684 



ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. 



2 reserved in petto, the latter supposed to be 

 Mgr. Francis Satolli, Ablegate to the United 

 States, and the other Most Rev. John Ireland, 

 D. D., Archbishop of St. Paul, Minn. 



The Reunion of Eastern Churches with the 

 Holy See received a substantial impetus by the 

 conversion of Mgr. Chisnoun, the Nestorian pa- 

 triarch, and his following, which for fifteen hun- 

 dred years had refused to accept the leadership 

 of Rome. Pope Leo's plan of conciliating and 

 bringing in all the unattached unorthodox Greek 

 Catholics through allowing existing nonessential 

 customs and privileges, but insisting upon a uni- 

 formity of discipline through gradual change, is 

 meeting with deliberate consideration from those 

 most interested, and the Vatican diplomats report 

 wonderful changes as imminent. In accordance 

 with this purpose, representatives of the Eastern 

 and Western churches will meet within the 

 shadow of the Holy Sepulchre in a Congress of 

 the Holy Eucharist at Jerusalem in 1893. At 

 Christmas time 80 patriarchs, bishops, and apos- 

 tolic delegates had responded favorably to the 

 call. Cardinal Langenieux, Archbishop of 

 Rheirns, was appointed to preside as legate of 

 the Holy See. 



The Jesuit Generalship became vacant by 

 the death of Father M. A. Anderledy, Jan. 18, 

 and the election of his successor saw a remark- 

 able representation of the 12,000 members of the 

 order at the mother house in Spain. Father 

 Martin, S. J., was the choice for general, and 

 for the first time in half a century " the black 

 Pope," as the incumbent of the office is some- 

 times designated, undertook a tour of inspection 

 through English-speaking countries. 



The beatification causes of Joan of Arc and of 

 the venerable servant of God Francesco Severio 

 Bianchi, of the Barnabites, were progressed. 



The Educational Question, especially that 

 phase of it relating to the co-operation of church 

 and state, occupied a large share of attention 

 at the Vatican. A violent agitation in America 

 brought the subject directly to the notice of Leo 

 XIII, under whose direction the Propaganda 

 rendered a decision favorable to the largest lati- 

 tude in compromise that will secure religious 

 and technical instruction. The year ushered in 

 a vigorous discussion, which eventuated in open 

 and secret opposition to the so-called " Fari- 

 bault plan," those opposed to state participa- 

 tion and jurisdiction holding that the Most Rev. 

 John Ireland, D. D., Archbishop of St. Paul, 

 Minn., had acted contrary to Catholic doctrine 

 in turning over his parochial schools to the local 

 authorities, notwithstanding his reservation of 

 the right religiously to instruct the pupils be- 

 fore or after the regular hours for secular study. 

 The German clergy, in particular, were hostile 

 to this departure, and although similar arrange- 

 ments had been entered into previously in ten 

 other dioceses, Archbishop Ireland's innovation 

 was most fiercely attacked. He was finally forced 

 to defend his course at Rome. There the 

 organ of the Jesuits had joined in the antago- 

 nism, and all this, with the strictures of some of 

 his brother prelates, made it appear for a time 

 as if some doctrinal error had been committed by 

 Archbishop Ireland and Cardinal Gibbons, who 

 had approved his views. The Commission of 

 Cardinals rendered a famous tolerari potest 



decision, allowing the Archbishop Ireland plan 

 to be adopted wherever conditions warranted. 

 Mot only that, in reply to an effort to twist the 

 definition as adverse by being exceptional in its 

 application, a letter was sent to the American 

 bishops by Cardinal Ledochowski, Prefect of the 

 Propaganda, advising harmonious relations and 

 co-operation with civic authorities in such and 

 all elevating efforts for the people. An ampli- 

 fication of the Church's position was given at a 

 meeting of the archbishops of the United States 

 in New York, Nov. 19, by Mgr. Satolli, papal 

 ablegate, who presented a series of propositions, 

 the ninth of which fully recognized the right of 

 the state as a particular one, and taking a posi- 

 tion more extreme than that broached before 

 by Prof. Bouquillon. The hierarchy, with two 

 exceptions, under a misapprehension of Mgr. 

 Satolli's true position as the mouthpiece of the 

 Pope, voted against accepting the propositions. 

 Various phases of the school question arose dur- 

 ing the year in Germany, France, Ireland, and 

 Canada. In the Illinois election the Catholics 

 and Lutherans joined, as in Wisconsin, to defeat 

 the Edwards law aimed at private schools, and 

 succeeded. In Minnesota they failed. 



The Vatican and the United States. The 

 year 1892 is in some respects essentially an 

 American year in the history of the Church Uni- 

 versal. The school decision was followed by 

 another on a subject equally disturbing " Ca- 

 henslyism," or the recognition of foreign na- 

 tionalities in the appointment of bishops and 

 formation of congregations. In refusing such 

 recognition, national distinctions were depre- 

 cated, and those advancing such were admonished 

 to desist, as their efforts were calculated to 

 arouse racial animosities prejudicial to religious 

 unity. Rome thus set its face against the per- 

 petuation of foreign languages and customs in 

 the American Church, and set to work in ear- 

 nest to adapt its organization to the New World 

 surroundings, harmonize its parts, and at the 

 same time to bring its thought and workings 

 directly under the observation of the American 

 people. The Columbian celebration offered fa- 

 vorable opportunity for the next step in this 

 direction. The United States Government, 

 through Hon. John W. Foster, Secretary of State, 

 had requested the co-operation of the Pope in 

 behalf of the World's Fair, and promised special 

 care for the mementoes of Columbus and such of 

 the Vatican treasures as he would send. Secre- 

 tary Foster's letter said : 



The intimate association of the Holy See with the 

 Columbian enterprise and its results has so linked 

 the memory of Rome and her pontiffs with the vast 

 achievement of Christopher Columbus and his com- 

 rades and competitors in the work of discovery and 

 colonization, and exerted so marked an influence on 

 the destinies and progress of the New World they 

 revealed, that an exhibit such as, by the President'^ 

 direction, I have the honor to suggest could not fail 

 to be among the most noteworthy contributions to 

 this international celebration of the four hundredth 

 anniversary of the discovery. By co-operating to 

 this end, His Holiness will manifest for our country a 

 regard which will be highly appreciated not only 

 by the managers of the exposition, but by the Amer- 

 ican people at large. 



In response, Cardinal Rampolla wrote an ac- 

 ceptance of the invitation, saying : 



