Letters From Rome on the CouncilDöllinger, Johann Joseph Ignaz von
History
Letters From Rome on the Council
Döllinger, Johann Joseph Ignaz von
Popes -- Infallibility; Vatican Council (1st : 1869-1870 : Basilica di San Pietro in Vaticano)
The introduction of the second _Schema_, on Discipline, gave occasion to
many earnest and important speeches. The Germans at first had to blush for
one of their number, Martin of Paderborn, who made a speech overflowing
with the most unqualified devotion to the will of the supreme master, the
authorship of which was attributed to his Jesuit domestic chaplain, Father
Roh. But the speech of Archbishop Melchers of Cologne made all the more
favourable impression. He spoke, with quiet dignity and freedom, of the
perversity and shamefulness of the meddling Roman domination, the system
of dispensations, and the unmeasured centralization. Great was the
astonishment of the assembly; Cardinal Capalti went on urging, with
impatient look and sign, on de Luca, the President for the day, to stop
the German Archbishop. At last, when he had nearly finished, de Luca
interrupted him, and said he must hand in his proposals to the Commission.
Melchers did not let himself be put down; he replied that he had done that
long ago, and had received no answer, and observed that he spoke in the
name of more than a million German Catholics. And then he quietly went on
with his speech. The words of Archbishop Haynald cut deeper still; he is
the best speaker in the Council after Strossmayer, and is also subtle and
circumspect, so that the Legate, who was visibly anxious to interrupt him,
could not discover the right moment for putting his bell in motion.
As little did they dare to interrupt Darboy, Archbishop of Paris, when he
ascended the tribune and began as follows:—“We are told we are not to make
long speeches, but I have a great deal to say. We are told again not to
repeat what has been said by others, but at the same time we are kept shut
up in this Hall, where for the most part we cannot understand one another;
we are not allowed to examine the stenographic reports of our speeches,
and the only answer made to our representations is always the same—‘The
Pope wills it.’ I don’t know therefore what has been said by the speakers
who have preceded me.” He then went on to speak of the rights of the
Bishops, their degradation by the Roman centralizing system, “the caves,
wherein the Roman doctors have buried themselves from the light of day,”
etc. He spoke in admirable style, and was listened to with rapt attention,
though at every word his auditors expected an interruption from the
Legate; but it never came. Darboy himself said afterwards that he had done
like Condé, and flung his marshal’s staff into the ranks of the enemy.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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