| Show MODERN REVIVAL OF catholicism THE roman catholic church is in exhibiting hi biting unusual activity this is specially noticeable in its operations on the Amer american loan continent where the efforts of the great organization amount to the conditions of a revival A dispatch in this issue indicates the sleep less vigilance displayed in seizing every opportunity for an increase of prestige and power after emperor dom pedro of brazil was deposed by a revolutionary process and a popular form of government established the new republic requested recognition from the pope the pontiff replied that the request should be granted upon one condition that the government recognize catholicism as an the religion of the state the catholic church being dominant in brazil this concession was made to the pope now the latter is following up the vantage ground by inaugurating a complete reorganization of the church in that country the revival of catholicism and the reconstruction of the organization is ie to extend so eo it is in stated to all the south american countries in red response to a reque request from the pope to the bishops in those nations for opinions as to the advisability of holding an ecclesiastical council similar to that held in baltimore a year ago last november a majority have expressed in favor of the assembling of such a conclave it is consequently announced that such a gathering will soon be called this proposed council will be looked forward to locally with some interest by those who have noted with closeness the operations of the catholic church in recent years about two years ago cardinal gibbons published a book entitled bour our christian heritage PY in this volume he endeavored to define from his standpoint some of the conditions which threatened the existence of the republic in his estimation the most conspicuous of th these were five in number first on the list he placed the existence of mormonism his standpoint was based upon the perpetuation as a part of the religion of the saints sainto of the plural marriage system which he be held to be dangerous to the A american meri home the ecclesiastical council held at baltimore in 1889 adopted a report embodying the same views and almost the identical language as those expressed in this direction by cardinal gibbons this attack of the catholic church upon the church of jesus christ of latter day saints was ut unexpected expected as hitherto the great ecclesiastical body had left a monopoly of such bust business Aims do the Prot mUnt Carcil cardinal ml gibbone had the generosity however to derho unee the prevalent vice of the nation which he called caned consecutive polygamy gamy the divorcing of one wife to ft norderto marry another he defined oed this brutal of society as aa immega bumbly worse woree in his estimation than korman MoC Tn polygamy fl now that thaw will be in the modern revival of numbers of councils in this as aa well as aa other countries it win be interesting to ft observe whether or not the catholic church will resume the toleration toward the mormon 19 church which characterized its course up to the last just two or three years since the offee by president wilford woodruff and he ft adoption by the gedral aae embly of the church of jema arist of latter day saint the feature to which cardinal gibbons and the baltimore ecclesiastical council con noil excepted hm has been rest removed oved hence there remains not the shadow of a ai basis for any future assault from the Oat Vat hollo holle hureh should shoud any such action be it would make it clear it arose arms browa fro the existence among authorities of the spirit of intolerance the catholic ecclesiastical power is omd obtaining increased prep tige abod it Is sIgnifies at that the Aine american rican continent should be its most moet native active field bold this te in eWIs especially Llly so in the republic of WS united states where owing to the power it Is ie capable of exercising in the hold field of politics it Is in making siroog headway in this nation votes have a magical potency |
