THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 960, 29 October 1910, Page 7

THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND.

Sir,—A, correspondent, "Scrutator 1 ," tolls' us quite innocently that the: Church •of England has changed, and yet is still tthe same:V that slio is tho. -same'- old .pocket-knife, though she has changed the -handle and all the blades. Ho.is slightly . tangled in his use of the term infalli- : 'Oility . and -."new doctrines." Evidently | fUa mind has not , developed on the same lines as; Catholic doctrine. 1 •He talks : imnch about the freedom .of -'the English KJhurch or the "ecclesiastical'department i of the State." This is very pretty. It is. ,myi intention to "even suggest;- . that •the Church of : England was the ; '"Protestant ■ religion as by law established."' For the moment riant concerned (with the humour of a handful of Anglicans who style , theniselves "Catholio." '"Scrutator" grows amusing, even fascinating, when he - touches upon the titlo of &is Church. lor /an Anglican to' call .himself a. "Catholic" is a social, ineptitude; it is . a robbpry, afe ! criminal .''as; for [the. French confiscators of tho. hospice to, call their liqueur "Benedictine." The'-title "Catholic is . the distinguish-' . ing; tho "Catholic Church,"/ or ; that Church whose "members are in companion with tho .Bishop of ' Rome—so spoke St;; Augustinel. and .St. Cyril,. of ; Jerusalem, fifteen' ccnturies ago. . Tho , title "Catholic" 'is not a vague,: general . .-termwhich is' -intended t0',... include ya ;; [hopeless 'salmagundi of -: non-coalescent, and: mutually ■ repellent Christian creeds. Either, .one .is a Catholic ;or .ononis not.. . There is.lio .esbapo, from '. the' dilemma.' (An; Anglican; is nothing .moro' : than ,; a (, epecies of ,thb_ genus Protestant.' : i..The expression ; "Roman i : Catholic" -is

; p6..-..'more needed than tho ■ expression .'■ f'LonHon;.Anglican" is' necessary fbr the designation/ of 'a member; of the Estab-, (lished Church, wliov is" a citizen - of Loh- • •don. Tho expression "Ebman •. Catholic" : ; Ss redundant,. the, same .as ."universal!Catholic" or. "English Anglican." 'It is, pn - absurd "geographical ■ misnomer, i '• It Vis* the; pilfering -of our ancient nomenclature by to. call .' themselves . Catholic. . . The word'."Catholic" .is a'jfino. /inty;'; crusted title, ;cver.'.the 'peculiar designation/of the 'Church .which has' 'for .' its '.visible head: the Pope or Bishop of .; Borne;;-Why; ' the' very ■ street' arab ■; finds •only one meaning in tho words of a . igtranger'.who inquires for the - Catholic Church,' the Catholic', school/ ; Catholic ; club,/ Catholic, university. " Standard English writers—we need only instarico Lord Hacaulay, -Edmund 'Burke,--. James-: Martineau, /I^cky—a!gree/in/ using the- word "Catholic" to .designate,the Church which ■ is communionwith 4. wKea-talconto: trisk .'in -ll'uhlin.'for.h'aving, used'-Ttho" word "Catholics,'" .refused' ;to' ..employ . the compound ..' word "Eomah .-''Catholic,' : which//he'/regarded/,;as' :,a : ; le?habitually;'appliesHhe term./.'Catholic to; that; great.: religioU9'7'organisa'. ; 'iioi f-.which has -ite 'centxi'.in' the": City of • the-Seven Hills. So, too, speak the great ' ''Encyclopedic- Dictionary, .;: .'."Webster's Standard/Dictionary,"-/, "The /-' Imperial Dictionary." - r ,-- ' - . '■;-//; • :-. Bribflyi-:. .the: word; "Catholic" means ■ practically .universal,: usage has decided it shall mean. It is too. late now. .for ;any .small creed .or section thereof to •attempt.; to-• alter' ."the,.'long-fixed, . settled. : meaning of venerable words. Such, attempts ' havo been made, but have, not met with' any- conspicuous 'measure'.-, of success. ; In the language; of - Continental: Europe, no terra is known l corresponding to;tho.:expression' "Eoman Catholic." -In ; Pre'nch, -Italian,- German, Spanish, Dutch,' ': Portuguese, .. and \ other- - European • languages, the-title"Catholic", is applied to, and only to,: thelChurch;,' of , 'Epme. Were, the word "Eomai" added, it would Beunderstood.' to mean, the, Catholics of : the ! 'city ■ of: Home. .The same statement : holds ' good in. the' East;". -In his ."Visit' toy,the Russian Church," the-'Eev.. W.' Palmer (Anglican)telle -how,' to his-great annoyance,'[the ."Orthodox"- Eussians persisted in calling : tho adherents of the Church;| of "'Eomo "Catholics" pure and simple..■■ ;Th6 '<Eussian. Orthodox American Messenger" (January 1-13, 1808) .does likewise.; In' tho *. East' all churches ; united with' Eome; are .called Catholic, such tho Catholic , Copts, Greek -. Catholics, Syrian Catholics, etc. Those an . schism aro' c called' "orthodox," while , Anglicans aro called ."English Protest- ?<?>'•• ' "Scrutator";- uses a reference to '' :.chapels." ; This -. reproachful «?%*> says - Dcnys Scully' (in • 1812), in liis Statement of-the Penal-Laws," -was mo " longer applied 'to Catholics by any gentleman or' scholar—l'' am, etc., • . WELLINGTON CATHOLIC. . October 26, 1010. '