The New York Herald

CATHOLICISM.

The Ecumenical Council Assembled in Rome.

First Council of the Vatican and Twenty-First from St. Peter.

Prelates from Europe, Asia, Africa, America and Australasia.

The Suez Canal, the Pacific Railroad, and Steam Fleets Aiding the Transit of the Clerics.

Commission, Constitution, and Government of the Church,

His Holiness Pope Pius the Ninth and the Members of the Sacred College.

The Temporal Power and Position of the Temporal Princes.

Tottering Royalty Seeking the Eternal Centre.

WHAT WILL BE ACCOMPLISHED.

The Syllabus or Platform of Faith and Moral Discipline.

To-day, the eighth day of December, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, will assemble in Rome an Ecumenical Council-or general hierarchical representation-of the Catholic Church. The prelates come together in obedience to the Pontifical summons of his Holiness Pope Pius the Ninth. They will meet in the Church of the Basilica of St. Peter, in the Vatican, after having journeyed from their different sees in Europe and Asia, America and Africa, to the common centre of Catholic Christianity and the presence of the Chief Bishop or visible earthly head of their particular form of worship and communion; the pastor of the many millions of peoples who acknowledge his commission and authority to preach and teach, to confirm in the faith and to discipline in morals and the every day routine duty of man towards his fellow man, and the community at large.

This Council is called the First Council of the Vatican and will pass into history as the twenty-first Ecumenical Council of the Church, counting from the first held at Nice in the year 325 to the last council of Trent, the twentieth which met in the year 1545 and terminated its sitting in the year 1563, three hundred and six years since. This last named council was convoked by Pope Paul the Third and continued under Julius the Third and Pius the Fourth: the present by John Mastai Ferretti, the two hundred and fifty-eighth pontiff from Saint Peter-accepting the Catholic version of Peter's position after the death of our Lord and Saviour-who was vested with the triple tiara, the Keys and the Sword in the year 1846.

The present assemblage will be more largely attended, and consequently more universally Catholic, than any of those which have preceded it. On the latest previous occasion America was not represented in the Council, as the Papal hierarchy had then been scarcely established in the newly discovered soil. To-day America sends a full delegation to Rome-ten archbishops and over seventy bishops answering from North America alone, exclusive of the episcopacy of Mexico.

Months past the special correspondents of the Herald stationed at different parts of the globe reported to our readers the commencement of the episcopal migration towards the Eternal City, and later, and still later, have we published their letters chronicling the accumulation of the bishops and devotees in the Old World city centres and their final aggregation in Rome. From such sources we have assured the people of the safe arrival of the Most Reverend Archbishop of New York in the Holy City, and noted the fact how the two greatest works of the age-the Suez Canal and the Pacific Railroad-subserved the transit of the clerics, Archbishop Steins, of Calcutta, India, being one of the first "through" business paying passengers of the canal, while the Bishop of Honolulu, in the Sandwich Islands, rode from San Francisco to New York on the great iron overland line, the first railroad which he had ever seen. The Pontifical summons has been replied to from the See of Perth, in Western Australia, and from those of Dunedin, New Zealand, and Melbourne and Sydney and other ports of Australasia-being the first consecrated in the newly discovered territory: and even the last remote districts, from the Gulf of Carpentaria to Spencer Gulf, remaining a vast antipodal terra incognita the day the last Council of the Church opened. Monsignor Hassoun, the Armenian Catholic patriarch, left Constantinople with ten bishops on the 15th of November for Rome to take part in the Council, while other dignitaries have travelled Romewards from the India Seas and the far-off isles and varied climes of the earth's extremest bounds; from California, from Central Asia, from the slopes of the Lebanon and Rocky Mountains, from Halifax and New Brunswick and Newfoundland, from New England and Old England, Scotland, Prussia, North Germany and South Germany and the Scandinavian countries, as well as from Ireland, and France, and Spain and Austria, and the ancient "faithful" Catholic Netherlands.

His Grace Archbishop Manning, of Westminster, England, will be aided by at least twelve bishops. Ireland sends four archbishops and twenty-four bishops, and the revived sees of Scotland will be represented-facts which appear to almost justify the priestly assertion of the late Cardinal Wiseman when he said "Seed must have been firmly planted in the land by Augustin when the hacked and burnt and charred stump of the tree gives out such green and vigorous saplings."

The Catholic Church-Its Organization and Government.

At present, the concluding days of 1869, on the last day of November, the Catholic Church was constituted of the Pope and fifty-seven cardinals, serving in Rome; the different patriarchates, archbishoprics and bishoprics in other parts of the world numbering 1,004. In the last number are enumerated all the prelates of the Oriental churches which are in communion with the See of Rome-viz., those of the Armenian Catholics, the Maronites, the Greek Catholics, the Syrians, the Bulgarian Greeks and the Chaldeans. Here it must be borne in mind that the word patriarch no longer signifies, as in ancient times, the head of one of the largest divisions of the Church, but is merely a title. There are twelve patriarchs in the Catholic Church who bear the title--viz., the Patriarchs of Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, Jerusalem, Venice, the West Indies, Lisbon, Patriarch of the Greek Melchites, Antioch of the Maronites, Antioch of the Syrians, Babylon of the Chaldeans and Cilicia of the Armenians.

Of the hierarchical aggregate of the Catholic Church, all over the world, although it is generally set down in round numbers at one thousand, the exact total is nine hundred and ninety-four, of whom seven hundred and sixty-six are resident patriarchs, archbishops and bishops; the other two hundred and twenty-eight have nominal sees in partibus fidelium, and are either court prelates, nuns, provincial delegates or apostolic vicars and missionaries in foreign parts. The following classification shows their respective ranks:-There are twelve patriarchs, seventy-five resident archbishops of the Latin rite, twenty-five resident archbishops of different rites, thirty-five archbishops in partibus, six hundred and nine resident Latin bishops, forty-five resident bishops of different rites, one hundred and ninety-three bishops in partibus. Among the titulars whose ages are precisely known, three are ninety-five years old, two are ninety, twenty are from eighty to eighty-five, forty-six from seventy-five to eighty, seventy-nine from seventy to seventy-five, one hundred and sixty-four from sixty to sixty-five, one hundred and thirty-three from fifty-five to sixty, one hundred and forty from fifty to fifty-five, eighty-two from forty-five to fifty, forty-three from forty to forty-five, twenty-four from thirty-eight to forty, thirteen from thirty-five to thirty-eight, seven from thirty to thirty-five. The ages of one hundred and twenty-three resident bishops and one hundred and five in partibus, are not yet exactly ascertained.

