The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1896-07-05
CHURCH UNITY.
Pope Lso's EncyclicsI Let CT to All Bishops


Pope Leo's EncyclicsI Let CT to All Bishops
in Communion with The Holy See.
Cardinal Gibbons has given out the fol-
lowing summary Of Pope Leo's encyclicai
letter on the reunion of all the Chrlstianl
churches. His Holiness evidently had in
mind the recent letter of William r. Glad
stone. and the letter may be considered a.
The encyclical letter upon the Unity
of the Christian Church" Is addressed TO,
all Bishops in communion with the Holy
See. and the abstract says:
THE Holy Father. intent npon the
work OF brr ging all TO the one fold OF
Christ, considers that II would conducc
10 that end were he TO set before the
peoples of the Christian world the ideal
and exerplar of the Church as diyinely
constituted, 10 which sChnrch all are
bound by Gods command TO belong.
1T Is obviously Of the first importance
20 determine what Christ wished HIS
Church to be. and what, in fact, Hes
made Il. According TO this criterion, IT
IS the unity Of the Christian Church when
must necessarily be considered, for II IS
certain that lie who founded 1t wished
ii TO he one The mission Of Christ was,
TO save. not some nations or peoples
only. but the whole human race, Without
distinction OF time or place
Hence, as the mission OF His Church
was TO hand down through every age the
blessing OF this salvation, by the VIII or
Its founder, ii Is necessary that this
Church should be one in all lands and at
all times. church which should en-
brace all men everywhere and at all
times was clearly foretold by the propn-
ct Isaias. and was typlfied as our Lord,S
mystical body-a BODY united 10 Hlnlseil
as head: a mystical body. the members
of which, II separated ono from the other,
cannot be united with one and the sama
head And so another head ike uilto
sChrlst-that is. another Christ-must net
Invented IL. besides the one Church'
which IS His body, men wish TO set up
''Furthermore He who made this one.
Church also gave 1t unity; that IS, lie
made II such that all who are TO be-
long to II must be united by the closest
bonds so as TO form one society, one
Kingdom, one body. And He wiiled that
this unity among His followers should DC
30 perfect that II might in some meas
ure rhadow forth the union between
JIimself and His Father.
"As n necessary Consequence In His d.
vine wisdcn. He ordained in His cnurcn
unity of iaith O virtue which Is tho nrse
of those bonds which unite man 10 Co..
and wherce we receive the name OF the
faithful. The nature of THIS unity Oh
faith must and can be ascertained from
the commands and teachings OF Shrist
Himself. The mere possession OF tne
lS..,riptures is not sufficient 10 insure unity
sof belief not merely because OF the
mature of the doctrine Itself ana the mys-
teries II involves. but also because OF the
divergent tendencies OF the human mihu
and the disturbing element OF cohinc'ins'
I'll was necessary that there should be-
another principle to insure union OF
minds In the Christian Church. and II
IL consequently proper to inquire which
of the many means by which Christ, our
Lord. could have secured this unity He'
tn fact adopted.
at IL tho duty Of all followers of Christ
not merely 10 accept his doctrine general
ly: but 10 assent with their entire MIND
70 all and every point OF It. since Il Is
unlawful TO withhold faith from God
even In regard to one single point.
"chrlst endowed his Apostles with an--
shorty like to His own. and promised
that the spirit OF 5r1 ,S sa top.r c'fvct
because OF this commission IT Is no more
allowable 20 repudIate one iota of tho
Apostles teaching than TO reject any
pcint OF the doctrine OF Christ himself
This apostolic mission was intended Tor
the salvation OF the whole human race,
time
In His Church. was by Gods will perpetu-
ated In the successor appointed by the
Apostles, and In like manner the duty or
accepting and processing all that Is th'4
Taught Is also Perpetvsh,, cS Sn the ' church
founded on these principles has been more
careful TO guard than the integrity or the
faith. The Fathers or tho Churcn arc
unanimous IN considering as outside the
Catholic communion any one who In the
least degree dcviates from even one point
Of the doctrine proposed by the authors
tatiye maeisterium OF the Church.
Wherefore Christ instituted In the
Church living. authoritative and last
3ng magisterium. He willed and COM
nanded under tho grevest penalties that
it, teachings should be received as n
they were His own. AS often. therefore,
os n ts deciaI ed on the authority Of this
teaching that this or chat Is contained IN
the deposit OF divine revelation. II must
b believed BY every ono as true.' The
very natsrc OF divine faith. makes II im-
possible that We can reject eveh ono point
u direct teaching. as this Is practical
rejecting the authority Of God Him
'',rhe Church is mans guide to what
tver pertains 70 heaven. This - the of
ice appointed TO II by God: that Ii may
watch over and may order all that con-
perua religion. and may without let or
hindrance .exercise, according 10 rs 3udr-
non4 ~ change over Christianify.'
Xnog91oro they who pretend that tho
& p19fcA hsa any wlah to interfere ia civil
ol1cn - " infringe upoa the Sishta
~ ;.8l " ~ 3 +