments when
such efforts seemed to have far
chance OF success. But in the end they
have miScarried, owing not so mucu
to discrepancies Of theological doc
triLe, although such discrepancies eX-
lst, as to differences OF ritual and Of
hierafchical organization. The popv
in this encyclical assures the eastern
schismatics that in the event Of their
reunion with the Roman church the
privileges Of their patriarchates and
the rites OF their liturges shall never
/ be abrogated. These certainly are
large concessions, but the Greek and
RUSSIAN parish clergy, as distinguish
ed from the monks or regulars"
would also demand that their right to
marry should be acknowledged, and
1t is also very questionable whether
the Russian bishops and theologians
would submit TO the authority OF the
Roman Pontiff now that his eX cathe-
dra utteranceS have been Invested by
Il council, in which the orientals took
no part with the attribute OF infalll-
bility.
The fact that diplomatic relations
have been resumed between st. Peters.
burg aud the vatican Will undoubtedly
have the effect Of allaying friction be
tween the papaCy and the Russian
evil power with regard to the APP
ptintment of Catholic bishops In Po-
land. But it does not follow that the
cGa.' would be able, even if he wished,
t. induce his orthodox subjects to
make those sacrifices Of traditional
'lSAgcs and ideas which would be IN
Scparaklt from an adoption Of Cath
oliC.sM, no matter how anxious the
papacy might be to facilitate the move
mrn; AS for the Armenian church,
tbs seems more likely to be ultimately
absorbed by the orthodox church of
,ussia than by Catholicism. The out
come of the last war with Turkey
was to include large part OF Ar
menia within Russian territory, and
the next partition OF the ottoman pos
sessions will doubtless make the great
mass of Armenians subjects of the
ear.
On the whole, Il union of the orth0-
doX and Armenian communioIs with
the church OF Rome seems to be
deyout hope, rather than probable
ity; and the same thing must be said
of the innumelUble Protestant sects,
to whom the pope's appeal is next di-
rccted. II a return to the Roman fold
on the part of the Lutheran church
and of the established church Of Eng
land, can not be described as incon-
ceivablc, there is apparently no chance
OF such Il reunion on the part of the
Evangelical or Reformed churches OF
the European continent, or of the Pres
hyterinns, Congregationalists, Mcthu-
dists and Baptists Of the United King
dom of the United States.
But while the miticntion of all the
ties and through an acceptance of a
common body of doctrine may be
deemed impracticablr, there is no
doubt that the era of religious rancoIS
and Scctarian antipathies has almost
passed away, the only vcStigcs of it
being the persecution of the Jews In
eastern Europe and the occasional
foolish attempts to excite suspicion and
jealousy Of the Catholic church in
Canada and the United States. Tn
Qucslonably the time is ripe, or soon
will be, for Il moral cooperation of all
men calling themselves Christians
against revolutionary teachings which
threaten the destruction alike Of re-
lIgion and civilization, The necessity
Of such combination against ant
social forces has been repeatedly at-
lirmed by Leo MIL. and is pro
claimed with special anxiety aud fer
vor in what perhaps will prove to be
his last CncNclical.