With respect to the proportion in which these spiritual pastors, exclusive of prelates in partibus, are distributed over the surface of the globe, there are in the States of the Church six archbishops and fifty-eight bishops; England, Ireland and the British colonies, ten and fifty-eight; Austria, ten and forty-two; Bavaria, two and six; Belgium, one and five; Brazil, one and eleven; Bolivia, one and three; Chile, one and three; Argentine Confederation, one and five; Two Sicilies, twenty-six and ninety-two; German Duchies, one and three; Ecuador, one and five; Spain and her colonies, eleven and fifty-one; United States, seven and forty-eight; France and her colonies, eighteen and seventy-five; Greece, two and six; New Granada, one and seven; Guatemala, one and four; Hayti, one and four; Hanover has no archbishop but two bishops; Holland, one and four; Mexico, three and fifteen; Modena, one and four; Parma, no archbishop but three bishops; Peru, one and seven; Persia has one archbishop but no bishop; Portugal, four and twenty-three; Prussia, two and six; Russia, two and twelve; Kingdom of Sardinia and the Lombardo-Venetian provinces, eight and thirty-six; Switzerland, five bishops without any archbishop, although the Pope is going to create an archbishop of Fribourg; Tuscany, four and eighteen; Turkey, five and five; Venezuela, one and four. Total, 135 archbishops and 631 bishops.

On the first day of the month of November there were in the Church one hundred and twenty-seven vacant dioceses, a very large proportion of them being in Italy, but including others in various regions of the globe, Lisbon, for instance, Zante, Cephalonia, Armidale in Australia, Auckland in New Zealand, Antioch, Beyrout and Babylon. Seven vicar-apostolic provinces were also vacant-Constantinople, Southern Pekin, Honan in China, Hyderabad, Abyssinia, New Caledonia and Navigator's Islands. There were thus one hundred and thirty-four vacant sees, which, added to the fifty-eight whose bishops have been dispensed from attending, will raise the number wanting at the Council to one hundred and ninety-two. Every effort, however, has been made to fill up some of the vacancies immediately, with a view to the representative bishops being at Rome in time to take their seats, so that the enumeration of personages present at the moment of calling the roll of inscription may still vary slightly-but only slightly-from that which is here stated.

The Sacra Congregazione Romana has decided, in concert with the Pope, that the one hundred and thirty-four bishoprics vacant, seventy of which are in Italy alone, shall be represented at the Council by their respective Vicars General. This will be an important accession of strength to the numerical force of the assemblage.

The Monastic Orders of the Church will be represented in the Council by mitred abbots. The number of monasteries for males in the Catholic Christian world is estimated at 5,000, having a membership footing up about 117,000 persons, while the monastic and other religious retreats for females are calculated at 10,000, with 189,000 inmates or professed or recluse persons. Of the male monastics the Franciscans have 50,000 members, the School Brethren 16,000 and the Jesuits 8,000; Congregations for Nursing the Sick, 6,000; Benedictines, 5,000; Dominicans, 4,000; Carmelites 4,000; Trappists, 5,000; Lazarists, 2,000; Piarists, 2,000, and the Redemptorists, 2,100.

The Pope and Episcopate.

A careful analysis and classification of the ruling anointed executive and ministerial constituent elements of the Catholic Church of the present day sets forth the following results as to its governing body and extent:-

It presents as Head the Most Holy Father, Pope Pius IX., John Mary Mastai Ferretti, born at Sinigaglia the 13th of May, 1792; reserved in petto the 23d of December, 1853; published Cardinal Priest, by the title of SS. Peter and Marcellinus, the 15th of December, 1840; elected Pope the 16th of June, 1846; crowned the 21st of same month and year.

Cardinals.-There were in November, 1869, fifty-seven Cardinals, of whom six were cardinal bishops, forty-three cardinal priests and eight cardinal deacons. Thirty-nine were Italians by birth, seven French, four Spanish, four Germans, one Croatian, one Portuguese and one Irish.

Patriarchs, Archbishops and Bishops.-According to the Annuario Pontificio the number of Patriarchates, Archbishoprics and Bishoprics in the Catholic Church amounted to 1,094. This includes all the prelates of the Oriental Churches that are in communion with Rome-namely, those of the Armenian Catholics, the Maronites, the Greek Catholics, the Syrians, the Bulgarian Greeks and the Chaldeans.

The following list contains the names of all archbishoprics and the number of bishoprics in every country:-

America-United States.-Archbishoprics, 7; New York, Baltimore, Cincinnati, St. Louis, New Orleans, San Francisco and Oregon City. Bishoprics, 45; vicariates apostolic, 7. The dioceses (archbishoprics and the bishoprics) are divided among the seven provinces, as follows;-Province of Baltimore, Md., comprises the dioceses of Baltimore, Charleston, Erie, Harrisburg, Philadelphia, Pittsburg, Richmond, Savannah, Scranton, Wheeling and Wilmington (Del.), with the vicariates apostolic of North Carolina and Florida, and extends over the District of Columbia and States of Maryland, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Virginia, North and South Carolina, Georgia and the eastern section of Florida. Province of Cincinnati, Ohio, embraces the dioceses of Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Covington, Detroit, Fort Wayne, Louisville, Marquette and Vincennes, including the States of Ohio, Indiana, Michigan and Kentucky. Province of New Orleans, La., comprises the dioceses of New Orleans, Galveston, Little Rock, Mobile, Natchez and Natchitoches, and includes the States of Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, Texas and Arkansas. Province of New York includes the dioceses of New York, Albany, Boston, Brooklyn, Buffalo, Burlington, Hartford, Newark, Portland, Rochester and includes the New England States, New York and New Jersey. Province of Oregon City includes the dioceses of Oregon City, Nesqually, Vancouver Island and the vicariate of British Columbia. Province of St. Louis comprises the dioceses of St. Louis, Alton, Chicago, Dubuque, Kansas, Green Bay, La Crosse, Milwaukee, Nashville, Santa Fé, St. Joseph, St. Paul, the vicariates apostolic of the Indian Territory, Nebraska, Idaho, Colorado and Montana, and embraces Missouri, Tennessee, Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, Minnesota, Dacotah, New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona and the Indian Territory. Province of San Francisco comprises the dioceses of San Francisco, Grass Valley, Monterey and Los Angeles, and embraces the States of California and Nevada, and all the territory east of the Rio Colorado.

British Possessions.-Archbishops, 3: Quebec, Halifax, Port of Spain. Bishoprics, 16.

Mexico.-Archbishoprics, 8: Mexico, Guadalajara, Michoacan. Bishoprics, 11.

Central America.-Archbishopric, Guatemala. Bishoprics, 4.

Spanish Possessions.-Archbishopric, 1: Santiago de Cuba. Bishoprics, 2.

French Possessions.-Bishoprics, 2.

United States of Colombia.-Archbishopric, 1: Santa Fe de Bogota. Bishoprics, 6.

Venezuela.-Archbishopric, 1: Caracas. Bishoprics, 3.

