The Catholic World

New Zealand Tablet, 3 February 1910, Page 191

The Catholic World

CANADA— Ruthenian Missions 1 Before returning to their homes the Fathers of the First Plenary Council of Canada presented to their president, the Apostolic Delegate, a purse of 1000 dollars. Monsignor Sbarretti immediately handed over this sum to Monsignor Langevin, the Archbishop of St, Boniface, for the Ruthenian missions. The question of supplying the spiritual needs of 100,000. Catholic Ruthenians in the Canadian North-west is a vital issue for the Catholics of that region, and was taken up very earnestly and practically by the council. Hence this generous donation from the Apostolic Delegate was most opportune. GERMANYThe Centre and Religious Toleration _ Many years have now passed (remarks the Catholic limes) since Prince Bismarck, after having made trial of ™e Kulturkampf, deemed it advisable to go to Canossa. the Centre Party - have since that time wrought a revolution. The rights of the Catholic Bishops and clergy have been firmly established, and with the encouragement of the Central Government the Catholic Church is flourishing. But everything the party hoped to achieve has not been accomplished. There are still grievances in -the German btates to be redressed, and in the Reichstag the party have given notice of the following resolution : — ‘ The Reichstag hereby decides that the Imperial Chancellor be called upon to. enter into negotiations with the allied States with the v i ew 1 ?. . removing by legislation the existing limitations of religious freedom.’ The terms of the motion scarcely go beyond the provisions of the Law of Toleration; but it is expected that it will, if passed, have the effect of stirring up in several of the German States an agitation for placing Catholics and , non-Catholics on an absolute equality with °?%i a i n °kk er so far as the law is concerned. As the Law of Toleration received the support of several parties in the House, it is believed that the present proposal will be adopted by the members of the Reichstag with practical unanimity. INDIA—Proof Wanted rr In the London TaMei of November 20 (says the Catholic i ±Lerala of India) , attention was drawn to a statement said to have been made by the Anglican Bishop of Lahore, Dr. Lefroy, to the effect that he not unfrequently received a Plocations from Catholics for admission into the Church of England, and those applications were said to be based on purely religious grounds, unconnected with considerations of mission employment, etc.’ Naturally the statement attracted the attention of the Catholic Bishop of Lahore, the Right Rev. Dr. Eestermans, 0.C., who through his secretary immediately wrote to Dr. Lefroy for the names of some. Catholics who had thus sought admission into the Church of England. As priest and Bishop, Dr. Eestermans has been in the Punjab for over thirty years, and knows every Catholic in the diocese. In his thirty years’ experience his Lordship has known several indifferent Catholics who have fallen away from the practice of their religion, but does not know one single instance of a Catholic m his _ diocese who has formally renounced Catholicism for Protestantism. In reply to his inquiry, all Dr. Eestermans could elicit from Dr. Lefroy was that, in the last eleven years, four Catholics had given up the practice of their religion. It should be remarked that the Protestant diocese of Lahore does not only comprise the whole of the tract of country covered by the Catholic diocese, but also covers the Prefecture Apostolic of Rawal Pindi and extends oyer the whole of British Baluchistan and Scinde down to Karachi. The Bishop knows of only three cases of defection two the result of mixed marriages, and one of a woman, herself a Protestant, who had married a Catholic the man had died, leaving a family of three young children who were baptised Catholics. The Bishop took the children into school and allowed the mother a pension. He found however, that the money given to the woman was spent on drink, and he therefore stopped the pension.' The woman, in spite, took the children out of the Catholic school and put them into the Protestant school. This is case- No. 3. Ihe fourth case exists in Dr. Lefroy’s imagination, or it occurred outside the Catholic diocese of Lahore. ROMEThe Pope and the Irish University , T. he reception given to the Rector of the Irish College by Pius X. early in December, when Dr. O’Riordan was received in audience for the first time in the present academic year, was of an extremely cordial character, the more so because he had interesting information for the Holy lather regarding the new University of Ireland. On oresentmg a copy of the Science of Ethics, recently published by the Rev. Dr Cronin, Clonliffe College, Dublin, now professor m the National University, Dr. O’Riordan explained to his Holiness the nature of the course of mental and moral philosophy in the new institution. The Rector informed the Pope that the course is far higher than any similar one followed in the United Kingdom; and that as far as his knowledge of universities went it was quite equal to the philosophy course pursued by any other university on

