John Ronge; The Holy Coat of Treves; New German-Catholic ChurchAnonymous
Religion
John Ronge; The Holy Coat of Treves; New German-Catholic Church
Anonymous
Dom (Trier, Germany); German Catholicism; Holy Coat
if they did not wish, as much as in them lay, honestly and truly, by
reciprocal toleration and indulgence, to make these differences lighter
and less felt. It were foolish, hypocritical, and supercilious, at the
same time, if they passed judgment upon each other's faith and believing
life harshly and uncharitably, rather than to be reserved in their
judgment, and to consider that each man for himself, and among his own
fellow-believers, has faults enough to rectify. * * * * God is love, and
we prove our love of God by our love of man. In faith we are not at
one, but in love we can and ought to be so--in love, we can and ought
to strive with one another, and by love can we best show the truth
and purity of our belief, and place ourselves in the best position
for recommending it to others, until it shall please God that we all
together should attain to the unity of the faith.'"
We believe it difficult to exaggerate the importance of this document.
Here is a man holding a high office in the Catholic Church--living in
the very midst of the scenes lately enacted, with two bishops on either
side of his diocese, who seem equally ready personally to take part in,
or with all the power of their office, to defend the most extravagant
superstitions, or the most insidious policy of Jesuitism, with a people
who showed how thoroughly they were given up to idolatry, and with a
clergy equally capable of misleading or being misled,--still calmly
lifting up his voice for a purer faith, and for the manifestation of the
true spirit of Christian liberty and love. It seems most probable that
this defence of _toleration_ may, ere long, make its author
personally feel what _intolerance_ is. He is already denounced by the
ultra-Catholic party in the Rhine provinces, and report says, in the
Vatican itself. If so, we may expect to hear more of Bishop Kaiser of
Mayence. Meanwhile, it is gratifying to state that Addresses have been
sent to him by his clergy and fellow-citizens, fully participating
in his spirit, and expressive of their joy that he has all along so
strongly discountenanced the doings in the neighbouring diocese
of Treves; while a Special Address has been presented to him from
Offenbach, praying that he, as their spiritual guide, would lead the way
in making them discard the leading errors of Popery. To show that this
spirit of dissatisfaction is not confined to an individual case, we may
state, that at least one other Bishop has, in his annual Address, passed
over what has taken place without a single allusion or remark; nay, that
even in Treves itself, which seems destined to become the _Mecca_ of
continental Popery, there were priests whom nothing but the fear of
consequences compelled to take part in the degrading scenes referred to.
And now, in drawing this hasty sketch to a close, we have left ourselves
room for but one or two general remarks.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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