_Rome, Feb. 11, 1870._—When once literature began to be brought to bear
actively on the proceedings of the Council, the crisis could not long be
delayed, for science, which has to do with truth only, knows nothing of
diplomatic considerations, and makes no concessions to the requirements of
the moment. It brings back the discussion inevitably from theory to fact,
from the sphere of dogma to the sphere of history. In remorselessly
exposing the inventions and forgeries which form the basis of the doctrine
of Papal Infallibility, it necessarily attacks the whole ultramontane
system of which that doctrine is the logical consequence. The fundamental
refutation of the dogma is fatal to much in the specifically Roman
theology and the modern claims of the Popes, which would not otherwise
have been assailed in Council by any Bishop. Those who shrink from
collision with the _Curia_, and would desire to spare it a public exposure
of error before the whole world, and who have therefore hitherto remained
on the defensive, will now be driven further and placed in a position they
would never have chosen. They see their adversaries in a light—whether as
deceived or deceivers—which seriously disturbs their daily intercourse
with them. For it is no longer possible to conceal by any periphrasis the
fact that the spirit the Opposition has to combat is no other than the
spirit of lying. And so, when the voice of honest science cannot be
excluded, no peaceful issue is possible. The contest takes the form of an
internecine strife against that absolute Papal system for which the Court
had at first confidently expected to gain the almost enthusiastic sanction
of the Council. The aid of science can be purchased at no cheaper price.
No wonder then if the Bishops recoil in trembling before the weighty task
of winning the victory for that view which specially prevails among
learned Germans of this day, first in the Council, and then among the mass
of the clergy and the faithful. There are few among them who are not
inwardly conscious that they will themselves come in for some of the heavy
blows.
Father Gratry’s first Letter on its arrival at Rome roused serious
reflection in many. His skilful handling of a subject familiar to all, and
his repeated application of the solemn passage, “Numquid indiget Deus
mendacio vestro?”(52) together with his unmistakeable allusion in his
division of mankind into “viri veraces” and “viri mendaces,” contributed
to make clear the full significance of the contrast—to many for the first
time. Döllinger’s printed criticism of the Address was not calculated to
quiet the excitement it caused. The Roman party, in the hope of effecting
an internal split in the party, seized the handle which Döllinger’s
statement that he was in harmony on the main question with the majority of
the German Bishops seemed to supply, and tried to extract a counter
declaration from the Bishops. The first attempt, to induce the Archbishop
of Munich to exert his authority, failed. Then the Bishop of Mayence
brought the matter before the Assembly of German Opposition Bishops. He
angrily disclaimed for himself any solidarity with Döllinger’s view, and
averred his belief in Papal Infallibility, saying it was only the
difficulty and danger of a dogmatic declaration quite unnecessary in
itself that made him an opponent of the definition. Had his motion been
accepted, and the German Opposition renounced their hostility to the dogma
and retired to the ground of mere expediency, the complete victory of the
Infallibilists would have been a matter of a few weeks only. But when the
German Bishops rejected Ketteler’s urgent demand, and decisively refused
to give up their assault on the dogma, the half-and-half character and
weakness of their position vanished, and they ceased to subordinate or
sacrifice the theological standpoint to the question of expediency. And
thus the difficult word has been spoken; they have already pronounced
against the doctrine itself in the Addresses they have signed. The
reproach incurred thereby does not, of course, apply in full force to the
Bishop of Mayence, who has always told his colleagues that he is on their
side on the question of opportuneness only. The Bishop of Rottenburg
(Hefele) has already declared in his speech at Fulda that it is necessary
to advance further and assail the doctrine itself. And he repeated this in
reply to Ketteler’s proposal. The great majority of the Bishops were
unfavourable to that proposal. While in this way they testified their
agreement with Döllinger, some of them—especially Strossmayer—declared
emphatically for the œcumenicity of the Council of Florence. They have
weighty reasons for this. The more strongly the minority hold to
Döllinger’s interpretation of the famous Florentine decree, the less can
they afford to depreciate the authority of the Synod. For in their opinion
it is just that decree which serves to expose the dishonesty of the other
party, and to overthrow the extreme doctrine. It will do them good service
too in the discussion on the _Schema de Ecclesiâ_ and the new _Schema de
Romano Pontifice_, which is now announced.
But while the German Bishops rejected Ketteler’s proposal, and left to the
_Civiltà Cattolica_ and the Mayence _Katholik_ the war against the Munich
School, they did not venture to come to an open breach with the less
homogeneous elements of their party, wishing to retain Ketteler on their
side—who is as zealous against the Roman principles in Church and State as
against German science—as an active ally in the contest against the
_Schema_. For this end there have been consultations, especially between
the Archbishop of Cologne on one side and the Archbishop of Munich on the
other. The commotion produced by Döllinger’s essay in the learned world of
Germany gives them an opportunity for helping the minority over this
discomfiture, and averting for the immediate moment of danger the
threatened disruption. It cannot be denied that to a certain extent the
latest declarations of German Catholics are very acceptable to the
Bishops, for the very reason that they partly emanate from men who belong
to the more moderate opponents of Infallibility. It is a piece of good
luck for the Bishops staying at Rome that men who are independent, and at
a distance from the flatteries and threats of the Vatican, undertake to
call things by their right names, that reason makes itself heard by the
side of passion, and science by the side of authority. It is moreover very
convenient that the materials can be used while the writer is disowned.
But although the Bishops know well how to value the importance of the
support given to their cause from Germany, yet this new movement is not
altogether to their taste; their dignity demands that they should not
succumb to pressure from without, or owe too much to the public press. A
Bishop is indeed presumed to be a theologian. And as it is impossible that
the considerations which for the moment are decisive in the Council should
always be taken into account by writers, there cannot fail to be manifold
embarrassments. From the intra-conciliar point of view it is easy to go
too far. And then it may be regarded as almost inevitable that many
Bishops should receive these manifestations of opinion from Germany with
outward coldness, or reply by advising that it should be left in their
hands alone to secure the victory of truth. In their eyes silence is in
itself a kind of vote of confidence. A too zealous participation might
almost look like a sign of doubt as to the Bishops having strength and
perseverance and coherence enough to conquer. To be sure, none feel such
doubts more strongly than the Bishops themselves, but nothing can better
serve to give them the confidence in themselves which is so much to be
desired as showing them that others feel it.
And thus among the German Bishops in Rome Hefele’s view has triumphed over
Ketteler’s, the logical and decided over the half-and-half policy, and the
difficult turning-point has been passed without loss or breach in the
party. And not a day too soon! Next week a new _Schema_ and a new order of
business will bring the disunion and irritation in the Council to a point.