Ecuador.-Archbishopric, 1: Quito. Bishoprics, 2.

Bolivia.-Archbishopric, 1: Chuquisaca. Bishoprics, 3.

Peru.-Archbishopric, 1: Lima. Bishoprics, 5.

Argentine Confederation (including Buenos Ayres).-Archbishopric, 1: Buenos Ayres. Bishoprics, 4.

Brazil.-Archbishopric, 1: Bahia. Bishoprics, 11.

Chile.-Archbishopric, 1: Santiago. Bishoprics, 3.

Uruguay.-Bishopric, 1.

Paraguay.-Bishopric, 1.

Dominican Republic.-Archbishopric, 1: St. Domingo.

Haiti.-Archbishopric, 1: Port au Prince.

Europe-Italy and Papal States.-Archbishoprics, 46: Acerenza et Matera, Amalfi, Bari, Benevento, Bologna, Brindisi, Cagliari, Camerino, Capua, Chieti, Conza, Cosenza, Fermo, Ferrara, Florence, Gaeta, Genoa, Lanciano, Lucca, Manfredonia, Messina, Milan, Modena, Monreale, Naples, Oristano, Otranto, Palermo, Pisa, Ravenna, Reggio, Rossano, Salerno et Acerno, Sassari, St. Severina, Siena, Sorrento, Spoleto, Syracuse, Tarento, Trani et Nazaret, Turin, Urbino, Udine, Vercelli, Venice. Bishoprics, 202.

France.-Archbishoprics, 17: Besancon, Bordeaux, Chambery, Lyons et Vienne, Paris, Rheims, Aix, Albi, Auch, Avignon, Bourges, Cambray, Rennes, Rouen, Sens et Auxerre, Toulouse et Narbonne, Tours. Bishoprics (exclusive of the Colonies), 65.

Spain (inclusive of the Balearic and Canary Islands).-Archbishoprics, 9: Burgos, Santiago, Granada, Saragossa, Toledo, Tarragona, Sevilla, Valencia, Valladolid. Bishoprics, 60.

Portugal (exclusive of Madeira and the Azores, for which see Africa).-Archbishoprics, 8: Lisbon, Braga, Evora. Bishoprics, 14.

Belgium.-Archbishopric, 1: Malines. Bishoprics, 5.

Holland.-Archbishopric, 1: Utrecht. Bishoprics, 4.

Great Britain and Ireland.-Archbishoprics, 6: Westminster (England); Armagh, Cashel, Tuam, Dublin (Ireland); Malta. Bishoprics, England, 12; Ireland, 24.

Austria.-Archbishoprics, 11: Agram, Colocza, Erlau, Fogaras (Greek), Gran, Goritz et Gradisca, Lemberg (one Latin one Greek and one Armenian), Olmutz, Prague, Salzburg, Vienna, Zara. Bishoprics, 47 (among which are seven of the United Greeks).

Prussia.-Archbishoprics, 2: Cologne, Posen et Gnesen. Bishoprics, 10.

Bavaria.-Archbishoprics, 2: Munich, Bamberg. Bishoprics, 6.

Baden.-Archbishopric, 1: Freiburg.

Other German States.-Bishoprics, 5.

Switzerland.-Bishoprics, 5.

Russia (including Poland).-Archbishoprics, 3: Mohilev, Polock (United Greek), Warsaw. Bishoprics, Russia, 10; Poland, 8.

Turkey.-Bishoprics, 6; Vicariates Apostolic, 6. Archbishoprics (including 1 Patriarchate), 5: Antivari, Durazzo, Scopia (administered by a bishop in partibus, as Administrator Apostolic); Constantinople Latin Patriarchate, administered by a Pro-vicar Apostolic: Constantinople, Armenian Archbishop Primate.

Greece.-Archbishoprics, 2: Corfu, Naxos. Bishoprics, 5. (United Syrian Archbishopric): Amadie (Chaldean Archbishopric).

Asia. - Turkey.- Archbishoprics. 18 : Aleppo Archbishopric: Antioch, 4 Patriarchs (1 Latin, 1 Melchite, 1 Maronite, 1 Syrian); Babylon, 2 (1 Chaldean Patriarch; Damascus, 3 (1 Maronite Archbishop Patriarch, 1 Latin Archbishopric): Cilicia, 1 Archbishopric, 1 Syrian Archbishopric, 1 Greek Archbishopric, administered by the Greek Patriarch of Antioch); Jerusalem, 1 Latin Patriarch; Smyrna, Tyre, 1 Melchite Archbishopric; Seleucia, 3 (Chaldean, Armenian, Syrian). Bishoprics, Latin rite, 2; Greek, 9; Chaldean, 4; Armenian, 9; Syrian, 8; Maronite, 6. Total, 38.

Persia.-Bishoprics, 4: 1 Armenian, 1 Latin (connected at present with Babylon, Turkey), 2 Chaldean.

India.-Archbishopric, 1: Goa. Bishoprics, 3.

Spanish Possessions (Philippine Islands).-Archbishopric, 1. Bishoprics, 3.

China.-Bishopric, 1.

Africa.-Archbishopric, 1: Algiers. Bishoprics, Portuguese possessions, 5; French possessions, 4; English possessions, 1; Spanish possessions (including the See of Tangier), 2.

Australasia and Polynesia.-Archbishopric: Sydney, 1; Bishoprics, 8. Vicariates Apostolic, 7; the groups of Mangareva, Tahiti, Paumotu; the Sandwich Islands; the Marquesas Group; Central Oceania; the Navigators' Islands; New Caledonia; Melanesia and Micronesia.

The latest French analysis of the constituent parts of the Council-made by special French order in Paris-presents the following statement:-"In addition to the four bodies which discuss and act under the presidency of the Cardinal Legates there are two committees. First-That of the Bishops judices excusationum, charged with examining the validity of the motives assigned for not attending sent by the absent prelates; and secondly-that of the ecclesiastics judices querelarum, charged with receiving the complaints or demands of those present. Next are the secretary of the Council, Mgr. Fessler and his assistants, Mgr. Jacobini, of the Propaganda; the Canon Agostino Jacobini and the advocate Camille Santori; afterwards come the custodes nobiles, the Princes Orsini and Colonna; the Apostolic Protonotaries acting as notarii. Mgrs. Paciniel, Cololombo, Sim. eont, Bartolini and Pericolli; deputy notaries, the Abbe Santi and advocate Pallotini; the scrutatores, Mgrs. Serafini, Nardi, Follegrini, Diani, Christofori, Mantani, de Falloux, du Coudray and Nina; the promotors, Mgrs. Dominicis, Torti and Philippo Ralli; the magistri ceremoniarum, sixteen in number; the assignatores, ten in number, Mgrs. Folchi, Naselli, Stoner, &c. To the above must be added the minor functionaries, such as the scribae protonotarii (short hand writers), cantores, ostiarii and cursores. A calculation made by the Pontifical Chamberlain fixes at 1,201 the number of persons having a right of admission to the Council. They are as follows:--

Cardinals without episcopal jurisdiction.. 35

Cardinal prelates, patriarch, archbishops or bishops.... 621

Abbots nullius 32

Generals of orders (The above have a definitive or a consulting vote.) 100

Pontifical theologians. 60

Officials. 124

Court of the Pope and prelates summoned at loccheti..

