THE OECUMENICAL COUNCIL.

Grey River Argus, Volume IX, Issue 658, 7 April 1870, Page 4

THE OECUMENICAL COUNCIL.

Rome, Jan. 14. This morning a congregation of the Council voted the election of a committee to. report upon the Oriental rites, and on the Roman Catholic missions in foreign parts. The debate on the proposed changes in ecclesiastic discipline \vj|,s then commenced, Five prelates spoke on the subject. January 15. In the congregation of the Council held yesterday, the Senior Legate complained that the fathers did not sufficiently observe the rule of secresy, and that their speeches in the Council were too long. Janimry 16. More than three hundred of the fathers of the Council have refused to sign the petition which declared opportune the definition of the dogma of the Pope's persona} infallibility. Several others have postponed their replies, Those fathers who are opposed to the definition of the dogma have resolved to' present a counter petition, in case the question should be referre.l to the Council. It is believed that the project willnot obtain the moral unanimity required by the Pope. The Augtburg Gazette and the Univers publish the text of the address accompanying the. proposition in favor of the infallibility of the Pope, brought forward by soine of the members of the Council. In the opinion of the supporters of this proposal, the Papal infallibility should not qrily apply to questions of faith, but to questions of morals also. They urge that if the Council " maintained silence, and neglected to render testimony to the Catholic doctrine, Catholics would doubt the true doctrine, and innovators would everywhere boast of having reduced the Council to silence by their argum nts. Moreover, they would continually abuse that silence, even to the extent of refusing to obey the judgments and decrees, of the Apostolic See touching faitli and morals, under the pretext that the Pontiff of Rome might have been mistaken in decisions of this kind." The Nord thinks tliis a remarkably skilful argument. "By representing to the Fathers," it adds, " that their refusal to proclaim the ' infallibility * of. the Pope, and would " lead accordingly to a considerable dimi- . nution of the authority of the Sovereign Pontiff and the Holy See, the apposition camp would be thrown' into qonfusion. More than one of the prelates would no doubt be shaken by this consideration ; very few would be found to resist it, and tis will be seen by the conclusion of the address, the dominant party would not allow itself to be checked by this minority, even if the latter completely separated from the Church. The address foresees this schism, and so far from being afraid of it, seems to congratulate Catholicism upon it beforehand."