Sheil, or indeed, in passages, with that of Grattan, and who, for ten years, ten years ago, with unblemished fidelity and unfaltering courage, had maintained the cause of Ireland in Parliament. What are the faults that even the calumny of faction can attach to the character of George Moore, that his country should be deprived of the benefit which it might derive from the exercise of his genius, and his gifts? As we write these lines another Irish politician of quite singular talents, and who, above all, seemed to be more than any Irishman of his generation, born to move in and to act on the air of Parliament, banished by his country, and banished by party, is leaving England, to govern for six years a tropical island. No three men could perhaps be found, offering more complete contrast of character, and, in some respects, less identity of views, than Mr. Aubrey de Vere, Mr. George Moore, and Mr. Pope Hennessy; but the country is poor that loses the services of such sons, and wretched if she loses them through the fault of those who wield her power in public affairs. An Irish Reform Bill will bring great opportunities to Ireland of increasing her political power at a time when English statesmen have come to the settled conclusion that they must have a wise and thorough policy for Ireland. The greatest opportunity of all that it will bring to her is the opportunity of purging her present representation. Notices of Books. Episcopal Address presented to the Holy Father at Rome. July, 1867. HE Church is always and essentially One, Holy, Catholic, and Apos within her own fold, but to those without, who have eyes and who will to see with them. There are however times and seasons, when she exhibits one or more of these attributes to the world with peculiar significance and splendour. Unity in Catholicity—Catholic unity-the union of all her children over all the earth in one faith, in one worship, under the one Supreme Pastor- this is her great primary attribute; the great root of all her strength and beauty; the great sign, which, like the horned glory on the face of Moses, marks her out as the one true herald of Heaven to the wandering, way-worn, children of men. Never perhaps before, in any period of her past history, did all the gates of hell combine, as they have for the last twenty years combined, with such world-wide accordance, with such concentrated energy, with such intense malice, to war against this unity and to break it in pieces. However this may be, certain it is that never in any former age did the Church exhibit to the eyes of all men this very attribute of unity with an effulgence at once so bright, so purely bright, and so universal, as in the late centenary celebration at Rome. .... .... The Times' correspondent, an avowedly and, indeed, ostentatiously staunch Protestant, wrote thus from Rome, on July 6 (Times, July 12):-" They came from all quarters of the globe. By whatever means, however arranged, 43 cardinals, 500 bishops, and 20,000 priests have met together in Rome, of every rank, colour, and country have all met together under the influence of one common faith. The spectacle was grand; the moral impression which it created, grander; and I pity the man, whatever his creed, who could contemplate without deep feeling the sincere devotion, the undoubting faith, the pious exultation of so many thousands of his fellowcreatures." In a previous communication (July 2, Times, July 9) the same writer had noted more in detail the many sources of this extraordinary confluence :-" Of English [bishops] there are eight; Scotch, three; Irish, who came late, fourteen; Austrian and Prussian Poland have sent two each; Russian, none; Hungary has sent the Primate; France, Spain, and Italy have been represented by shoals. Portugal, too, has sent many. There are also bishops from Holland, Belgium, and Switzerland. Turning to the East, all its various rites are represented; as Greeks, Melchiotes, Rumanians, Ruthen ians, Syrians, Chaldæans, Maronites, Armenians, and Copts. There are bishops, too, from India, China, and the islands of the Indian seas. So it may be said of the Americas; Canada, the United States, Brazil, and the Federations of the North, Centre, and South of South America have all their pastors in Rome. Undoubtedly it is the greatest demonstration of the age." As a demonstration of the Church's unity, it was the greatest, not only of the age, but of all the ages. From first to last, under every aspect, in all its elements and circumstances, it was absolutely perfect. It was a perfect image of the one living Church, mirrored under the dome of S. Peter's, without crease, or flaw, or stain; and we cannot conceive how it could have been more perfect. Never before did such an assembly of the successors of the Apostles meet round the throne of the Prince of the Apostles or