Total 1,291

The Sacred College-Fathers of the Council Present in Rome.

The following is a list of the members of the Sacred College who, under the Pope, constitute the Fathers of the Council:-

CARDINAL BISHOPS

1. Marius Mattei, Bishop of Ostia and Velletri Dean of the Sacred College.

2. Constantine Patrizi, Bishop of Porto and Sta. Rufina, Sub-Dean, Vicar General of his Holiness the Pope.

3. Louis de S. Filippo e Sorso, Bishop of Palestrina, Vice Chancellor of the Church,

4. Nicholas Clarelli Paracciani, Bishop of Frascati. Secretary of the Papal Bulls and Grand Chancellor of the Orders of Knighthood.

5. Camillo di Pietro. Bishop of Albano, President of the Census.

6. Carl August von Reisach, Bishop of Sabina Prefect of the Rites.

CARDINAL PRIESTS.

7. Fabius Asteini, Prefect of the Sacred Congregation of Ecclesiastical Immunity.

8. Alessandro Barnabo, Prefect General of the Affairs of the Oriental Rite.

9. Giuseppe Feretti, Legate of Bologna, President of the Commission of Subsidies.

10. Pietro di Silvestri.

11. Carlo Sacconi, Prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Signatura of Justice.

12. Angelo Quaglia, Prefect of the Sacred Congregation of Bishops and Regulars.

13. Antonio Maria Panebianco. Grand Penitentiary.

14. Antonio de Luca, Prefect of the Sacred Congregation of the Indies.

15. Giuseppe Bizzarri, Prefect of the Sacred Congregation of Indulgences and Relics.

16. Giovanni-Battista Pitra, Librarian of the Holy Church,

17. Filippo Maria Guidi, Archbishop of Bologna.

18. Gustavus Adolphus von Hohenlohe.

19. Luigi Bilio.

20. Lucien Bonaparte

21. Innocenzio Ferrieri

22. Laurenzio Barili,

23. Giuseppe Berardi, Pro. Minister of Commerce, Fine Arts, Industry, Agriculture and Public Works.

24. Ranigello La Valette,

CARDINAL DEACONS.

25. Giacomo Antonelli, Secretary of State of his Holiness, President of the Council of Ministers. Prefect of the Apostolic Palaces and of the Holy Congregation of Loretto, President of the Special Congregation for the rebuilding of the Basilica of St. Paul.

26. Prospero Caterini, Prefect of the Sacred Congregation of the Council and of the Special Congregation for the revision of the Provincial Councils.

