The sun., 1896-09-22
Leo XIII. and tho Church of England

The reported decision of the Pope tha,
latter long study l must confirm the de
crees OF my predecessors that oil ordinations
made under the Anglican rite are absolutely
invalid" puts an end to the movemen,
started by Lord HALIFAX for the retinion OF
the Church Of England to the Church OF
Rome; for the prerequisite of such a re.
union was declared by its promoters to
be recognition Of the validity of An
glican orders. Although the Papacy
had twice formally pronounced those or
ders invalid, some learned French ec-
clesiastics supported the request made by
Lord HALIFAX that the question should be
reopened in the light of information alleged
to be new and important. To their wishes
the Pope 80 far deferred as to direct a body
OF theoloRians, in which the friends Of retin-
ion were represented, to examine anew the
circumstances under which took place the
conservation Of Archbishop PARKER, from
whom the Anglican episcopate descends.
From this concession Mr.. GLADSTONE
drew, in widely published letter,
the too sanguine inference that the
present Pontiff, whose desire for the re-
establishment of Catholicism in England Is
well known. intended to reverse the decision
OF his predecessors. In the encyclcal, how
ever, not long ago addressed " to English
men" by LEO XIII. there was no allusion to
the ordination question; and in a series of
articles, the London Tablet, which is the
organ OF Cardinal VAUGHAN, has declared it
to be impossible that the Papal DEGREES pro-
claiming Anglican orders null and void
should be abrogated. or even modified.
1t turns out that the Tablet was right,
The theological soundness of Cardinal
VAUGHAN has been confirmed by the high
est authority, and the French ecclesiastcs
who took different view of the matter, will
now have to disavow the conclusions to
which, as they maintained, their investiga-
tion OF the facts had led them. 1t is set
tied once for all that there will be no
corporate reinion of the Church of
England to the Church of Rome. The
process of incorporation will proceed. MS
1t has hitherto proceeded, by means of indi-
Vidual conversion; and those Anglican
clerRyHien who, after their admission to the
Catholic Church, shall wish to exercise
ecclesiastical functions, will have to submit
to reordination. The effect of the Papal de-
cison on the Episcopal Church of the United
States Is obvious. The Bishops Of that
Church descended first from DR.. SAMUEL
SEABURY, who, IN 1884, was conse-
Grated Bishop of Connecticut at Aberdeen
by the Scotch Bishops, who themselves de-
rived their power to consecrate by descent
from the Anglican epscopate; secondly,
from DIR. WHITE and DIR. PRovoosT, who at
Lambeth In 1887 were respectively conse-
Grated Bishops Of Pennsylvania and New
York by the two Archbishops and two
Bishops OF the Anglican Church
How does the position of the Anglican
episcopate and its derivatives, as previously
defined by the Papacy, and now again de-
lined by LEO Kill, differ from that of the
Episcopal bodies in other Protestant coun-
Tries We may say at once that as regards
recognition of the validity OF their orders
by the Vatican, all Protestants are in tho
same boat. 1t is generally acknowledged.
even by non-Catholics that the churches of
Denmark, Norway, and Iceland, although
Episcopal in form, cannot produce any
legitimate claims to the Episcopal
succession. In Denmark the Reforma- |
tion was at first opposed by the whole |
episcopate, for which opposition most of |
The Bishops were placed under arrest;
subsequently, they acquiesced in the new |
regime, but none of the former prelates |
took part In the conservation of their sue
'eSsorS. which was performed by BUGEN-