The Old Catholic Congress At Munich

CoTTOfipondenee of llie Journal of Commerce. Munich, Septembor 24, 1871. ■ oannot refrain from giving to you -ionio improssious I ha va reeéived wbile attcnding for the past fow duys tho sitii'u''j, prívate and publio ofthe " Conkress of the üll Uatholies." Yon are nndoubtedly long ere this acquainted with the objeets ofthis C know who aro its prominent mem btrH, nw are aware of its importarme. But I shall be glad if I can by a detail or two induce a livelier interest in tlie moveniunt, wbieh, ;ili hougb even as yet but a small iirc, promi kindlo into as lafge a matter as ono can well conceive. I am suro I do not magnify its importanoe beyond bounds. Tho dogma of infallibility being promulgated on the 18thofJuly, 1870, found, of opurse, the great majority of Romanista readyto prove their adherenceto Mothcr Churoh, and their utmost dependeoce opon lar by its accoptation. Hut there wera those oí' life-long, earnest, thinking Catholies to whomthe now decreo was no less than blasphcmous, who had been looking for reform instond of retrogrossions. To their niinds the assumption of infaDibility by the Popo drew down upÖn the Church a darknoss, compared to wbich the gloom of tho darkost ages in the history of the Church was light ; for at no previous ptriod had such a doctrine fjund the sanctiou of the hihost authority. Theso sentiments sprang up spoiitinoously as soon as the fact of the doeree became known, but found thoir fint real and forcible exprossion in those famous words of Dollinger. These wcre, so to speak, tho Deelaration of Indepéndenoe of the new party. The foelings and convictions which produced Dolhngor's doclaration, and which induced iiumbors to give their assent to it, have been deepenod and strengthened until at last thcy demand embodiinent in, as it were, a COttstitution ; tlui forni of tliis lias been tho subject of the three days' discusaion of the asaernbly. Dologates aio present from all parts of Europo to join in tho moveinont, the force of which is, and undoubtedly will bo resisted by tho paity of the Vatioan, but eaüiiot be sujiprussod. Naturally enough, all do not como influonced by the same pure motives; many see in tho lénï a wids field for political aetiviiy: bat tbis in nviiy èasea is uut an '.xnworthy motive. You aro avine that the Ultramontanes have established tho socalled party of tho clergy, the í'.rst principio of whose oréed il hatréid of the new inj)ii', a;nl thejr are only met by the weapon forged by thomsclvos whou thia tholic movement assumua a politioal tendency. It is oven preálcted on tho part of somo - nu I savv in a Vienna papel yo:it,'tiiay - that its political ros'.iHs will be of more importauco than its roligious. Ono of the tirst declarationg of tho Congresa !::;.; been that thoy aro and evur will remain Catholics; and this determination they emphaeize on all occasions ; but lio vory fact that thr.y do so emphrxsizo it shows their mistrust in its continuod posibility, though this they are êvidontly Ear f íoni acknowlodging, evento themVon Dollinger, howeve. ia far the assotnbly from passing a rosolution to inaugúrate new priests and to inaugúrate now parishes, saying that tV. mi a lifo long and most careful Btndy of the histary of tho Churcli, from an intimatc kuowlodgü of churchos and sects in England and America, he was convinoed that " such a separate setting up of our tabernacle will bo in the eyos of the world, and is in fact a desortion of the oíd temple, which, whatover its prjegtfl and chief functionaries may do, will remain the sanie Bpendid old building still. Üur oppononts have the power, will always bo in tho majority, and tho world, and espoeitUly government, will recognizo them as the Catholio Church, and us, howevor long and loudly wo may claim to be tho ouly pure and trae reeeptaclés of tin; faith, us, as but a sect. This is unavoid ablo, nnless indeed tho othor alternativo provo truc - when we have ordained our priesta and built up our churchos and our parisbeti, there shall I; a reOognition of two Catholio churehea, side by side, with equal rights and privileges. But this is beyond hopo. If tlien tho resolution is pasaed, it is entiroly incompatible with the former declaration of the aesembly to bo and abido Catholic." Ho counsoled, , li. : loro, the utmost moderation in the oonsideration of this question, and advisod no formation of Beparate chureïies, but whonever tho occasion arose aml tHe exiated, of prooesding entirely in aoóotdance with the laws of the Chuxoh, which recognizcd such occasions of ueod and provided for them ; for example, when the pftrish prieöt was bt present, or rofaaod to baptizo the ncw-born infant, or administor tho rite oi' masriage, or perform tho last