27. Theophile Mertel, President of the Council of State.

28. Francesco Pentini.

29. Domenico Consolini, Prefect of the Propaganda,

30. Ercole Borromeo.

31. Annibale Capalti.

PATRIARCHS, ARCHBISHOPS AND BISHOPS

32. Rogerio Mattei, Latin Patriarch of Constantinople.

33. Giuseppe Valerga, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem.

34. Alessandro Sanmarzano, Archbishop of Ephesus (in partibus).

35. Giuseppe Cardinal, Archbishop of Edessa (in partibus.)

36. Alessandro Franchi, Archbishop of Thessalonica (in partibus).

37. Pietro Gianetti, Archbishop of Sardis (in partibus).

38. Xavier de Merode, Archbishop of Melitene (in partibus), Secret Almoner of his Holiness.

39. Salvatore Vitelleschi, Archbishop of Osimo and Cingoli.

40. Antonio Vaccari, Archbishop of Colossi (in partibus)

41. Vincenzo Tizzani Archbishop of Nicaea, in Mesopotamia (in partibus), Chief Almoner of the Pontifical Army.

42. Pietro Castellacci, Archbishop of Petra, in Mesopotamia,

43. Giuseppe Angelini, Archbishop of Corinth, in Mesopotamia, Vicegerent of the Vicarage of Rome.

44. Blasco-Antonio de Labastida y Davalos, Archbishop of Mexico.

45. Luigi Passavalli (of the Minor Capuchins), Archbishop of Iconium (in partibus).

46. Jacques-Marie Baillies, ex-Bishop of Lucon, in France.

47. Francesco Marinelli, Bishop of Porphyria (in partibus), Sacristan of his Holiness.

48. Papardo del Parco, Bishop of Sinope (in partibus).

49. Giuseppe Novala (of the Reformed Minore), Bishop of Patera (in partibus).

50. Joseph Fessler, Bishop of St. Hyppolite (Austria). Secretary (General) of the Council.

51. Luigi Besi, Bishop of Canopus (in partibus)

52. Guilliaume Sillant, ex-Bishop of Terracina, Sezze and Piperno.

53. Jean Hugues Bosset, Bishop of Merida, in Venezuela.

54. Avak Angiarakian (of the Antonine Armenian Monks), Armenian Archbishop of Tarsus (in partibus).

55. Ignace Bourget, Bishop of Montreal.

56. Pablo Toel (of the Minor Capuchins), Bishop of Rhodiopolis (in partibus), Vicar Apostolic, of Patna.

57. Eduardo Jesu (Society of Jesus). Bishop of Canada in Syria and apostolic Bishop of Eastern Pe-King.

58. Eduardo Hurmuz (Armenian Mechitarist of Venice), Archbishop of Syracuse (in partibus).

59. Stefanos Stefanopulos, Archbishop of Philippi (in partibus). Greek Supervisor at Rome.

60. Filippo Galli (of the Cong. of Missions) Archbishop of Patras (in partibus).

61. Flaviano Melih, Bishop of Gezyra (of the Syrian Church).

62. Leon Meurin, Bishop of Ascalon (in partibus), Apostolic Vicar of Bombay.

Summoned, but Excused,

All persons duly entitled by canon law and Church precedent to seats in the Council have been called to attend, in obedience to the citation of the Sovereign Pontiff and in accordance with the terms of the sacerdotal oath taken by them at the moment of their consecration or investiture. It is not supposed, however, that 1,000 persons will be actually enrolled. We know, indeed, that letters have been received in Rome from sixty-three archbishops and bishops, conveying expressions of the profound regret of the several writers at their not being able to meet the Council, but alleging motives sufficiently reasonable to be accepted by the Pope as legitimate and just, being principally age, infirmities or the distances of their sees or missions. Such letters are from Monsignori Boskovanyi, Bishop of Nitria, in Austria; Purpo, of Pozzuoli: Naselli, Archbishop of Palermo; Ciccioli, Bishop of Trapani, Pompignac; Cardinal Billiet, Archbishop of Chambery: Thomas Brown, Bishop of Newport, England; S. T. Walsh, Kildare and Leighlin; E. Walshe, of Ossory; De Moura, Archbishop of Braga, in Portugal: Manzo. Bishop of Guarda; Stefanowitz, of Samosata (in partibus), Suffragan of Posen; Oliveira, of Angola, Azores; Arbelaez, Archbishop of Santa Fe di Bogota; Tejada, Bishop of Pasto; Gonin, of Port d'Espagne, Antilles; John Walsh, of London, Canada: Lynch, of Charleston, U. S.; Becker of Wilmington, U. S.; Rosecrans of Columbus, U. S.; Luers, of Fort Wayne, U. S.; Feehan, of Nashville, U. S.; Grasse, of St. Paul, Minn., U. S.: Martin, of Natchitoches, U. S.; Blanchet, Archbishop of Oregon city, U. S.; M. A. Blanchet. Bishop of Nesqually, U. S.: Gainza, of Caceres, Philippines; Polding, Archbishop of Sydney, Australia; Quinn, of Bathurst, Australia: Murray, of Maitland, Australia; Salvado, of Port Victoria, Australia; Polauski, of Przemysl, Austria: Gaganetz, of Eperies: Suffragan. of Strygouia; Navarro, Apostolic Vicar of Hu-nan, China: Chauveau, of Sebastopol. in partibus. The Apostolic Vicars of Yunan, Fokien, Kiang-Si and Shantung. In China; of East and West Cochin China; Tonquin, South Tonquin, East Bengal, Colombo, in India Tafnapatum, Agra, Canara, the eastern district of the Cape of Good Hope: Tamaulipas, in Mexico: Arizona, Colorado and Utah; Surinam and Tahiti. The Bishops of Druispare, Germanicopolis and Troy. in partibus; and the resident Bishops of Chiusi, Tuscany; Queretaro, Mexico; Zante and Cephalonia, Ionian Isles: Nantes, France; Kulm, Prussia: and Linares, Mexico.

Scientific Analysis of the Assemblage-Mortal Corporal Wants of the Prelates.

The venerable congregation in the Eternal City will, as our readers can easily imagine, present most excellent material for ethnological study, while the cause of the grouping, as well as the fact of the identity of the assemblage on one day-the Feast of the Immaculate Conception-at the Papal centre will afford ample matter for philosophic comment, pulpit declamation and political disputation hereafter. Rome will not doubt, however, in matters of belief; but Rome, being still carnal, must be fed, and the existence of this first necessity brings up the question of the Council in its mortal, corporal and social aspect. The prelates from abroad will, no doubt, bring a vast deal of hard cash, with any amount of enduring fealty, to Rome. We may be permitted, however, to inquire, with very great respect, whether they can obtain the "worth of their money" in the shape of the solid necessaries of life in the city? The venerable gentlemen will have travelled long, very lengthy distances, and what between the enjoyment of the change of scene and the refreshing influences of fresh and sea air and a temporary commingling with the world, will be in first rate condition to enjoy good dinners. The Englishmen, Irishmen and Americans particularly not being much given to exchange their roast beef and plum pudding and brown stout for macaroni and ill dressed fishes and the light vintage of Campagna. They will also be entitled to enjoy the gastronomic absolution of the viatoribus licitum est, which Sir Walter Scott introduces with such happy effect in his narration of the visit of a Scotch abbott to the home of the widow Glendinning.

Pontifical and Roman Hospitalities,

The Pope, in his world-wide solicitude has, however, already taken this part of the subject into consideration; looking after the material as well as the immaterial. His Holiness some time since appointed a commission charged to provide for the accommodation of the vast episcopal accumulation, and the members have published a note of what they have been able to do. Some of the palaces of Rome and other houses secured; the use of the Bishops' are given gratuitously, but others are burdened with heavy rents, for the payment of which the Pope throws himself upon the liberality of the faithful. The Canonica Vaticana, it appears, is prepared to receive thirty-one bishops, the Casa Cardinali eleven bishops (1,200 scudi rent); the Torlonia Specht, restored by the Pope at an expense of 3,000 scudi, eight bishops; the Palazzo Torlonia, eight bishops; the Apostolic Palace of the Quirinal, eighteen bishops; Villa Massimo at Tesmini, six bishops: Palazzo Gabrielli (600 scudi), four bishops; Casa Luzzi, in the Piazza Pia, one bishop; the Secretary of the Council, Monsignor Fessler, the Casa dei Lazzaristi, at Monte Citorio, many bishops, Monastery of Campomazzo. six: Prince Lancellotti and Signor Sauve, of the Hotel Minerva, will board and lodge each two, free of cost, and Madame Theresa Colonna will extend similar hospitality to one. For lodgings alone nineteen convents have been thrown open and thirty-two private houses been fitted up at the Pope's personal expense. The French Ambassador will lodge with the Bishop of Bayeux, Prince Corsini will entertain an archbishop, Duke Salviati will be responsible for two bishops and Duke Grazioli has offered to do the honors for one, the Bishop of Macao, Almost all the religious houses will board and lodge certain bishops of their own order gratuitously. Very many bishops, especially those from Germany, have expressed their determination to board and lodge at their own expense.

Why They Meet.

The prelates meet in Council in obedience to the summons of the Pope, conveyed in the following:-

LETTER APOSTOLIC OF HIS HOLINESS POPE PIUS IX., BY WHICH THE ECUMENICAL COUNCIL IS PROCLAIMED. TO BE HELD IN ROME. AND TO BEGIN ON THE DAY SACRED TO THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION OF THE VIRGIN MOTHER OF GOD, IN THE YEAR MDCCCLXIX.

