ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. 



RUSSIA. 



cisions of the Holy See, was exiled by the 

 Sultan. 



During the year the dissidents from the 

 Council of the Vatican, whose support by the 

 German Government had been followed by se- 

 vere action against the bishops and religious 

 orders, maintained their attitude, but without 

 any striking increase in the number of priests, 

 who amounted in all to less than fifty. With a 

 view of effecting an organization, they called 

 a second Old Catholic Congress at Cologne. 

 It met on Saturday, September 20th. It was 

 attended by the Jansenist Archbishop of 

 Utrecht, two bishops of the Established Church 

 of England, the Bishops of Ely and Lincoln, 

 one Protestant Episcopal bishop from the 

 United States, the Bishop of Maryland, and 250 

 delegates fronvvarious parts of Germany. No 

 definite confession of faith was adopted ; but, 

 in view of the fact that no bishop had joined 

 them, a committee was appointed to consider 

 the means to be adopted to supply the want 

 by electing one or more bishops. 



Fifteen resolutions, adopted by them, on the 

 repose of the theological and juristic commit- 

 tees, maintained : 1, the right of excommuni- 

 cated old Catholic priests to officiate ; 2, that 

 any of them could administer the sacrament 

 of penance without facultos ; 3, in any dio- 

 cese; 4, that congregations may elect their 

 own pastors; 5 and 6 dispensed them from 

 the necessity of using Catholic churches, con- 

 secrated altars, etc. ; 7 retains liturgical usages 

 " as nearly as possible ; " 8 proposes reform ; 

 9, to avoid religious and political questions ; 

 10 leaves setting up of a new organization to 

 the local necessities ; 11 provides for reports 

 to central committee ; 12 favors civil mar- 

 riage; 13 declares marriage dispensations un- 

 necessary; 14 declares it lawful to apply to 

 foreign bishops, especially of the Utrecht 

 Church and the Armenian, for ordination ; 15 

 elects a committee of three theologians, two 

 canonists, and two laymen, to arrange the 

 election of bishops, their residence, salary, re- 

 lation to government and the congregations. 



Three other resolutions related to the re- 

 union of Christian churches, and ten others to 

 the rights of the old Catholics as against the 

 state, and the Catholics who accepted the 

 Vatican decrees, claiming recognition and the 

 church property as the only real Catholic 

 body. 



The year 1872 was remarkable for a renewal 

 of pilgrimages to various shrines, one of the 

 most important being that to our Lady of 

 Lourdes, in the Pyrenees, to which thousands 

 of pilgrims flocked from all parts of France. 



During the year there was no new promotion 

 of cardinals, and four members of the Sacred 

 College died : Cardinal Cyril Alameda, O. S. 

 F., Archbishop of Toledo ; Cardinal Nicholas 

 Clarelli, Bishop of Frascati ; Cardinal Angelo 

 Quaglia; and Cardinal Aloysius Amat, Bishop 

 of Palestrina. Among other eminent dignita- 

 ries who died during the year, was the Aus- 



trian Bishop Fessler, secretary of the late 

 council. 



RUSSIA (Empire of all the Russias), an 

 empire in Europe and Asia. Emperor, Alex- 

 ander II., born April 17 (April 29, new style), 

 1818 ; succeeded his father, February 18 (March 

 2), 1855 ; crowned at Moscow, August 26 (Sep- 

 tember 7), 1856. Heir-apparent, Grand-duke 

 Alexander, born February 26 (March 10), 1845 ; 

 married November 4, 1866, to Maria Dagmar 

 (born November 26, 1847), daughter of King 

 Christian IX:, of Denmark. Offspring of the 

 union are two sons: Nicholas, born May 6, 

 1868; and George, born April 28, 1871. 



The administration of the empire is intrusted 

 to four great boards or councils, possessing 

 separate functions, but centring in the private 

 cabinet of the Emperor. The first of these 

 boards is the Council of the Empire, which 

 has to superintend the general administration 

 of affairs, and propose alterations whenever 

 necessary. It was established by Alexander 

 I., in 1810, and in 1872 consisted of 36 mem- 

 bers, exclusive of the ministers who have a 

 seat ex officio, and of the princes of the im- 

 perial house, who can claim the right to be 

 present at the deliberations. The president, 

 in 1872, was Grand-duke Constantine, the 

 brother of the Emperor. This Council is divided 

 into three departments, namely, of Legislation, 

 of Civil Administration, and of Finance. Each 

 department has its own president, and a sepa- 

 rate sphere of duties, but there are meetings 

 together of the three sections. The second 

 board is the Senate (Directing Senate), which 

 is the high-court of justice for the empire, 

 'controlling all inferior tribunals, and examin- 

 ing into the state of public revenue and expen- 

 diture, and having power to appoint to a great 

 variety of offices, and to make remonstrances 

 to the Emperor. It is divided into seven (be- 

 fore 1869 into eight) sections or committees, 

 of which five sit in St. Petersburg and two in 

 Moscow. In the plenum, or general meeting 

 of the sections, the Minister of Justice takes 

 the chair, as high procurator for the Emperor. 

 The third board is the Holy Synod, established 

 by Peter I., in 1721, which has the superin- 

 tendence of all the religious affairs of the em- 

 pire. The President of the Holy Synod is the 

 Metropolitan of Novgorod. The fourth board 

 is the Council of Ministers. It is divided into 

 eleven departments, namely: 



Ministry of Incumbent. 



Imperial House Count Alex. Adlerberg (app. 1870). 



Foreign Affairs Prince Alexander Michael Gortcha- 



koff (app. 1856). 



War General Count Millertin (1862). 



Navy Admiral Crabbe (1860). 



Interior General Timascheff (1868). 



Public Instruction. Count Tolstoy (1866). 



Finance Privy -Councillor M. von Eeutera 



(1862). 



Justice Count Pahlen (1868). 



Imperial Domains. Privy-Councillor D. Valoniew (1872). 



Public Works Lieut.-Gen. Count. Bobrinsky (1871). 



General Comptrol. Privy-Councillor M. Abaza. 



The area and population of the several gov- 

 ernments into which Russia is divided were, in 

 1S72, as follows : 