in any other part of the Church. In numbers, putting the Cardinals out of consideration, it more than doubled the great gathering of 1862. The great Councils of the Church can alone be compared with it: but, viewed in the light in which we contemplate it, as a universal and absolutely harmonious expression of unity, it stands alone and above them all. They were assembled by mandate or under strong pressure of some kind, to put down some new heresy or schism, or to reform abuses; to make new definitions, new laws, new arrangements. The great centenary met by simple invitation, under no pressure whatever, save that of the Holy Spirit gently breathing and wafting on. They met, not to define, or legislate, or to do anything else, but simply to testify to the whole world, and in the very presence of the Holy Father, that unity of loving allegiance which, strong as death and stronger than hell, binds as if with a golden chain all tribes and tongues to the everlasting rock of Rome. * In two or three of the Councils a larger number of Bishops were assembled. About 600 bishops met in the Council of Chalcedon : but, with the exception of the Papal Legates who presided therein, they were all Eastern; not a single Western bishop sat there. Then, those 600 formed not one-fourth part of the whole Episcopate. At present there are not 1,000 bishops in the whole Church; and of these more than one-half met at the Centenary, and met from every corner of the earth. In the second Council of Lateran there were 1,000 bishops; but they did not form more than one-fifth of the whole Episcopate as it existed then. There were not one hundred bishops at any one of the first sixteen sessions of the Council of Trent; nor does it appear that fully 250 bishops were actually present at any of the subsequent sessions. Of these only six belonged to the Greek Church all the rest were Western, more than two hundred of them from Italy, France, and Spain. There are other features in the centenary which mark it out as distinct from any other episcopal assembly that ever met. But we think we have said enough to establish our proposition. Not the least remarkable feature in the gathering was the singular distinctness with which, in addressing the Holy Father, the assembled bishops -thus brought together from every corner of Christendom-expressed their * Ωσπερ χρυσῆν σειρὰν. Synodical Letter of the Council of Chalcedon to Pope Leo the Great. judgment on the Church's infallibility. Their words are peremptory against Gallicanism on the one hand; they are even more peremptory against minimism on the other. Their doctrinal pronouncement possesses under present circumstances an importance which it is difficult to exaggerate; and it will be worth our while to exhibit in detail its drift and bearing. The passage of their address to which we refer is as follows: Led by this faith and these feelings, Most Holy Father, we spoke before, when five years ago, standing around your throne, we rendered our due testimony to the sublime office you bear, and gave public expression to our prayers for you, for your civil princedom, and the cause of right and of religion. Led by this faith we then professed, both in words and writing, that nothing was nearer to us, nor dearer, than to believe and teach those things which you believe and teach; than to reject those errors which you reject; than to walk in the ways of the Lord with one mind, under your guidance; to follow you, to labour with you, and with you to contend in the Lord's cause, at every risk and with whatever result. All these things, which we then declared, we now renew and confirm with the deepest filial piety; and we desire to testify it to the whole world, gratefully remembering, also, and with fullest assent, all you have done from that time onward for the good of the faithful and the glory of the Church. For, as Peter said long since, "We cannot but speak the things we have seen and heard." You have also held it to be a sacred and solemn duty; you are giving manifest proof that you have never held it to be otherwise. For never has your voice been silent. You have accounted it to belong to your supreme office to proclaim eternal verities; to smite with the sword of your Apostolic utterance the errors of the time, which threaten to overthrow the natural and supernatural order of things and the very foundations of ecclesiastical and civil power; to dispel the darkness which perverse and novel teachings have shed over men's souls; and to declare, persuade to, and approve all that is needful and wholesome to the individual, to the Christian family, and to civil society: so that at length all may attain to know what it is that every Catholic should hold, retain, and profess. For that exceeding great care we render to your Holiness the deepest thanks, and with endless