PIUS, BISHOP, SERVANT OF THE SERVANTS OF GOD,

In PERPETUAL REMEMBRANCE:

The only begotten Son of the Eternal Father, because of the exceeding charity wherewith He hath loved us, in order that in the fulness of time He might deliver the whole human race from the yoke of sin, from slavery to the devil and from the darkness of error, with which through the fault of our first parent it had long been miserably oppressed, coming down from His heavenly throne, and, without parting from His Father's glory, being clothed in human nature from the Immaculate and Most Holy Virgin Mary, manifested a doctrine and a rule of life brought down from heaven, gave witness to the same by so many admirable works, and delivered Himself up for us an oblation and victim unto God in the odor of sweetness. And before, having conquered death, he ascended triumphant into heaven, to sit at the right hand of the Father, he sent the Apostles into the whole world to preach the Gospel to every creature; and he gave them the power of ruling the Church which had been acquired and established by His blood-which is the pillar and support of the truth-and which, enriched with heavenly treasures, shows to all nations the safe way of salvation and the light of true doctrine, and like to a ship is so borne upon the waves of this present time as, while the world perishes, to preserve unhurt all whom she receives. (St. Max. Sermon, 59.) But in order that the government of that safe Church should always proceed rightly and in order, and that the whole Christian people should ever stand firm in one faith, doctrine, charity and communion, He both promised that he would himself be present with her even to the consummation of the world, and chose one out of all, Peter, whom He appointed Prince of the Apostles and His Vicar here on earth, and head, foundation and centre of the Church; that both in the grade of rank and honor, and in the amplitude of chief and most full authority, power and jurisdiction, he should feed the lambs and the sheep, strengthen his brethren, and rule the whole Church, and should be the Keeper of the gate of heaven and the arbiter of things to be bound and loosed, so that the determination of his judgments should abide hereafter even in heaven. And because the unity and integrity of the Church, and the government thereof, as established by the same Christ, are for ever to remain unchanged, therefore, in the Roman Pontiffs, successors of Peter, who are placed on this same Roman Chair of Peter, the very supreme power, jurisdiction and primacy possessed by Peter over the whole Church, most fully continues and is in force. Therefore the Roman Pontiffs, exercising the power and care of feeding the Lord's flock divinely entrusted to them by Christ himself our Lord in the person of blessed Peter, have never ceased to endure all labors, to devise all counsels, in order that, from the rising to the setting of the sun, all peoples and races and nations might acknowledge the teaching of the Gospel, and, walking in the paths of truth and justice, might attain eternal life. And known unto all is the unwearied care wherewith the Roman Pontiffs have labored to defend the deposit of faith, the discipline of the clergy and their education in sanctity and learning, and also the holiness and dignity of marriage; the care wherewith they have endeavored to promote daily more and more the Christian education of the youth of both sexes; to cherish the religion, piety and good morals of the people; to defend justice and to contribute for the tranquility order, prosperity and independence of civil society itself Nor have the Pontiffs omitted, when the times required it, to convoke General Councils; that, comparing counsels and uniting strength with the bishops of the whole Catholic world, whom the Holy Ghost has appointed to rule the Church of God, they might wisely and prudently establish whatsoever might conduce to define especially the dogmas of faith, to put to flight advancing errors, to defend, illustrate and develop Catholic doctrine, to preserve and reform ecclesiastical discipline and to correct the corrupt morals of the people.

Now, it is well known and manifest to all by how fearful a tempest the Church is at this time shaken, and what and how great are the evils with which civil society itself is afflicted. By the bitter enemies of God and men, the Catholic Church, and her saving doctrine and venerable power, and the supreme authority of this Holy See, have been assailed and trodden under foot; all sacred things have been despised; ecclesiastical possessions have been plundered; bishops, and most excellent men devoted to the divine ministry, and men remarkable for their Catholic spirit, have been in every way harassed; religious communities have been destroyed; impious books of every kind, pestilential journals, and most pernicious sects of many forms have been on every side spread abroad; and the education of unhappy youth has been almost everywhere taken away from the clergy, and, what is worse, in no few places committed to the teachers of iniquity and error. Hence, to our own extreme grief, and that of all good men, and with a loss of souls which can never be enough deplored, impiety has been so propagated, together with corruption of morals, unbridled license and the contagion of all kinds of depraved opinions, of all vices, and crimes, and violation of divine and human laws, that not only our most holy religion, but human society itself, is miserably disturbed and afflicted.

Amid so great a mass, therefore, of calamities wherewith our heart is overwhelmed, the supreme pastoral ministry divinely entrusted to us requires that we more and more put forth our strength to repair the ruins of the Church, to procure the salvation of the whole flock of our Lord, to repress the deadly attacks and endeavors of those who labor to overthrow from the foundation both civil society and, if it were ever possible, the Church herself. We, indeed, by God's help, from the very commencement of our supreme Pontificate, have never ceased, according to the duty of our most weighty office, to raise our voice in many Consistorial Allocutions and Apostolic Letters, and unflinchingly to defend, with all zeal, the cause of God and of his holy Church, entrusted to us by Christ the Lord; to defend the rights of his Apostolic See, and of justice and truth, to detect the treacheries of enemies, to condemn their errors and false doctrines, to proscribe the sects of impiety and to watch over and provide for the salvation of the Lord's whole flock.

But treading in the footsteps of our illustrious predecessors we have therefore thought it opportune to collect into a General Council (as we had long wished) all our venerable brethren, the bishops of the whole Catholic world, who have been called to a share of our solicitude. These venerable brethren, indeed, inflamed as they are with singular love towards the Catholic Church, distinguished for eminent piety and observance towards us and this Apostolic See, anxious for the salvation of souls, excelling in wisdom, knowledge and learning, and, together with ourselves, grievously afflicted at the most sad condition both of sacred and civil affairs, have nothing nearer at heart than to communicate to us and to combine their counsels, and apply salutary remedies to so many calamities. For in this Ecumenical Council all those things are to be most accurately weighed and determined which, particularly in these painful times, especially regard the greater glory of God, the integrity of the faith, beauty of divine worship, the eternal salvation of men, the discipline as well as the salutary and solid instruction of the clergy, secular and regular, the observance of ecclesiastical laws, the reformation of morals, the Christian education of youth and the common peace and concord of all. Every effort also must be made that, by God's good help, all evils may be removed from the Church and from civil society: that unhappy wanderers may be brought back into the straight path of truth, justice and salvation; that, vices and errors being taken away, our august religion and its salutary doctrine may receive fresh life over all the earth and increase daily in extent and power; and that thus piety, honor, probity, justice, charity and all Christian virtues may abound and nourish to the great benefit of human society.

For no one can deny that the power of the Catholic Church, and of her doctrine, not only regards men's eternal salvation, but also benefits the temporal welfare of the people, and that it promotes their true prosperity, order and tranquility and also the progress and solidity of human sciences, as the annals of sacred and profane history clearly show by conspicuous facts and constantly and evidently prove. And since Christ our Lord wonderfully refreshes, recreates and consoles us by those words, "Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them," therefore we cannot doubt but that in this Council He will vouchsafe to be at hand in the abundance of His divine grace, in order that we may be able to determine all those things which appertain in any way to the greater advantage of His Church. Having, therefore, in the humility of our heart, poured forth night and day most fervent prayers to God the Father of lights, we have judged that this Council should by all means be assembled.

