_Rome, April 24, 1870._—The final votes of _Placet_ or _Non placet_ on the
four chapters of the _Schema de Fide_ are to be taken in to-day’s public
Session. And thus after four months and a half a theological decree, or
rather a batch of decrees and doctrinal decisions, will be brought to a
successful issue, and the first ripe fruit plucked from the hitherto
barren tree of the Council, so that there will be something in black and
white to carry home. As these four chapters have been subjected to the
pruning and toning down of the Opposition, they bear little resemblance to
the original draft of the Jesuits, and the minority may lay claim to a
victory which four months ago could scarcely have been hoped for. What has
been gained for the future by these theological commonplaces and
self-evident propositions is of course another question. The general view
of the Bishops appears to be that there is no real gain for the Church in
these propositions, which can only excite the wonder of believing
Christians that it should be thought necessary to prohibit at this time of
day such fundamental errors. The value of their labours they take to lie,
not in what they have said, but in what they have with so much trouble
expunged from the _Schema_.
Several Bishops attach great weight to the consent of the Deputation to
substitute for “Romana Ecclesia” the words “Ecclesia Catholica et
Apostolica Romana.” Others think it a matter of indifference. Hefele’s
pamphlet on Honorius has created such a sensation that the Pope has
commissioned the Jesuit Liberatore and Delegati, Professor at the
Sapienza, to white-wash Honorius, and make away with everything in his
history incompatible with the new dogma. Pius is persuaded, and his
infallible “feeling” tells him, that everything must have happened quite
differently from what is represented; how, he knows not, but he thinks
that the Jesuit and the Roman professor have only to make the proper
investigations and they will soon discover the requisite materials for
refuting the German Bishop.
On Wednesday, April 20, Rome was illuminated to celebrate the Pope’s
return from Gaëta. The Roman officials greatly dislike these illuminations
on financial grounds, for they have to contribute to the cost out of their
own pockets. A triumphal arch was erected for the Pope at the end of the
narrow street leading to St. Peter’s piazza, and the following inscription
in letters of fire was conspicuous far and wide:—
Popoli chinatevi innanzi al Vaticano,
Ecco il Pontefice ch’io vi conservai nei giorni di pericolo,
Esso è la pietra angolare della mia chiesa,
Il refugio degli oppressi,
Il sostegno del povero,
Lo scudo della civiltà e della fede.
That is the witness Pius bears to himself. To theologians it may be a new
idea that he personally is the corner-stone of the Church, but that is
only one of the many predicates and prerogatives which may be deduced from
infallibility. Two isolated voices cried “Evviva il Papa infallibile.” It
was clear the multitude was to be stimulated to swell the cry, but, as
before, all remained quiet. The attempt has been sometimes made before,
whether by amateurs or under official inspiration I know not, and then
Veuillot asserts in the _Univers_ that he has heard this shout of vast
multitudes breaking forth spontaneously from the exuberance of their
hearts. It is like the music of the spheres which only Pythagoras heard.
Ketteler’s pamphlet was finally published on April 18, and the Bishop has
begun to distribute it. It is really directed against the dogma itself,
which for a long time people could not believe, and not merely against the
opportuneness of defining it. How much better would it have been for the
interests of the Church, if the necessity had been recognised long ago for
looking this Medusa’s head straight in the face, and defying its
petrifying gaze, and if our Bishops had plainly and decisively announced
their resolution last December to have no dealings with it. Now at least
Cardinal Rauscher does not spare warnings; he perceives the gravity of the
danger and has had a new fly-leaf distributed, showing that the
promulgation of papal infallibility will elevate the two Bulls _Unam
Sanctam_ (of Boniface VIII.) and _Cum ex Apostolatûs officio_ (of Paul
IV.) into rules of faith for the whole Catholic world, and thus it will be
taught universally in Europe and America, henceforth, that the Pope is
absolute master in temporal affairs also, that he can order war or peace,
and that every monarch or bishop who does not submit to him or helps any
one separated from him ought to be deprived of his throne if not of his
life, besides the other wonderful doctrines in the second of these Bulls,
which must reduce every theologian to despair.(91) All that is nothing to
the majority, for whom the law of logical contradiction has no existence.
It is their watchword that the dogma conquers logic as well as history.
One of their German members gladly re-echoes the idea that the proper aim
and office of the Council is to stop the mouth of arrogant professors; if
that is accomplished everything is gained, according to this pastor of a
flock feeding on red earth. On the other hand I heard very different words
fall to-day from the mouth of another German Bishop, who said he was
constantly asking himself how long the German Bishops would look on and
put up with everything.
