The record-union., 1899-03-19
IN RELIGI ON'S REALM.
EXPRESSIONS FROM VARIOUS
RELIGIOUS NEWSPAPERS.
The Religious Thought Of the Day
AZ Expressed in the Sec
tartan Press.

The New York "Churchman" P. Ed,
commenting upon the Pope's letter to
Cardinal Gibbons, says: doctrines,
says the Pope in effect, are, of course,
Interchangeable but practical discipline
is flexible. Only the Curia and not the
individual priest must determine now
far, in attracting dissenters to the toio
it is righteous to use what theologlans
call economy, and New Englanders be-
in savin' O. the truth Father Hecker
did not believe in passive virtue as IL
lustrated in the contemplative orders.
The orders must not be condemned,
says the Pope. To be sure, virtue can
not be passive, he adds, but then theirs
was not passive. Ecco! Father Hecker
is mistaken, not in his psychology, pul
in his history. That is not calculated
to worry the Americans what the
Pope says finally about the direction
of souls by the direct inspiration OF the
Holy Spirit will be found to rest on
quibble Roman priests may still con-
tdnue, as one of them told DR.. Brlggs
recently, to hold as direct communica'
tions with God as the Protestants do
1t is either an academic question or
matter of expediency. And so the net
result Of this deep laid and long ma
|tured intrigue is well summed up by the
London Times in the remark that II
that is the only effect of twelve months
plotting it is clear that the letter has
strengthened rather than weakened the
position of those it was meant to over
throw. We congratulate the progress
sive forces of the Roman Church on
this practical victory for the principles
they represent
How far Pope Leo XIII. has cor
rectly interpreted Father Hecker's LIE
or those tendencies in the American
Catholic Church of which he is sup
posed to have been the exponent, is e
question which we do not here con-
sider,' says the New York Outlook"
I'VE suspect however, that few, If any
American prelates would have any OBJ
lection to the declarations of this letter
concerning the immobility of doctrine
and discipline in the Roman Catholic
Church, and that most of them would
find in the closing paragraph, concern
ing the adaptability of the church in
the matter of methods. all the liberty
they have asked for themselves. But
the larger question. Does Pope Leo
XIII correctly interpret the religion
of Jesus Christ as it is embodied in his
life and teachings contained in the four
Gospels? concerns the Universal
Church. The Outlook does not believe
that he does We recognize the self
consistent attitude of the Roman Cath
olic Church, but not that this attitude
MIL h
Christ makes free. Nevertheless we are
glad to have it stated with such ex-
plicitness, for it will help clear think
ing.
1--WE are glad,'' says the New York
Independent" 'tthat wa do not have to
go to the Pope to teach us what we
must believe. Protestants have great
advantage in that they do not have tG
go to Rome to fight it out there and
worry an old man to say what will help
them and hurt their opponents. They
can accept new light even on matters
of faith that have gone into the phiios-
ophy of creeds. OF course, in these
days, the Catholic Church must change
the emphasis she puts on her various
teachings; and some teachings or in
|stitutions which lend themselves to SUI
perstition must fall into the back
ground, and orders that do nothing but
silently mediate and say masses will
suppress themselves, and greater lib
erty must be given to thought and dis
cussion; and this will be done sooner
in America than in Spain, and will find
more favor in republican France than
with the royalists. Protestants believe
that the Catholic Church is changing
for the better, and must change and
they are glad of it. Our more progress
sive Catholic friends think the change
is only in non essential things, in
adaptation of methods to the times, and
in changes of emphasis. Let them think
so. The Pope's letter to Cardinal Glib
bons, though directed against errors at
tributed to them, and easily used
against them! will do them no hurt, and
We hope will satisfy their opponents
=
Speaking on the authority of the Epis-
copate, 1.-THE Catholic Champion (P. E.
of the Guild of ST. Ignatius, says: 1--WE
hold that this church rightfully 1egis-
lates by its General Convention, within
certain limits, and those not very wide, |
upon matters of discipline and worship. |
The limits cannot be so accurately de- |
fined that no questions are open, but
they proceed from our obligations to the
Church of England and to the whole |
Catholic Church. Within those lawful |
limits every member. of whatever order, |
is bound to obey the prayer-book, con- |
stitution, and canons. He is also bound
by the traditional law of this church. !
Any priest or bishop transgressing them
is guilty both of tyranny and insubor-
dination. Any person aggrieved by such |
action has an appeal first to his own
bishop Gf the bishop is not himself the
aggressor), and then to the House of |
Bishops. But there is no such inherent
authority in bishops that they can
make laws and regulations which the
clergy must obey in matters which the
law of the church does not touch nor
any such thing as an extra -canonical
'godly admonitior.' The practical prin-
ciple upon which these conclusions rest
is that the unity of the church must
be maintained, as it cannot be if each
bishop is to be something of an auto
crat The spiritual principle underly-
ing them is that the pastoral gift of
feeding and ruling is from above,
through the body of Apostles to the
body of bishops and to the whole priest
hood
'Many signs" says the Christian
Register OJnit) of Boston, indicate
that thoughtful men in the ranks of
Orthodoxy are now passing through a
phase of experience similar to that of