Wherefore, relying and resting on the authority of Almighty God himself, Father, Son and Holy Ghost, and of the Blessed Apostles Peter and Paul, which we also exercise on earth, with the counsel and assent of our venerable brethren the Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church, by these letters we proclaim, announce, convoke and appoint a sacred Ecumenical and General Council to be held in this holy city of Rome, in the coming year 1869, in the Vatican Basilica; to be begun on the 8th day of the month of December, sacred to the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary, Mother of God; to be continued and, by the help of God, to be completed and finished for his glory and for the salvation of the whole Christian people. And we therefore will and command that from every place all our venerable brethren the patriarchs, archbishops and bishops, our beloved sons the abbots and all others to whom by right or by privilege power has been granted of sitting in General Councils and declaring their opinions therein shall come to this Ecumenical Council proclaimed by us; requiring, exhorting, admonishing and none the less enjoining and strictly commanding them, by force of the oath which they have taken to us and to this Holy See, and in virtue of holy obedience, and under the penalties ordinarily enacted and proposed by law or custom in the celebration of Councils against those who do not come, that they be altogether bound to be present and to take part in this sacred Council, unless there happen to be detained by just impediment, which, nevertheless, they will be obliged to prove to the Synod through their legitimate proctors.

And we are borne up by the hope that God, in whose hands are the hearts of men, propitiously granting our petitions, will, by His unspeakable mercy and grace, bring it to pass that all the supreme princes of all nations, and especially Catholic rulers, knowing daily more and more that the greatest blessings redound to human society from the Catholic Church and that she is the firmest foundation of empires and kingdoms, not only will throw no impediment in the way of our venerable brethren the bishops, and others above named, coming to this Council, but will even willingly favor and help, and will, as becomes Catholic princes, most studiously co-operate in all those things which may tend to the greater glory of God and the good of the said Council.

But in order that these, our letters, and all that is contained therein, may come to the knowledge of all whom they concern, and that no one may pretend ignorance of them, since, perhaps, not all to whom they ought to be nominally made known can be safely reached, we will and command that they shall be publicly read in a loud voice by the Apparitors of our Court, or by some public notaries, in the Lateran, Vatican, and Liberian Patriarchal Basilicas, at a time when the multitude of people is wont to come together to hear mass; and that after the reading of the letters they shall be affixed to the doors of the said churches, to the gates of the Apostolic Chancery, in the accustomed place in the Campus Floræ, and in other usual places: that there, in order that they may be read and known by all, they shall for some time be left exposed; and that, when they shall have been removed, copies of them shall in the same places remain affixed. For, by the aforesaid reading, publication and affixing we will that all and whomsoever these our letters concern shall, after the space of two months from the publication and affixing of the same, be obliged and bound in the same way as if the letters had been read in their presence. Also we command and decree that to copies taken by public notaries or signed by them, and stamped with the seal of any person of ecclesiastical dignity, certain and undoubted faith be given.

Let no one, therefore, infringe this document of our injunction, announcement, convocation, statute, decree, command, precept, and exhortation, or with rash attempt oppose it. But if any one shall attempt to do so, let him know that he will incur the indignation of Almighty God and of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul!.

Given at Rome, at St. Peter's, in the year 1868 of our Lord's Incarnation, on the third day before the calends of July in the 22d year of our Pontificate.

I, PIUS, Bishop of the Catholic Church.

Papal Invitation to Non-Communicants in the East-Protestants and Other Non-Catholics Invited to the Fold,

In the discharge of his Pontifical functions Pope Pius the Ninth issued two Papal letters, September 5 and 13, 1868, the former letter containing an invitation to the Council, addressed to the Eastern Bishops, the latter requesting Protestants and non-Catholics to seek light. These important historical documents read thus:-

TO ALL THE BISHOPS OF THE CHURCHES OF THE ORIENTAL RITE WHO ARE NOT IN COMMUNION WITH THE APOSTOLIC SEE.

PIUS IX., POPE

Placed, by a hidden design of Divine Providence, though without any merit on our part, on this chair, elevated as the heir of the Blessed Prince of the Apostles, who is, by the prerogative conferred upon him by God, the firm and most solid rock on which the Savior has built His Church, we feel strongly the anxiety of the charge imposed upon us; Our most ardent desire and endeavor is to extend our care to all those who bear the name of Christian, in whatever country of the world they may dwell, and to invite them all to receive the embrace of our paternal charity. We could not, moreover, without great danger to our soul, neglect any portion of the Christian people, who have been redeemed by the most precious blood of our Saviour, Who have been introduced by the sacred waters of Baptism into the flock of our Lord and who have thus a right to all our vigilance. Hence, as we should unceasingly apply all our care, our zeal, our solicitude to procure the salvation of those who know and adore Jesus Christ, we turn our eyes and our paternal hearts towards those churches which, once when closely united to this Apostolic See by the bond of unity, shone so gloriously in sanctity and heavenly doctrine, and produced abundant fruit for the glory of God and the salvation of souls; and which now through the sinful artifices and machinations of him who first raised a schism in heaven, are, to our great sorrow, estranged and separated from the Communion of the Holy Roman Church which is extended over the world. For this cause, from the first days of our coming to the supreme Pontificate, we have addressed you with all the affection of our heart in words of peace and charity. Though these words have not as yet obtained the end we so ardently desired, we have never abandoned the hope of seeing our humble and fervent prayers answered by the most gracious and beneficent Author of salvation and peace, who hath wrought salvation in the midst of the earth, and who, coming from on high to show in its brightness the peace which He loves and would see loved by all, announced it at His birth by the ministry of angels to men of good will, taught it while He dwelt among men, and preached it by His example.

As we have lately, by the advice of our venerable brethren the cardinals of the holy Roman Church, announced and convoked an Ecumenical Council to be celebrated in Rome next year, on the 8th of the month of December, the day consecrated to the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, mother of God, we raise our voice again once more to you, and with all the power of our soul we pray you, we warn you, we conjure you to come to this Council, as your ancestors came to the Council of Lyons, held by our predecessor, the blessed Gregory X., of glorious memory, and to the Council of Florence, held by our predecessor, Eugenius IV, of happy memory; so that the laws of ancient affection may be renewed, the peace of our Fathers, that heavenly and salutary gift of Jesus Christ, which time has weakened, may receive a new vigor after a long night of affliction, and the black darkness of a prolonged division, and the serene light of the desired union may shine before the eyes of all May this be the sweet fruit of benediction with which Jesus Christ, the Lord and Redeemer of us all, may console His most dear and immaculate spouse the Catholic Church, and moderate and dry her tears in these miserable times. All divisions being wholly erased, voices, once discordant, unite to praise with perfect unanimity of spirit the God who willeth not that schisms should exist among us, but has commanded us, by the mouth of the Apostle, to speak and think the same thing; and may perpetual thanksgiving be rendered to the Father of Mercies by all His saints, and especially by those most glorious and ancient fathers and doctors of the Eastern Churches, when from the height of heaven they shall see union restored and re-established with the Apostolic See, which is the centre of Catholic truth and unity, that union which they labored with so much warmth and such indefatigable zeal to promote by their doctrine and example during their early life, because the Holy Ghost was shed abroad in their hearts, the charity of Him who has broken down the wall of separation and has reconciled and brought peace to all by His blood, who chose that unity should be the sign by which to discern His disciples, and who addressed to His Father the prayer "I pray that all may be one as we also are one."

