The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-10-01
DISPUTES CLAIM
OF EPISCOPA[|ANS
Mgr.GasquetD Declares Anglican
Ordination Severed Chain of
Apostolic Succession

Denial of the Protestant Episcopal
claim as to apostolic succession-the
claim, namely, that the Protestant
Episcopal clergy hold their spiritual
commissions in direct and authentic
succession from the apostles the
chief point Of the lecture upon "Angli-
can Ordination" delivered last night at
the Cathedral by Rt. Rev. Francis
Adam Gasquet, abbot president of the
Benedictine order in England.
The abbot did not, indeed, mention
the phrase apostolic succession" But
he maintained that the Catholic church
has never recognized the spiritual au-
thority of priests or bishops ordained
according to the rites of the Church Of
England; and he declared that, so far
from recognizing the ordinations of
English clery under Edward VI.
Rome had obliged such priests to be
ordained again according to the old
form, when, in the reign of Mary, they
once more resumed connection with
the ancient church. Thet is, the An
glican ordination, being INVALID, abso-
lutely severed the chain of succession.
Bull of Pope Paul M
In support of this position DR.. Gas
quet mentioned a bull that he himself
discovered among the Roman archives.
1t was issued by Pope Paul ~. June
20, 1855, and was addressed to Car
dinal Pole. Inasmuch as the very ex-
istence of the bull was previously I'M
known, DIR. Gasquet made a search, in
the town hall at Douay, of Cardinal
Poles register. In this venerable rec
ord the abbot, to his surprise, discov-
cred not only copy of the bull. but a
statement that it had been received by
the cardinal Sept. %, 1855, and duly
published.
Paul ". drew a very sharp distinc-
ton between the English clergy that
had been ordained according to the old
Roman pontificaI and those who had
received their rank through the new
English ordinal prepared by Arch
bishop Cranmer. All of the latter class
were to be ordained anew according to
the pontiical.
Even in the degradation of such
clergy as had been prominent in the
Reformation under Edward vi. Rome
observed the foregoing distinction
Cranmer, having been validity eonse-
Grated, was degraded as bishop. But
one John Bradford, for example, hav-
ing received the new ordination only,
was STYLED ssiaicus'' simply, or layman.
-
dinal, harmenized it with the second
book of common prayer. which was
frankly Helvetian or Calvinistic. From
the ordination, as from the prayer book,
the Catholic idea of sacrifice, obliga-
ton, was rigidly excised-
Three Essentials Omitted
The ceremony of ordination among
all previous Christian sects-the
AZ, 1o Arm c11isa nc
etc.-had included, as in the Roman
church, three essentials-the rank con-
ferred was named; there was prayer
for grace: there was imposition of
hands. But from the Anglican ordi-
nation all these essentials were omit
ted.
That the founders of the new church
intended its priesthood to be wholly
distinct from the Catholic priesthood
is manifested by the recorded opinions
of those founders
Cranner said that Christ made no
such distinction between priests and
people as would justify the priest in
offering sacrifice for the people. And
Cranmer. answering questiOn, in
formed Henry VIII. that the installa-
ton of a priest or bishop was suffi-
cient; conservation was unnecessary.
On the other hand, the Catholics of
the sixteenth century constantly
charged the Protestants with having
merely legal or parliamentary"
clergy
The lecturer quoted from Pope Leo
XIII. logical demonstration that the
English reformers intended to estab-
lisf, and did establish, a clergy wholly
distinct from the Catholic clergy.
And why concluded Abbot Gas
quet, why should the Episcopalians
now object because Pope Leo thought
that the reformers succeeded in carry
ing out their intentions?"
Tomorrow night the abbot will de-
liver his final lecture. It's theme will
be France and the Vatican.