The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1900-12-04
CATHOLIC EXPANSION.

with eleven vacancies In the College
OF Cardinals It is singular that there
should be any division of opinion IN
the Roman Catholic church OF Europe
as to the wisdom of giving two more
red hats to the hierarchy In the United
states. For about thirty years past,
lthis country, which is greater in con-
terminous boundaries than was the
Roman Empire and Is the most prom
Using field of Roman Catholic effort in
the world, has had but one Cardinal
NcCloskcv being the first and G bbons,
the present incumbent. being his sue
cessor. All this time small countries,
anciently and firmly attached to the
Papacy, countries where no especial
zeal in PROSECUTING Is required. have
had n slperabundance of Princes Of the
Church. Inclusive of cardinal deacons,
twenty-eight must be credited to Italy,
FIVE to Spain, six to France, two to
Portugal and six to Austria, Hungary
ora Rnbenia Contrasting these
groups of Cardinals with the lone dig
nitary who presides over the See OF
Baltimore, the conviction is forced up
on us that the Roman Catholics of the
United States have been neglected.
surely tnere is WoIh elpuBH III 'i'S
country for four Cardinals, one for the
South. another for the North and East
| n third for the West and fourth for
the new American possessions.
| 1t is proposed, not without dissent,
| to make the total number three, giving
| Cardinal Gibbons coadjutor in the
West and one in the outlying territor-
les of Porto Rico. Hawaii, Guam and
the Philippines. The number is not
large but 1t at least would give approx
innate recognition of the fact that from
very small beginnings the Roman
Catholic church has become the most
populous religious body In the United
States. The latest available, statistics
of relative strength are those collected
in 1897 by the New York independent;
Roman Catholics, S.271 800: Methodist
bodies. $3.50, 2S9: Baptist bodies, 4153,-
S57: Presbyterian bodies, 1460,345; Lu-
theran bodies, 1.420,905; Disciples of
Christ 1908. 672: Protestant Episcopal
ians, CSC, 773; Congregationalists, 622,-
557; Reformed bodies, 3iS,in; Unit
ed Brethren, 27l OBS; Mormons, 2Si,T
600. Thus the Catholic church leads
| all others here and when augmented
by the Porto RCans and Filipinos Will
be stronger than any two or perhaps
three American Protestant sects COM
bned. Such n church cannot be a
negligible quantity; 1t must be recog-
niZed: and If Rome is tardy in confer
ring honors upon it American Catholics
may at least comfort themselves with
the reflection that the time Will come
when the American church can com
maud what II now gets grudgingly. For
nothing is more certain than that, as
America becomes a predominant politt-
cal power, its religious bodies, one and
| all, must become the most influential
of any of their kind in the Christian
Iworld-the causes, such as super
Tor wealth and numbers operat-
| ing rs freely and certainly in
the field of religion as they will
in the field Of commerce and poll
tics Perhaps that is the reason why
the French and Austrian h!erarchies SO
stoutly oppose the plan to hasten the
process by the comforting of new dig
mites.