The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1908-08-08
Wanted: A Pope.

CFrom the Western Watchman)
The Anglican church acknowledges
iIself in bad way. 1t is a mighty
oody that is growing apace, but only a
BODY. 1t has neither mind nor a will.
Al cannot either decide of command.
rms lack of functional life became
very painfully evident in the discus
slons on the subject held during the
late Pan-American congress. The bish-
ops of England were most anxious to
| revive the powers and Jurisdiction of
! the nrst Archbishop of Canterbury.
| lhey had nothing but praise for the
GOOD Pope Gregory. who sent Angus
tlne to the English clothed with pri-
matlnal power and made Romes repre-
sentative among the English. There
We're many and very important ques-
lions to be decided in the early days
OF the Church of England, and they
were always referred to Rome, which
generally after a lapse of three years
sent complete and satisfactory solu-
ton, and one that was always obeyed
by the clergy and people of England.
There are just as important matters
OF faith and discipline to be decided in
the Anglican church today, but by
whom are they to be decided? The
Archbishop of Canterbury has been the
de facto arbiter of controversies that
have come up to him from the colonial
bishops for many years, but they would
nave him a judge de jure as well as de
facto. But the moment the subject was
mooted the bishops from the United
States shook their heads and declared
they wanted no pope.
But the matter was not allowed to
rest. The London Times. which has
had perhaps as much to do in shaping
the policy and directing the work of
the congress as the bishops, took up
the question and declared that some
authority must be created in the
Church of England to decided contro-
versies or the body could not survive,
not matter how great its growth in
numbers and wealth. And it pressed
upon the Lambeth conference, a sort
of aftermath of the congress, TO take
up the question, and IT is now before
that body in the form of suggestions.
OF a central consultive Dody, of a
tribunal of reference, establishment of
relations between primates and metra-
poltans in the colonies and elsewhere
to the See of Canterbury" The Times
foresees that the American bishops win
stand as d wall of adamant against one
and all of these propositions, but it is
not dismayed. and if it cannot save
both mother and daughters, it will try
to save the mother.
The arguments adduced by the lead
erS of this movement are all taken from
the best text books of Catholic the
ology. and Sharez and St Thomas are
quoted with reverence and respect. The
English at last realize the sin of
schlsms and the ruin that trails in its
wake. There must be not only union
in the Church of Christ, but unity and
not only unity, but a principle of unity,
if she is to endure. This was denied by
all Protestants four hundred years ago.
But in England the children of Gran |
mer are now willing to Smite their |
breasts and say: "Peccavimus; Unique |
egimUs''
In other Protestant countries there |
is not shadow of hope of ever sever |
ing the magisterial power of the
church, and the Christian people of
those unhappy lands are given over to |
despair. There was time when mems |
minds were awed into reverence for |
the written Word of God, and their |
hearts beat in unison with their |
thoughts People did not dispute, did |
not inquire, did not criticize. But the
age of irreverent inquiry dawned at |
last. and it was dicovered that the |
feet OF the Scriptural idols were made |
of clay Then the whole edifice gave |
signs of cracking, and today all eyes
are uplifted in expectation of the in
evitable collapse.
Professionalism is dead as julius |
Caesar. The name, the simulaerum onlS
remains. With Professionalism dead, |
where will Protestants go for their |
religion, for religion they must have?
For years they have been appropriat-
ing our ritual. One by one they have
adopted our methods of discipline. They |
have taken over our bishops, our
priests. our monks and our nuns, and
now they propose to take away our
Pope, WHY wait for the mountain to
come to them? Why not go to the