The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1919-11-15
POPULAR APOLOGEnCS
Adapted from the German OF Rev. Pc
ter Mikes, S. j., by Rev. James
Watcher.
7 Interior and Exterior Unity.

{.
Objection: The unity "of the
Church is interior, namely faith and
love. In place of this interior
unity the Roman doctrine has put fhe
visible ". hence, exterior unity
fTschackert, Polemk. p. 10. }.
Answer: /. Without this visible
unity. the interior unity OF faith be
comes impossible tor any length OF
time. as the history OF Professionalism
plainly shows.
MANY wears ago the famous Luther
an pastor Klaus Harms tT1S35), sad:
what we Evangelicals still have IN
common | dare write on the nail OF my
thumb" Today there would be room
10 spare on the nail OF the little finger
Dr. Beyschlag (T19Q0). who is Ger
tainly not friendly TO Rome. writes;
"Our Evangelical Church.. now a ms
rOrical fact, with its denominations
dissensions. with its by law-establish-
ed turnpikes, with its everlasting doc
trjnal uuarrels with its creYlceS ana
yaps through which from the one side
blows the wind Of diSsolving criticism
and from the other the reactlOnary
law: all this presents no edltice very
inviting and coy TO outsiders CDel
Altkathoizismus, Halle, 1881.
Well-known is Harnack's answer TO
the objection: Among you Protes
1anrs there is no unity. Many men,
many minds" Yes. SO it is, and we do
not wish it otherwise
,. This visible unity, namely the
exterior organization with the visible
head and the visible teaching author
itv. is not introduced by the Roman
doctrine" but by Christ Himself, not
"in place of the interior unity" bu
for its protection and support. Being
endowed by Christ with infallibility,
the visible teaching authority is well
a6apted to hold the nations Of all
tongues and all times in the interior
unity of faith. This wonderful, visible
unity Of faith of about three hundred
millions of Catholics of all nations and
cultural varieties united in the cate
chism to the last iota. is not the work
of man. No parliament no city coun-
Gil. no society, no party OF men knows
such a universal and everlasting unity
TO unite hundred heads on one opin'
ion is difficult, 10 hold them there I'M
possible. And now we see the con
slant unity of the great Catholic
world-church, Indeed, there We see
also interiorly the finger of God.
,.How often the Protestant court
preacher, Stoeckner GIN. 1909, sighed
tor a similar exterior church govern
ment without which everything goes
10 pieces.
Koehler, a Protestant superintend
ent, says: The Lutheran Church?
should rather say churches. There is
the Lutheran Church OF Hanover
Hessia, Denmark, Sweden--I say i
with pain-of Russia. And these arr
not all.
What distinguishes Rome is The
unity of direction under an independ
ent Catholic government. which WI
have not In the Evangelical Church
there is no holding together; interior
~ she is torn by parties and her gov
eminent is not independent. 1t is il
the hands of the different territorial
governments congregatio sane
forum Ga congregation of saints) We
are not, rather a segregatio (disper
saI. The boundary-posts of the diff
ferent states often separate the ad
herents of the same denomination ant
many of these churches deny to the
others the reception of the Lords Sup
per. With pain I touch this wound O
the Church" (From speech at {
conference in 1882