67b 



ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. 



rigorously exact explanation of the facts that have 

 resulted in the rupture of diplomatic relations be- 

 tween the two courts. You are authorized to give to 

 this document all fitting publicity. You will be care- 

 ful at the same time to point out that, in following 

 the court of Rome into this painful discussion, the 

 Imperial Cabinet is not actuated by any idea hostile 

 to the regard for the Holy See. It has no other ob- 

 ject than to establish truth. Principles of religious 

 toleration and the constant solicitude of the emperor 

 for all the creeds professed in his States no less re- 

 main the invariable rule of his political conscience. 

 So far as depends upon his majesty, his Catholic 

 subjects will not have to suffer from the cessation of 

 the relations our august master endeavored to main- 

 tain with the Holy See in view of their religious 

 interests. " * 



On December 8th the Cardinal Prefect of the 

 Sacred Congregation of the Council of Trent 

 issued, by order of the Pope, a circular letter 

 to all the Catholic bishops of the world, in- 

 viting them to be present on the 29th of June, 

 1867, at the canonization of several martyrs in 

 Rome. This will be the second general assem- 

 bly of the bishops of the Roman Catholic Church 

 during the pontificate of Pius IX. The follow- 

 ing is the letter of invitation : 



Illustrious and Very Reverend Sir ,' Among the 

 principal and gravest cares of the Apostolic ministry 

 of the Sovereign Pontiff the most grateful is to con- 

 fer, according to established rites, the honor of canon- 

 ization and public worship in the Church upon the 

 heroes of the Christian religion. Therefore the holy 

 congregation of rites having accomplished all the 

 acts according to the discipline prescribed by the 

 Apostolic Constitution, our Holy Father Pope" Pius 

 IX., after having maturely considered the circum- 

 stances, has resolved (in as far, however, as the power 

 of the Almighty, as we are permitted to hope, shall 

 avert the imminent tempest which threatens us) to 

 hold, in the month of June, 1867, two semi-public 

 consistories. After these consistories the Holy Father, 

 by the aid of God and the Virgin Mother of God, will 

 inscribe, by a solemn decree in the catalogue of saints, 

 the blessed martyrs, confessors, and virgins, whose 

 names hereafter follow. On the 29th of the same 

 month is the festival of the blessed Apostles Peter 

 and Paul, which on this occasion will be celebrated 

 with all the greater jojr by reason of the secular an- 

 niversary of their glorious martyrdom. The names 

 of the blessed martyrs, confessors, and virgins, are 

 as follows : 1. The blessed Josaphat, Archbishop of 

 Polocsk, of the Ruthenians in White-Russia, martyr. 

 2. The blessed Pedro d'Arbues, of the order of regu- 

 lar canons of St. Augustine, Inquisitor of Spain, and 

 canon of the Metropolitan Church of Saragossa, mar- 

 tyr. 3. The nine blessed martyrs of Gorkhum, be- 

 longing to divers regular orders, or to the secular 

 clergy. 4. The blessed Paul de la Croix, confessor, 

 founder of the congregation of Clercs-Dechauss6s of 

 the Holy Cross, and ot the Passion of our Lord Jesus 

 Christ. 5. The blessed Leonard of Port Maurice, 

 confessor, apostolic missionary of the Minor Order 

 of St. Francis of the Strict Observance. 6. The 

 blessed Maria Francesca of Five wounds, virgin ; of 

 the Third Order of St. Peter of Alcantara, in Naples. 

 Y. The blessed Germaine-Cousin, secular virgin of 

 the diocese of Toulouse. According to ancient cus- 

 tom, his Holiness has, therefore, ordered me, Prefect 

 of the Congregation charged to interpret the Holy 

 Council of Trent, to write to the prelates of the Cath- 

 olic world to announce to them this glad news, and 

 to acquaint them that the bishops, not being de- 

 tained by the fear of causing grave prejudice to the 

 flocks confided to their care, should repair at the 

 proper tjme to this noble city, in order to be present 

 et the consistories above mentioned. It will be a 



source of great jov for the Holy Father to see hij 

 brethren assemble in one place and offer up with one 

 accord prayers to those saints already received into 

 celestial glory, in order that, moved by such suppli- 

 cations in the extreme peril.which threatens civil, and, 

 above all, sacred things, they may ask of God, and 

 obtain from his goodness, victory over the malignant 

 enemy, and perpetual peace for the Church militant. 

 Further, it is needful to reflect that it is the will of 

 the Sovereign Pontiff that all those who may respond 

 to this invitation shall be considered as having ful- 

 filled the prescriptions of Sixtus V., of holy memory, 

 contained in the bull " Romanus Pontifex," relative 

 to the obligation of making the journey to Rome in 

 order to visit the Sacra Apostolorum Limina ; and 

 if ever there was a time in which it was fitting to 

 come and venerate the sepulchres of Peter and Paul, 

 fathers and masters of the truth, enlightening the 

 souls of the faithful (as was said by Theodore), it- 

 is above all at the period in which that festival will 

 be celebrated, which, in the words of St. Leo the 

 Great, "in addition to that veneration which it 

 should receive throughout the world, should be hailed 

 with especial reverence and joy at Rome, in order 

 that, in the place where the death of the principal 

 Apostles has been glorified, greater joy should be 

 manifested on the day of their martyrdom." Given 

 at Rome by the Sacred Congregation of the Council 

 this 8th day of December, 18iJ6, sacred to the Im- 

 maculate Conception of the Mother of God. 



The second National Council of the Church 

 in the United States was opened on Sunday, 

 the 7th of October, and continued until the 21st 

 of October. It was presided over by Arch- 

 bishop Spalding, of Baltimore, as " Apostolic 

 Delegate." The other officers of the council 

 were as follows: Promoter Rev. Dr. Lynch, 

 Bishop of Charleston, S. 0. Assistant Pro- 

 moter Very Rev. Dr. O'Hara, Vicar-General 

 of Philadelphia. Chancellor Very Rev. Dr. T. 

 Foley, cathedral, Baltimore. Assistant Chan- 

 cellor Rev. James Gibbons, of the cathedral, 

 Baltimore. Secretaries Very Rev. Dr. Corco- 

 ran, Charleston, S. C. ; Rev. Dr. Keogh, Pro- 

 fessor of Theology, Seminary of St. Charles, 

 Philadelphia; Dr. Becker, of Richmond, Va. 

 Notaries Rev. Dr. Pabisch, Rector of Semi- 

 nary of Mount St. Mary's of the West, Cincin- 

 nati; Very Rev. E. Villarassa, of California; 

 Very Rev. S. V. Ryan, of St. Louis ; Rev. M. 

 Accolti, S. J., of San Francisco ; Very Rev. M. 

 Heiss; Rev. W. Wagrich, C. S. S. R.; Rev. 

 H. Ilealy. 



Nearly all the bishops of the United States 

 and the superiors of the religions orders were 

 present. As regards the object of the council, 

 it was officially stated to be the promotion of 

 uniformity by amelioration of discipline, and 

 all that belongs to the ministerial functions in 

 the various archdioceses and dioceses of the 

 United States. A letter, published shortly be- 

 fore the meeting of the council, by the Bishop 

 of Savannah, indicated that one of the main 

 objects of the council would be the provision 

 of measures best calculated to promote the re- 

 ligious education of the negroes. 



The acts of the Council had not been pub- 

 lished at the close of the year 1866, as before 

 their publication they must receive the sanc- 

 tion of the Pope. The Council issued a pas- 

 toral letter to the clergy and laity of their 



