The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1896-01-30
I ABOUT CHRISTIAN UNITY.
IT is BEING WIDELY DISCUSSED
BY THE GREAT DENOMI-
,., NATIONS.
- -
RUMORS OF A PAPAL ENCYCuCAL.
That May Stir Up Very General
Agitation-Latter Day Prophets
and Their Wonderful Prophe-
cies Discussed.

The story set afloat some days ago that
Pope Leo was about to issue an encyclical
letter, in which he would make some
very radical and surprising concessions
to Professionalism, including compliment
tary reference to Martin Luther, still
lacks the important element of vertical
tion-an element, it may be said, which
it is in no likelihood of getting. The
report was simply incredible in some of
it's alleged details. Pope Leo has given
ample evidence on numerous and recent
occasions of his capacity to do striking
and original things but he is too wise, too
polite and too firmly grounded in the
faith of his church to make any such con-
cessions and proposals as he is said to
contemplate in this forthcoming docu-
ment. Simply complimentary allusion
to the German reformer might be pos
sible, though not probable; all the sig
nifcance would lie in the particular ap-
plication of it. The Roman pontiff has
much to be grateful for over the trend of
religious events in Germany in recent
years. Some of the most obnoxious laws
relating to the Roman Catholic clergy in
that country have been repealed, and
even the great Bismarck, before he
stepped down and out of the chancellor
ship, manifested a spirit toward the
Roman hierarchy in striking contrast to
some of his utterances and his conduct
at an earlier period in his political career
For this reason and for others which
might be named, Pope Leo has reason to
whatever he may think of the hero of the
Reformation. But for his alleged con-
cessions to the Protestant church in gen.
eral, these are things which cannot be
believed without the evidence of sight.
In his proposal for union which he made
to the Anglican church last year, the
successor of st. Peter probably went as
far as he is ever likely to go in the direc-
ton of compromise. Pope Leo has a
strong desire for Christian unity, no
doubt, but it is no reflection upon the
venerable pontiff to say that this desire
strongly resembles that longing for unity
which permeates various other Christian
denominations with the common charac-
teristic that the unity proposed shall
consist mainly in coming over to the
particular body firm which each proposal
for unity emanates.
The Episcopalians have expressed a
pleasing willingness to meet with other
churches on a basis involving Il recogni-
ton of the historic epscopate; the Con-
gregationalists have thrown into the
arena plan of union of broad and in
dependent kind. as a COngregationalist
plan ought to be; the Unitarians have
put forward their proposals which may
be accepted easily enough by all who are
not insistent upon Christocentric ideas
and doctrines, and not to be Outdone by
any in this business of getting a divided
ChristendOm together, the Roman pom
tiff is said to have presented his gracious
invitation first to the Anglican church
and ultimately to all churches to come
and dwell in peace-in the Roman fold.
1t is not surprising in view of the ac-
tual condition of the case that these
should have been the results of the vari-
Gus proposals to bring about Christian
unity on the cold and formal lines of
bargain and concession, but it is not en-
couraging for those who have sincerely
believed that unity might come about
in some such way. But the agitation
and discussion which these various pro-
posals and plans for Christian unity have
caused throughout the church have not
been without good results, although not
of the form intended. They have been
educational in definite and positive de-
gree; they have brought about a more
general and clearer understanding of the
doctrinal bases of the various denOmina-
tions, and, most valuable result of all,
have caused many to search out for them
selves and to consider more carefully
than ever before the foundation princi-
pies of Christianity itself
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