596 



ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. 



this act of separation the union lost the subsidy 

 which the state afforded to the recognized Re- 

 formed Church; and in its constitution it af- 

 firmed its duty to support itself independently 

 of the civil list, and to retain its autonomy of 

 discipline. It has, however, been assisted in 

 maintaining itself by the Presbyterian Churches 

 of England and Scotland. With the aid of these 

 churches it has engaged actively in the work of 

 home missions. The fiftieth annual report of 

 these missions gives returns of 22 mission sta- 

 tions, 55 substations, and 130 preaching stations, 

 in all of which evangelistic work, and in some 

 institutional work, is carried on. Besides estab- 

 lishing churches, day-schools are organized in 

 many instances, coffee-houses have been insti- 

 tuted, and total abstinence societies have been 

 formed. The mission work being largely among 

 the laborers of France, much relief work is done. 

 About one-third of the expenses of this work are 

 contributed by churches in England and Scotland. 

 At the Synod of 1902 of the Reformed Church, 

 held at Auduze, both Orthodox and Liberal dele- 

 gates took part. A resolution was adopted, with 

 only two dissenting votes, declaring in effect, that 

 the Synod was willing to respect all interpreta- 

 tions of doctrine which left untouched " the great 

 spiritual realities and the essential facts of the 

 Gospel history." 



V. Presbyterian and Reformed. Alliance 

 in India. The seventh Conference of the Indian 

 Branch of the Presbyterian Alliance was held in 

 Allahabad in December, 1901. Fifty mission- 

 aries and chaplains were present, representing 9 

 different churches. Arrangements were made for 

 uniting the Presbyterian and Reformed Churches 

 in India under the name of " the Church of 

 Christ in India, Presbyterian." 



VI. Presbyterian and Reformed Union in 

 China. A conference representing the missions 

 of the Presbyterian and Reformed Churches in 

 China was held at Shanghai in April to discuss 

 Presbyterian unity in China. Fifty-four repre- 

 sentatives of the various missions attended it. 

 The Rev. Dr. G. Farnham, of Shanghai, presided. 

 As a result of its deliberations the appointment 

 of a committee was recommended to prepare a 

 plan of union, organic or federal, as may be 

 found practicable, and submit the same to the 

 Church courts (native and foreign) concerned. 



RHODE ISLAND. (See under UNITED 

 STATES.) 



ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. The ap- 

 pointment of the Pontifical Commission on the 

 Bible, by Pope Leo, is a noteworthy event. Cath- 

 olic scholars all over the world will have the full- 

 est opportunity to set forth their views as to the 

 value of recent criticism of the sacred text. Car- 

 dinal Paroccohi is president of the commission, 

 and consulters are to be appointed from different 

 countries. Dr. Grannan, of the Catholic Univer- 

 sity, is the representative from the United States. 



The Leonine Institute was founded at Athens 

 by Pope Leo, some years ago, for education of the 

 youth of Greece, and last year he founded a semi- 

 nary in connection with it. On that occasion he 

 wrote to the Greek bishops, recalling the departed 

 glories of their classic land, and inviting the sep- 

 arated Christians to return to unity with Rome. 



The pontifical jubilee was proclaimed on March 

 3, the anniversary of Pope Leo's coronation. Of 

 the many pilgrimages announced, that of the 

 Lombards was the first, on Feb. 20, the first day 

 of the Pope's twenty-fifth year on the throne. 

 Cardinal Ferrari, Archbishop of Milan, led it. 

 About the same time the Belgians came with all 

 their bishops. In receiving the Roman nobles the 



Pope said, " Your presence in large numbers 

 proves false the rumor that you have forgotten the 

 Holy See." The dignity of Noble of Rome has 

 been conferred by the Pope on the excellent Chris- 

 tian diplomatist Seuor Pidal, who has resigned his 

 post as Spanish ambassador. 



In the midst of all the movements of the jubi- 

 lee, Pope Leo published his Easter encyclical to 

 all the bishops, dealing with the crises through 

 which the Church and society are passing. He 

 also issued a very important motu proprio letter, 

 forbidding the employment of law notaries in ec- 

 clesiastical affairs. These were unversed in 

 canon law, and abuses were likely through their 

 acquaintance with secret matters, particularly 

 concerning matrimonial cases sent to Rome for 

 consultation. There were complaints, also, that 

 unjust fees were exacted, and even from the poor. 

 The Pope forbids, moreover, the receiving of any 

 fee whatsoever in cases regarding marriage, no 

 matter who the persons are that make application. 



On May 29 the Osservatore Romano published 

 Pope Leo's encyclical on the holy eucharist. The 

 aged pontiff touchingly recalls that Our Lord 

 gave the blessed sacrament as his sovereign gift 

 on the eve of his passion; and so his vicar wishes 

 that his last official utterance should commend 

 the same pledge of love divine. This encyclical 

 completes, he says, his former ones on the Divine 

 Redeemer and the Sacred Heart. The blessed eu- 

 charist is the chief source of Christian life, and 

 especially of charity, the greatest need of our 

 modern age. Pope Leo urges upon all the faith- 

 ful the practise of frequent communion. 



At the suggestion of Prof. Pastor, director of the 

 Austrian Historical Institute, the representatives 

 of the foreign historical institutes, in Rome, 

 sought an audience of the Pope to congratulate 

 his Holiness on his jubilee. The following insti- 

 tutes were represented at the audience, which took 

 place on May 4: The Austrian, Belgian, French, 

 Gorresgesellschaft, Hungarian, Prussian, English, 

 Danish, Swedish. Bishop Fraknoi, of the Hun- 

 garian Institute, delivered a Latin address, thank- 

 ing the Holy Father for opening the archives and 

 founding the Leonine Library, and pointing to the 

 100 volumes of publications, the fruit of the labors 

 of historians in the Vatican, labors that owed 

 their existence to the Pope's liberality and gen- 

 erosity. The Pope, answering in Latin, said he 

 congratulated himself on having thrown open 

 the Vatican archives to historical scholars, since 

 it had led to the creation in Rome by many noble 

 nations of such learned institutes. 



Cardinal Ledochowski died of a paralytic stroke 

 on the morning of July 22. Cardinal Gotti, a 

 Carmelite, formerly prefect of the Congregation of 

 Bishops and Regulars, who has succeeded him. was 

 born in Genoa in 1834. For twenty years his 

 life in his order was undistinguished. He took 

 part in the Vatican Council, and soon afterward 

 was made procurator of the Carmelites. Later 

 he spent three years on an embassy sent to reor- 

 ganize the Church in Brazil. After his return he 

 was made cardinal. 



The Romans celebrated the Pope's silver jubi- 

 lee July 6. Seated on a throne outside the Library 

 of the Vatican, and surrounded by the banners 

 of the 15 rioni, or districts of the city, Pope Leo 

 received them. There were persons of all classes, 

 particularly the wage-earners. Fifty thousand 

 tickets had been distributed, but many thousands 

 could find no room. So enthusiastic was the ap- 

 plause as Pope Leo greeted his faithful people of 

 Rome, that it was impossible for him to speak. 



The new reference library at the Vatican is the 

 gift of Leo XIII. The Vatican archives and li- 