unction, recourse should bo had to other priests or othor bishops, or the rites couhl bo administéred by those must immediately intorested, in cases of utmost nocessity. It is true tho resolution was so wordod as to contémplate the formation of separate parishes only in caso of need, and tho decisión as to whether such neod existe-d was left to tho judgmont ol'the local cimimitteo of the old Catholic party ; but thcugh t.liii woils were wilhiu tho letter ;m (-.on the spirit of the canon, yet Von Dollinger saw dnmistakably tho wide gap that would open imniediately on the sage oí' the ivsulution between tho two partios; tho separation in roftüty though uot inname would bc complete, and would widcn with timo. Bilt, with t'iutmost persuasión ho could oniploy, umi with thi' use of his almost omnipotent iuLuence, lic COuld not allay tin; spirit. whioh he himself had helpen tb arouse. - Ie was answered in the kindeat, bv.i letermined spirit by Pastor ftfichelia, lVom lirauiisborg ; by Vod Bchultz, of Pi ;lio president ot' the Congresa ; by Baron voii Staufertbfirg and others. " Wh.il," said tlicy, " is a condition of neod ? Shall w-o be exeludeá from sacramenta month rfter month and year after year- when Loes a state of-need then iirst oxist'r Siütll wo be obliged to heat s deaunoiaiion of the doctrines whioh we oherish, weok ufter wook, iüstead of the preaohing of tbie Gospel of Ohlistí When first springs up u stiito of nced 'i Shalt it be Lnculcacted in tho oateohiam whii;h our chidren learn that Dollinger U %.wioked maní Can we teil theia, ' bclieve but 11 part of what your teachers teil you "t Is there not in such a 08 ■ :i state. of the cli■ , ;! : for símil ourchildren be taught as the caisdinal jioint in their belief what vo on our souk believe to bo untrue ? How liu! sliall those ono hundrod families in Ghrafeld be eitoliided from all the priyile of tho Church beforo tbay bocomc in neeil ot' thom 't Aml are we, by proTiding for all tlu-st; oasee, deserling the oíd templo and setting up a tent for onrselves f Lro we thereby become schisniiiticK, hfretiosi1 Nq! Baorijkegioue : i ii' L shamoles? bands, by tho promulgatáon of this dogiua, liave t:i!;en away the rooi' from th; iinü old e and leit ns improtected ; we onlyseei by lores, whilestill witliin its walls, tb oreel i'ir ourèWes here ;mü there a shcl! r i:ntil it stands apiin, by tho r tjon.of tbal fatal decree, complete in all ; glory." And tho resolution waa paased unanimously. 1 oan tonvey to you but ;i faint idea of 1 tho excellent feeling attonding this, to me, most interesting gathering. It wae in ths liigliest degree deteimined to aocomplish its olject, but as equally determined to do it ra the best way; it was freo too froni intolorance and invective and nol in the least revolutionary. " We v. r n-in.Ts, aot revolutionists, was the common utterance. With but a mild word of condemnation for the holy father they i1(;ni)unc: ■[ liic advisen who had led him to Buoh an ustirpation, and yet thero was no ovi(Uii o oí B baso do jre to secure i or their party the post of counsellor. For the Bocicty of Jesus - its principies and adherí . eouldfiud 11. j h-rijis of (lotostation 8trong i:nough, altlaough, as I said, they woro fur fiom calling naiDoi) merely lor tho sake ot' railing. Ü atiment xraa more loudly applauded tbau tho statement mado by u iSwiss delégate that in tho ncw constitution oí' Bwitzerlaxxd tlio Jesuits were t'orever baniehed t:io land. The public meeting of the Congrcss on yesteniay and to-day, in the presenci of or -ix Uumsancl spectators had scarcely the interest to me which the private preliminary sitting bad, of which I have given yon Dut a lame and partía! account. There was more of buncombo in the Bet speeches than was alloweoVin the formor meeting, whioh was moai admirably conducted. Yetas we listonad to the vigorous wordg of Professor Windschied, ono it' the best men in the Univorsity of Heidelbnrg; to the seutetvces of Pee Hyacinthe, so t'ull ot' broad and carnest charity, wn fait that thuugli there were gianta in the time of Luther, Malancthon, Hutten, and Sickingon, tberc were mon of no mean stature in our day ; and it was liko ! li.stouing to tho thoughts of the lirüliant l'ortu Koyalist, lilaise l'ascal himicU', wHen the president, Yon Schulte, with lus trenchant wit,servedup for os the principios of the party of the Vatican. The battle promises to be a mighty one between tho froe spirit of Gemmnismus and the slavish, selnh spirit of Komanisluus, and we of America who believe thut we have fought out at least a part of the good üght cir. woll consent to be most inten sïi .1 "eetators of the fray. If our aid sluiil Lu required, wo eau at least give tho word of encourageroent - God speed the right.