gratitude; and, believing that Peter has spoken by the mouth of Pius, therefore, whatsoever you have spoken, confirmed, and pronounced for the safe custody of the Deposit, we likewise speak, confirm, and pronounce; and with one voice and one mind we reject everything which, as being opposed to Divine Faith, the salvation of souls, and the good of human society, you have judged fit to reprove and 'reject. For that is firmly and deeply established in our mind, which the Fathers at Florence defined in their decree on union, that the Roman Pontiff "is the Vicar of Christ, head of the whole Church, and father and teacher of all Christians; and that to him, in the person of blessed Peter, has been committed by our Lord Jesus Christ full power to feed, to rule, and to govern the universal Church."* * Hâc fide, hisce sensibus ducti loquebamur olim, Beatissime Pater! cùm ante quinquennium tuo throno adstantes sublimi tuo ministerio debitum testimonium dedimus, votaque pro te, pro civili tuo principatu, pro justitiæ ac religionis causâ palam nuncupavimus. Hâc fide ducti verbis scriptoque eo tempore professi sumus, nihil nobis potius et antiquius esse, quàm ut quæ tu ipse credis ac doces, nos quoque credamus et doceamus, quos rejicis errores, nos item rejiciamus. Te duce unanimes incedamus in viis Domini, te sequamur, tibi adlaboremus ac tecum pro Domino in omne discrimen for It will be found on careful consideration, that in this passage the bishops express three momentous truths, which we will consider in order. And firstly, they declare that during the last five years Pius IX. has put forth a considerable number of instructions ex cathedrâ. There are four different arguments, which evince that this is their distinct and unmistakeable proposition. (1.) Pius IX., they say, has been "smiting with the sword of Apostolic utterance" "the errors of the time;" has been declaring, according to the duty "of his supreme ministry, those things which are needful and wholesome to the individual, to the Christian family and to civil society;" he has been speaking "in order that all may attain to know what every Catholic should hold," he has been "speaking, confirming, and pronouncing" various truths "for the safe custody of the Deposit ;" he has been "reproving and rejecting" various errors as "opposed to Divine faith, the salvation of souls, and the good of human society." But these various things he does in his capacity of Universal Teacher, and in no other capacity whatever. (2.) By the mere fact of expressing adhesion to his pronouncements, the assembled bishops declare that he put forth those pronouncements ex cathedrâ. They "speak, confirm, and pronounce" whatsoever has been "spoken, confirmed, and pronounced" by him; they reject all those things "which he has judged worthy to reprove and reject." That is to say, they teach each to his own diocese what the Pope has taught to the Universal Church. Their words will bear no other meaning. (3.) They further express their conviction, that in all these things "Peter tunamque parati decertemus. Cuncta hæc quæ tunc declaravimus, nunc denuo piissimo cordis sensu confirmamus, idque universo orbi testatum esse volumus; grato simul recolentes animo, plenoque laudantes assensu, quæ à te in salutem fidelium et Ecclesiæ gloriam ab eo quoque tempore gesta fuerunt. Quod enim Petrus olim dixerat "non possumus quæ vidimus et audivimus non loqui." Tu pariter sanctum et solemne habuisti, ac,nunquam non habere luculenter demonstras. Non enim unquam obticuit os tuum. Tu æternas veritates annunciare, tu sæculi errores, naturalem, supernaturalemque rerum ordinem atque ipsa ecclesiasticæ civilisque potestatis fundamenta subvertere minitantes, Apostolici eloquii gladio configere, tu caliginem novarum doctrinarum pravitate mentibus offusam dispellere, tu quæ necessaria ac salutaria sunt tum singulis hominibus, tum Christianæ familiæ tum civili societati intrepidè efferi, suadere, commendare supremi tui ministerii es arbitratus; ut tandem cuncti assequantur, quid hominem Catholicum tenere, servare ac profiteri oporteat. Pro quâ eximiâ curâ maximas Sanctitati Tuæ gratias agimus, habituri sumus sempiternas; Petrumque per os Pii locutum fuisse credentes, quæ ad custodiendum Depositum à te dicta, confirmata, prolata sunt, nos quoque dicimus, confirmamus, annuntiamus; unoque ore atque animo rejicimus omnia, quæ divinæ Fidei, saluti animarum, ipsi societatis humanæ bono adversa, tu ipse reprobanda ac rejicienda judicâsti. Firmum enim menti nostræ est, alteque defixum, quod Patres Florentini in decreto unionis unanimes definiverunt: Romanum Pontificem "Christi Vicarium, totiusque Ecclesiæ caput et omnium Christianorum Patrem et Doctorem existere, et ipsi in Beato Petro pascendi, regendi ac gubernandi Universalem Ecclesiam à Domino Nostro Jesu Christo plenam potestatem traditam esse." |