Given at St. Peter's at Rome, the 5th of September in the Year 1868, and of our Pontificate the twenty third.

LETTER APOSTOLIC OF HIS HOLINESS TO PROTESTANTS AND NON-CATHOLICS.

PIUS IX., BY DIVINE PROVIDENCE POPE, TO ALL PROTESTANTS AND OTHER NON-CATHOLICS:-

It is already known to you all that we who, without any merit of ours, have been raised to this cathedral of St. Peter, whereby the supreme government of the Catholic Church has been confided to us by our Lord Jesus Christ himself, have judged the season fitting to convoke around us the bishops of the whole world, and to unite them in the Ecumenical Council to be held next year, to the end that together with these same venerable brethren, assembled by our solicitude, we may adopt that counsel which may be most opportune and most necessary, whether to disperse the darkness of so many spreading errors which, to the great damage of souls, are everywhere obtaining and increasing in perversity; or to establish every day more and more, and increase in the people confided to our vigilance the reign of the true faith of justice and the peace of God.

Trusting to the loving and intimate love of union by which these same venerable brethren are wonderfully united to us and to this Apostolic See, which has never failed during the whole course of our Pontificate to afford signal proof of our faithfulness, love and devotion, we entertain the full hope that, as with other general Councils in past ages, so this Ecumenical Council, thus called together by us, may by the favor of Divine grace, bring forth glad and abundant fruit to the greater glory of God and the eternal welfare of men. Sustained, therefore, by the hope, and moved and kindled by the love of our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave His life for the salvation of mankind, we cannot refrain on the occasion of the forthcoming Council, to direct our Fatherly and apostolic words also to all those who, while glorying in the name of Christian, yet do not profess recognizing the same Christ as the Redeemer and the true faith of Christ, nor follow the communion of the Catholic Church, and this we do admonishing, exhorting and praying them to consider seriously, to reflect whether they be in the path preached by the same Jesus Christ our Lord as that which leadeth unto life eternal.

And of a truth no one can deny that this same Jesus Christ, in order to apply to all generations of humanity the fruits of His redemption, built up here on earth upon the rock of Peter the only Church which is one, catholic, holy, and apostolic, and to her confided every faculty necessary to preserve whole and inviolable the deposit of faith, and to teach this faith to all peoples, and countries, and nations, so that all men might, by baptism, be united to His mystical body, and be preserved, and in her be brought to perfection in the new life of grace, without which none can ever merit or arrive at eternal life; and that the said Church, which constitutes His mystical body, may last and prosper strong and imperishable, until the consummation of ages furnish to her children the full armor of faith.

And now, whoso meditates deeply on the condition in which the various phases of religious society find themselves at the present day, divided against one another, and separated from the Church Catholic, which, from the time of Jesus Christ our Lord and the Apostles, has, by means of its legitimate pastors, without interruption exercised, even as it now exercises, the Divine powers conferred on her by our Lord Christ, must at once reflect that no one phase of this society in particular, nor all conjoined, can in any manner contribute unto that one Catholic Church built up by your Christ Himself and which He constituted, and whose perpetual existence He wills. For deprived of that living authority established by God to Himself to teach the things of faith and discipline unto men, and to direct and govern them in those matters which appertain to life eternal they are continually changing in their doctrine. Every one can easily comprehend and clearly discern that this is vitally opposed to that manner of Church which God established, in which it is fundamental that the truth should continue ever stable, subject to no variableness, as a deposit to be guarded by the Church, for which very purpose the perpetual presence and aid of the Holy Ghost was preserved to her. Neither is any one ignorant that from these dissensions in doctrine and opinion arise also civil discords; or that hence originate also the innumerable sects and divisions which are multiplying themselves every day to the great detriment of both the Church and civil republic.

Therefore, whoever recognizes that religion as the foundation of human society must also recognize and confess what violence has been exercised upon civil society by such divisions and discords, and how deeply the negation of the authority set up by God to govern the impression of man's intellect and to direct the actions both of his public and private life has produced, excited, and fomented the lamentable perturbations which at this moment are so fatally rending in sunder every nation and every people.

All those, then, who have not the unity and the faith of the Catholic Church (St. August. Epist. LXI. to Cæcil.) should embrace this opportunity offered them by the forthcoming Council, by means of which the Catholic Church, to whose communion their forefathers belonged, presents a new evidence of her essential unity and her exhaustless vital energy; and according to the promptings of their own heart, rise to deliver themselves from a state in which they can have no conviction of their own salvation. Neither will we omit to offer fervent prayers to the Lord of all mercy that He should be pleased to break down the wall of separation and to disperse the mists of error, and so bring them back into the bosom of our holy Mother Church in which alone are the pastures of life, and which alone preserves whole and entire the doctrine of Jesus Christ, whom alone it is to dispense the mysteries of heavenly grace.

Us it behooves in the exercise of our Apostolic ministry, confided to us by Jesus Christ himself, to exercise this among the other duties of a faithful shepherd-to follow after and hold to our bosom in the bonds of fatherly love all the sheep of the fold of Christ. Hence it is that we have sent this letter to all Christians divided from us, and by its means again, and that urgently, exhort them that they make haste to return to that only fold; for from the bottom of our soul we desire above all their salvation, bearing in mind the account we shall one day be called to give for them to our Judge if we have not fulfilled all that in us lay to prepare and make straight for them the way that leadeth unto life.

In every prayer and supplication of ours, with thanksgiving let them be assured that we shall not fail with all our might, by day and by night, to pray humbly to the Eternal Shepherd of Souls that He may be pleased to pour out on them the abundance of His gifts and of His heavenly grace.

Finally, since--though without merit of our own-- we are called to exercise the office of His Vicar on earth, we shall continue to stand ready with arms spread wide, desiring with ardent earnestness the return of the erring children to the Church Catholic, that we may receive them with all love into the house of their Heavenly Father, and enrich them from His exhaustless treasury. For upon this most-to-be-desired return to the truth and the union of the Catholic Church depends, not only the salvation of each one of them, but also, and most principally, the salvation of the whole Christian society; nor can the universal world enjoy true peace until there shall be one fold and one shepherd.

Given at Rome, at St. Peter's, this 13th of September, 1868, the twenty-third year of our Pontificate.

Ecumenical or General Councils-What is the Meaning of the Term?

St. Paul writes, the members of the body cannot say to the head, "I have no need of thee;" and it is in like manner a maxim of the canon law that an Ecumenical or General Council of the Catholic bishops and prelates of Christendom cannot be legitimately held without the presence and consent of the Pope.