The great and all-absorbing question now is what will next be brought
before the Council after April 24. In the natural order the second part of
the _Schema de Fide_ would come on, which is comparatively innocuous
though abundantly capable of improvement. But is it not time to fabricate
the talisman of absolute power, the infallibilist dogma? Then would the
Council be in the fullest sense and for ever provided for and finished,
and the master would praise his servants. Many will answer the question in
the affirmative. The two modern Fathers, Veuillot and Margotti, strain
every nerve daily for that end, and many of the most zealous French
Bishops—as those of Moulins, Bourges, and Carcassonne, and the
indefatigable Mermillod—have represented to the willing Pius, as I
mentioned yesterday, that now is the nick of time, and that he may gratify
the longing of his faithful adherents by placing infallibility in the
order of the day. These Frenchmen consider that their Government, now
occupied with the plébiscite, will not trouble itself with the acts and
decisions of the Council, and moreover needs the help of the clergy. Amid
the bustle of the plébiscite, they think the new dogma, and even the
reproduction of the Syllabus in the twenty-one canons, will excite little
stir or indignation, for the French can only embrace one idea at a time,
and the Parisians only discuss one subject in their _salons_.
Banneville has at last actually presented the memorandum of his Government
to the Pope, as President of the Council, and with the intimation that it
should be communicated to the Fathers. That of course will not be done,
for both Pius and Antonelli are irritated at the paper. Pius is annoyed at
the innermost kernel of the dogma being so openly exposed to view, when
Count Daru says, “You want to hand over all rights and powers to the
Church, and then by the infallibilist dogma to concentrate this plenitude
of temporal and spiritual power in the one person of the Pope.” That is of
course what the _Curia_ does want, but it should be uttered in pious and
somewhat obscure phraseology, as the _Civiltà_ usually speaks, and not be
called by its right name in this bold and naked fashion. Antonelli again
is much displeased, because his favourite distinction between the
principles in which the Church must be inexorable, and the practice in
which Rome will graciously concede the very opposite, is met here by the
inquiry whether the faithful are actually to be taught henceforth that
they must believe what they need not carry out in practice, and accept as
divinely revealed rules which they may without hesitation transgress? He
had reckoned on a better understanding, on the part of the French
Government, of the favourite Roman theory of infinite and inexhaustible
papal indults and dispensations, and is glad that he need make no reply to
the note which throws so glaring a light on the morality of the _Curia_
and its notions of duty and truth. He contents himself with telling the
diplomatists that there would be some difficulty in the Pope’s
communicating the note to the Council. Clearly, for they must at the same
time be directed to attempt a refutation, and that would lead to very
awkward consequences. The French Government might indeed have sent their
memorandum to each Bishop separately, but then they would have had the
prospect of the non-French Bishops of the majority returning it unopened.
Count Trautmansdorff has also presented the memorandum of the Austrian
Government to the Cardinal Secretary of State. It runs as follows:—
“Nous voulons seulement élever aussi notre voix pour dégager notre
responsabilité et signaler les conséquences presqu’inévitables d’actes qui
devraient être regardés comme une atteinte portée aux lois qui nous
régissent. Comme le Gouvernement français, c’est à un devoir de conscience
que nous pensons obéier, en avertissant la cour de Rome des périls de la
voie dans laquelle des influences prepondérates semblent vouloir pousser
le Concile. Ce qui nous émeut, ce n’est pas le danger dont nos
institutions sont menacées, mais bien celui que courent la paix des
esprits et le maintien de la bonne harmonie dans les relations de l’état
avec l’Église. Le sentiment qui nous fait agir doit paraître d’autant
moins suspect au St. Siége qu’il correspond à l’attitude d’une fraction
importante des Pères du Concile, dont le dévouement aux intérêts du
Catholicisme ne saurait être l’objet d’un doute. Placés sur un tout autre
terrain que cette fraction, puisque nous n’obéissons qu’à des
considérations politiques, nous nous rencontrons toutefois aujourd’hui
dans le désir commun d’écarter certaines éventualités. Cette coïncidence
de nos efforts nous permet de croire qu’en prenant la parole au nom des
seuls intérêts de l’État nous ne méconnaissons pas ceux de l’Église. Si la
démarche du Gouvernement français, que nous désirons seconder de tout
notre pouvoir, vient en ce moment donner un appui à la minorité du Concile
et l’aider à faire prévaloir des idées de modération ou de prudence, nous
ne pourrons que nous féliciter d’un tel résultat, bien que, je le répète,
notre action soit parfaitement indépendante et doive rester en tout cas
indépendante de celle des membres du Concile.”
Finally the observations of the French Government are urgently commended
to the attention of the _Curia_.