THE CATHOLIC CONGRESS IN SYDNEY.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXVII, Issue 52, 28 December 1899, Page 10

THE CATHOLIC CONGRESS IN SYDNEY.

AN INTERVIEW WITH CARDINAL MORAN

A representative of the Sydney Freeman's Journalh&d an interview recently with his Eminence Cardinal Moran with regard to the Australasian Catholic Congress to be held at Sydney in October. The interviewer asked if Mr. Mulhall, the eminent statistician, had already sent a paper on the progress of the Church in the nineteenth century ?

MR. MULHALL'S PAPER,

'Yes, the paper has reached us,' replied hia Eminence, 'and a very fine, a moat valuable, paper it is. I have written to Mr. Mulhall, thanking him, and at the same time asking him if he will be good enough to briug his paper up to date. When Mr. Mulhall wrote it was our intention to hold the Congress early in 1900. Since that time it has become a matter of necessity to put off the Congress till October of next year. We wish to have the Cathedral as it stands complete in every detail by the time the Congress assembles. The laying down of the floor in marble and arkolite will delay us till July. As the Triduum in celebration of what we may speak of as ihe completion of the Cathedral is to serve as a prelude or preface to the Congress, we selected October as the month which wonld be-t huit trin convenience of the Bishops and representative laymen of the other colonies. We hope to see the whole Australasian Church well represented — Australia, New Zealand, and Tasmania. We will find places also for Fiji, New Guinea, and Samoa.' ' Is it not a happy accident of fortune to get a paper from such an eminent authority as Mr. Mulhall ? ' ' Well, you see, Mr. Mulhall is one of my old boys. He was a student when I was a professor long ago in Rome. So I think I have a claim on him. It, is not outside the range of probability" that he will attend the Congress. He is fond of travel, and I have invited him to come and see what we are like. At present he knows us only by statistics. If he comes he will have a warm welcjme not only from Catholics, but from the whole community.' DURATION OF THE CONGKESS. ' How long will the Congress last, your Eminence /' ' I think I am sate in paying that the whole proceedings, allowing for entertainments, dinners, and picnics, will be compressed within a week. This would also cover tne three days sen apjtrt for the cathedral ceremonies. We shall have several centres or meeting places. It is proposed to have one session at St. Mary's in the new

hall, a second at St. John's College, a third at St. Patrick's College, Manly, a fourth at River view College, and bo on. All the sessions should be got over within a week. Some of the papers will, of course, be taken "as read," but the principal ones will be discussed. It is our intention to publish all the papers and the principal • speeches in a volume at the end of the Congress. Such a volume would be a valuable record showing the advanced condition of the Catholic Church in Australasia at the close of the nineteenth, century. What a contrast to the position of the Church here at the beginning of the century 1 '

VISITORS FROM THE HOME COUNTRIES.

' Do you expect many visitors from the other side of the world, your Eminence I'

' When the war in the Transvaal is over, I shall be better able to answer your question. But apart from the war I know that there is what we may call a counter attraction in the Paris Exhibition. More than that, there are to be some very important celebrations in Rome. It may be our good fortune to have a few distinguished visitors from Europe, but I think I am safe in Baying that most of those whose sympathy has been enlisted in connection witb our Congress will be represented by their contributions In the way of papers and essays.'

ASSISTANCE FROM ABROAD.

In reply to a query as to whether any additional papers had been promised besides those already mentioned, his Eminence said : 1 Here is a letter I received yesterday from the Rev. L. A. Lambert, LL.D., editor of the New York Freeman't Journal : — 11 Your Eminence— l have succeeded in securing the promise of three well-known writers to prepare papers for the Australasian Catholic Congress of 1900 — namely, Father Doyle, editor of the Catholic World Magazine ; Father Baart, author of a work on 'The Court of Rome,' and another on Canon Law ; and Father Hudson, editor of the Aye Maria, and Professor of the Notre Dame University. I hope to procure another paper on 'Irish Catholics in America,' nnd still another from one of the professors in the American Catholic University, Washington. lam pleased to think that I have been fairly successful. I asked Dr. O. A. Brownaon for a paper, but he wrote me that his hand is so disabled with rheumatism that he could not prepare it." '

THE OBJECTS OF THE CONOBESB.

' Apart from its value in an intellectual sense, what good purpOM will be served by the Congress, your Eminence ? ' ' That,' said the Cardinal, 'is a leading question. Within the last 10 years there has been a great revival of faith and religious enthusiasm throughout the world, and in a large measure this is owing to the Catholic Congresses which have been held in Paris, Brussels, Lisbon, Fribourg, Venice, and other European cities. Our present illustrious Pontiff Leo XIII., desires that all Catholics shall mark the end of the present century and the beginning of the next by a great manifestation of faith and love towards Jesus Christ our Redeemer. At a meeting held in Melbourne in November, 1897, on the occasion of the consecration of St. Patrick's Cathedral, at which the Archbishops and Bishops of Australia were present, it was determined that the Catholics of Australasia should bo afforded an opportunity of joining in this religious movement, and of partioipating in its blessings, and that the most appropriate way of manifesting their faith and loyalty would be the holding of an Australasian Catholic Congress. As we in Sydney were pushing on the completion of our Cathedral, the assembled prelates decided to have the Congress in Sydney so that the date of holding would fit in with the blessing of what we may call our completed Cathedral. The dedication feast of this Mother Church of Australasia, in which all the faithful people of the Southern Continent have shown so deep an interest, may thus be made to coincide with the opening of the Catholic Congress. The centenary celebration of the Church in Australasia will be due at the same time. The Congresses held in Europe treated of matters chiefly connected with the attitude of the Church in relation to the leading questions of the day, and it is proposed that the Australasian Congress shall follow on similar lines of thought. Able and scholarly papers will do much to clear away the ignorance and prejudice which now prevail, and show forth the Church in all the beauty and grandeur of her sublime teaching.'

ITS INFLUENCE BEYOND THE COLONIES.

' Will the Congress exercise an influence beyond the colonies 1 ' ' I am happy to say that already the Congress has attracted attention. As you are aware, we sent our syllabus to the old countries. Within the past few weeks I have received letters expressing pleasant surprise at the character of our programme. Some of the subjects selected, I am informed, have been greatly praised in many of the leading schools in the Old Country. This in itself will do good. It will not only make people at Home understand that there is such a place as Australia, but it will command their respect. I would not for the world make the statement publicly for fear of givijg offence to our spirited young Australians, but there are many people on the other side of the world who regard Australia as a distant mission somewhere near Burmah. The reports of our Congress, if they reach these people, should convince them that we are an enlightened and progressive country. The Congress, although academic in character, cannot fail to awaken Catholic interest among ourselves. Taking a wider view, it will identify us with the Catholic world, and give us a recognised position. It will life us out of a provincial groove and place us in line with the intellectual leaders of our faith. Among our Protestant neighbours in the colonies the effect of the Congress must be a good one. It will show them that we only ask our Church to be judged on its merits, and that we have nothing to conceal. The list of subjects will show our non-Catholic friends that we are not afraid to discuss scientific and other subjects which are supposed to be forbidden by the Church. In a word, I believe the Congress will httlp to clear away calumnies and show the Catholio Church in its true strength and dignity to those not of the fold,'