New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1910-06-18
BASIS OF ALL RELIGION
Catholic PreIate's Message to
Edinburgh Conference.
ALL FEEL NEED OF CHURCH
Elements Which Form Common
Ground of Belief-Educa-
ton and Missions.

Edinburgh, June IA letter from Mon
signor BonomeIli, Roman Catholic Bishop
of Cremona, Italy. and the presentation
of the report of the commission on Edu-
cation in Relation to the Characterization
of National Life were features at the
World Missionary Conference here to-day
The communication OF the Bishop was in
| response to the following invitation:
y A World Missionary Conference is TO be
held at Edinburgh, Scotland. Christians of
all churches in the world are freely invited.
1t is merely a conference on how all Chris
tians of every name may better understand
edcn other and better com Dine 10 make
Christ and His Church known to all men
The conference will only confer; 1t will
not pass resolutions or take any definite
action: no convictions are to be compro-
missed: no principles sacrificed. Will you
write letter to be read at the conference
holier relations among all who believe in
Christ as God, in order that we may all
come together in Cod good time into the
Universal Body of Christine One, Holy,
Catholic and Apostolic Church?
Monsfgnor Bonomelli addressed his reply
to Silas McBee, American delegate. who
presented it to the conference. 1t read as
follows:
"A conference of representatives of all the
christian denominations. held with the
noble aim of better making known Christ
and His Church to consciences which feel
anu S6nlDlL pGaCI1CS all the profound ana
fecund beauty of religious aspirations, is a
1act OF such Importance and significance
That 1t cannot escape the attention Of any
one who may follow the conference, how
most profound problems are agitating and
reyolutiontzing the modern spirit
. This conference indeed proves that re-
i1g1ous feeling ever exercises a supreme
influence over the entire life of man, and
that the religious factor in our day
throughout all time stimulates and urges
on human activity toward new conquests
in the path Of civilization The progress
OF science the various phases of philos;;
or practical Hfe-these all group them
selves around the religions which human
epochs, 1t has been well said that as the
tained in light so mankind displays the
various forms and shades Of religion.
The Greatest of Human Liberties.
Moreover. your conference. which is be-
ing held In Scotland, the land Of strong
and noble ideals, though at one time torn
asunder by religious strife. is a triumph
ant proof of another consoltng fact: the
most desirable and precious of human lib
to De a grand conquest of contemporary
humanity. and 1t enables men of various
faiths TO meet together, not for the pur
pose Of hating and combating each other.
for the supposed greater glory OF God.
but in order to concentrate themselves IN
Christian love to the pursuit of that re-
Christ. United in one faith, the various
spiritual forces combine in the alteration
OF the one true God in spirit and in truth.
For these reasons I applaud your con-
ference.
I know very well that some skepticaI
spirits. saturated in gross n1ateriansm or
cold posttivisrl. may smile at your initia-
tive and tax you with Utopian optimism
or with being well meaning dreamers,
shutting your eyes to the realities of life.
such viii not fail to say that you, being
yourselves profoundly divided in your re-
Eg1ous beliefs, Of which you endeavor TO
be the jealous guardians, cannot have any
data or principles. accepted by all, on
which to base your discussions Besides,
religion is too much a matter of indfvid-
ual conviction and feeling for US to hope
ever to see only one Church, capable Of
embracing all believers in Christ.
be deIuded regarding the practicabiity Of
such efforts. Yours, gentlemen. is not an
oPtlmlsoo ldeailsrn nor an idle dream, The
are numerous, and are common to the vari
Gus Christian denominations. and they can,
therefore, serve as a point of departure for
TO aspire to a unity of faith and of re-
ligtous practice, and to work for IT'S reaIza-
mind and heart This Is work in which
we, in our day, may well cooperate. In
this field. as in others It is well to keep
IN mind that from the clash Of opinions
discussed in free and calm spirit sparks
OF truth cannot fail to be elected
Dependence on a Higher Power.
Now, on what matters and on what prin- !
cipies are you agreed. gentlemen? To my |
thinking they are as follows: Like myself, |
all of you are persuaded that the physical !
ethical and social developments Of life do |
not saUsfy man. because man, whether he !
wills it or not, is oppressed by the infinite, |
not deliver himself, urges him to harmonic |
his physical and social conditions with the |
supreme reality, which is God. the source |
of all these conditions, and to which they |
are subordinate Without such harmony /
the ethical and social life loses its signii- |
canoe and impresses US with its INSULT |
ator. which bestows on human life an |
eternal and absolute value, is for you the |
faith in Christ, the Redeemer Christ re-
veals himself and is adored as divine; this |
is religious fact of unequalled Importance. |
Jesus has in reality not vanished either !
from history or from the life of Christi |
aI1ity; He lives al all times IN millions Of |
souls He is enthroned as King in all hearts |
The figure Of Christ has not the cold splen- |
dor Of a distant star, but the warmth Of |
heart which is near us, flame burning |
their consctences. Putting aside certain |
opinions, which, honored at the moment. |
may possibly be abandoned tomorrow !
criticism had hoped to effect a complete |
demolition Of the conception of Christ, but |
what criticism really demolished was
merely irrelevant matter The figure |
cisn. now stands forth more pure and |
divine than ever and compels our alteration |
mus we are united IN the prOfound con- |
viction that a universal religion is neces- |
sary, and that this must be the Christian |
religion, not cold and formal religion, a
thing apart from human life, but a living |
force, peTvadtng the human soul in its
essence and it's various Manifestations.
religion, in short, which completes and |
crowns our life and which bears fruition |
in works of love and holiness.
The Influence of Church.
Again, all of you feel the need of a
church which may be the outward mani |
eli and RELIGIOUS feel