ROMAN CATHOLIC STATISTICS FOR 1878.

Thames Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2855, 9 April 1878, Page 3

ROMAN CATHOLIC STATISTICS FOR 1878.

Some interesting particulars respecting the Koman Catholic Church and its members, both at homo and abroad, may be gathered from the new " Catholic Directory " just issued by Messrs Burnß and Oates, under the- authority of Cardinal Manning and the rest of his hierarchy; There are in England, Wales, and Scotland, including those retired from active employment, three archbishops and 18 bishops; the priests attached to the various missions and domestic chaplaincies are 2157, exclusive of some 40 more who are residing abroad, though still regarded as "ecclesiastically belonging to Great Britain." The number of missions, churches, and chapels is given aa 1348, and these numbers have been nearly doubled in the last twenty years. It is scarcely possible to arrive at tho exact number of monasteries, convents, schools, and colleges, but the fourth part of the Directory gives a list of 25 colleges and schools, more or le»3 of a public character, and 30 other private schools for boys, and also about 90 convent schools for girls, besides which there are some 50 or 60 other religious and charitable instittttU&, many of which ore more or less educational in their scope. Passing from this country to the Continent, we find that, ■without counting the now creations made last week, the " Sacred College of Cardinals" consists of 62 members—the vacancies being eight—viz., six cardinal bishops, 47 cardinal priests, and nine cardinal deacons. Out of these, four were created by Gregory XVI., and the rest by the present Pope, during whose pontificate 120 cardinals have died, rather more than half of them created by himself. The Christian world is mapped out at Eome into nine Patriarchates —viz., Constants nople, Alexandria, Antioch, Jerusalem, Babylon, the West Indies, Lisbon, Venice, and Cilicia. The great Patriarchates are Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, and Jerusalem; there ere, however, in nil 12 Patriarchs, " seven of the Latin Kite and five of the Oriental Kite." Besides these there are a variety of " delegation" and vicariates, mostly under the administration of archbishops and bishops, and also 29 "Apostolic Prefectures." But the part of the Directory which will be found of most interest at the present moment is that which relates to Scotland, now under the ecclesiastical superintendence of one archbishop.and two bishops in partibus injidelium, presiding respectively orer the Western, the Eastern, and the Northern "District." We extract the following paragraph giving an account of the past history of the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland :—" The last gurviving Prelate of the ancient hierarchy of Scotland was James Beatbun, Archbishop of Glasgow, who was consecrated to that Metropolitan See at Borne in August, 1552; was in exile from July, 1560; and though restored to the temporalities of his See by King James VI., m February, 1598, never returned to his native land, but died in April, 1603, at Paris, where he was buried. For some time afterwards the authority of the English 'arch-priests'extended over Scotland, though it was submitted to with reluctance by the Scottish clergy; and when the first VicartAposlolic of England was nominated in 1623, Scotland was still continued unde* English jurisdiction; Bat iti consequence of repeated memorials to the Holy See Pope Gregory XV., in the above year, diwcted the Vicar Apostolic to cease from exercising jurisdiction in Scotland, and in 1629 Pope Urban VIIL granted faculties to Father William Ogilvie as 'Prefect' of the Mission. He died about 163}, after which. Bishop Magennis, of Down and Connor, Ireland, was placed over the Mission; and 1634 the Propaganda decreed the restoration of the ancient Bishopric of the Isles, but this was never carried out. In November, 1635, Father Cornelius Ward arrived as 'Prefect,' and on his retirement from the Bcottish Mission in 1640 he was succeeded by Fatner Patrick Hogarty. After five years' imprisonment he was forced to return to Ireland in August, 1648. Five years latter—namely, 1653, the^ Scottish clergy were incorporated into a missionary body* by 'decree »f the Propaganda, and regularly placed under the superintendanceof Prefects Apostolic, being finally withdrawn from the former jurisdiction of English superiors by order of Pope Innocent X. -Scotland after this was placed under Vicars Apostolic, whose rule lasted from 1694 to 1727, when that country was divided by the decree of Propaganda into Highland and Lowland districts. The arrangement lasted until 1327 (just a century), when the existing arrangement of three districts,, ihe Eastern, Western, and Northern, was adopted." It appears from this work that the Roman Catholic peers in 1878 are 36, the baronets are 48, And the members of Her Majesty's Privy Council are-.six in number; the Koman Catholic members of Parliament, are 53, but*they all represent Irish constituencief.!—Times. ;