a ,%?°^ * ™ eep interest was own by the Pontiff in all that Mgr, O Riordan stated both as regards the Irish University and Dr. Cronin’s work, and several times the ope put questions as to details in the organisation of the insti ution which y has been won after such a protracted struggle.' The Holy Father expressed pleasure on receiving the work of the learned Dublin ecclesiastic, who may expect ing r it 6176 a dlrecy k comm unication from his Holiness respect* SPAIN—The Modern Schools/ • Eulogies on the ‘ Modern Schools ’ which Ferrer planted in Barcelona are becoming less frequent in the British press (says the Catholic Times). We have shown that they were instruments for disseminating a feeling of hatred towards religion and country, and the Nonconformist ministers who praised them so vociferously have become silent. We trust a sense of shame is the secret of the silence. The truth is that no Government could tolerate the doctrines taught in the Modern Schools.' The Voz de Valencia is just now laying before the Spanish public samples of the instruction given in those centres of training for the young. Here are two or three specimens. ‘ Country, Capital, , and Religion have formed a close bond to reduce denaturalised human personality to nothing.’ ‘ The rags which in the shape of nags are supposed to symbolise the Fatherland are only a symbol of tyranny and misery.’ * The great murderers of men who, are called “ heroes ”, in histories were only horrible assassins. It is clear that the teaching of the ‘ Modern School in Spain is the teaching of M. Herve and the french Anarchists. If the Liberal Government in Spain allow the teachers to gather pupils around them they will thereby bring about a state of affairs which the Spanish people in years to come will have ample reason to regret. UNITED STATES—A Mine Disaster . The Catholic Church of Cherry, 111., lost three-fourths of its male members in the recent mine disaster, whereby 300 men perished. The Congregational Church of that town is now composed of widows and orphans; 45 of its 47 male members having lost their lives in the mine. Death of a Bishop . The Right Rev. Dr. Hendrick, Bishop of Cebu, Philip, pine Islands, died on November 30. Bishop Hendrick was one of the four prelates from the United States to whom fell the delicate task of adjusting the long-standing differences between Church and State in the Philippine Islands. He had. the distinction of presiding over what was probably the largest diocese in the world. Finding it in a state of demoralisation, he left it one of the best organised in the Church. He was known among all as a man of; exceptional breadth and force, not merely a clergyman of high standing and intellectual attainments, but a man of affairs and a thoroughly up-to-date citizen. GENERAL Attacks on the Church How is the fierce hostility displayed towards the Catholic Church throughout the world to be accounted for? People who profess other creeds are not thus hated. The antagonism shown towards the different forms of Protestantism and the Schismatic Churches of the East is mild if compared with the opposition offered to the Catholics obedient to the Holy See (says the Catholic Times). There is nothing else in the world like this, and the only explanation to be found for it is the strange and remarkable assurance of the Saviour that the world would hate His disciples because of their being His. Strange, too, it is that the incessant attacks made on the Catholic Church appear not to have any injurious effects upon her, but rather to benefit her. Dr. Albert von Ruville, Professor of Modern History at the Protestant University of Halle, has just become a convert. He did not .come in contact with Catholics, and no Catholic influence was brought to bear upon him. He was at first attracted to the Catholic Church by the enmity she seemed to arouse. Some time afterwards, as he explains in Back to the Catholic Church, a work just published for him by Herman Walter, of Berlin, he studied Harnack’s book, Das' Wesen des Christentums, and this impelled him still further in the same,direction. He now regards the Papacy and the Blessed Sacrament as the Church’s two great pillars of’ strength.