The Catholic World, Vol. 02, October, 1865 to March, 1866: A Monthly Eclectic MagazineVarious
Religion
The Catholic World, Vol. 02, October, 1865 to March, 1866: A Monthly Eclectic Magazine
Various
Catholic Church -- Periodicals
Fifty years after the Lutherans had failed, in their turn the
Calvinists made another effort, which seemed to promise better
success. The ambassadors of Holland, England, and Sweden took the most
active and energetic part in the matter. The patriarch, of
Constantinople, Cyril Lucar, himself a Calvinist at heart, so far from
opposing their designs, favored them with all his power. Success
seemed certain. After various vicissitudes Cyril Lucar died in 1638.
[Footnote 2] A few weeks after his death the synod of Constantinople
pronounced sentence of censure upon his propositions, and anathema
upon himself. In 1642 a second council was held under the Patriarch
Parthenius, who was very hostile both to Rome and to Catholics, which
confirmed the previous condemnation of Cyril. Among others, Peter
Mogila, metropolitan of Kief, signed this fresh censure. Last of all,
these condemnations of 1638 and 1642 were confirmed by a council held
at Jerusalem in 1672, over which the Patriarch Dositheus presided.
[Footnote 2: He was thrown into the Bosphorus by the sultan, at the
request of his brother bishops.--Ed. C.W.]
The creation of a bishopric at Jerusalem may be regarded, also, as an
attempt at reunion between the Protestants and the schismatic churches
of the East. Frederick William IV., king of Prussia, assisted by M. de
Bunsen, was the promoter of this idea, but it was too ingenious and
too complicated to be practical. It proposed to labor for the
conversion of the Jews; to prepare the way for the union of the
schismatical churches of the East with, the Anglican; and, by means of
the evangelical church of Prussia, to induce the various sects of
Protestantism to conform in matters of doctrine and discipline to the
Church of England. The archbishop of Canterbury favored the plan; but,
as was to be expected, there were many Protestants who were very far
from giving it their approbation. As to the Oriental Christians, they
were exceedingly astonished, as Dr. Bowring humorously related before
Parliament, at the arrival, not only of a bishop (_un vescovo_), but
of a lady-bishop (_una vescova_) and baby-bishops (_vescovini_). After
an existence of twenty years, no pretence is yet made that the
bishopric of Jerusalem has succeeded in effecting any reconciliation
whatever with the Oriental churches, or that it has in any measure
prepared the way for the uniting of {67} Protestantism itself. The
Anglican Church is herself more divided than ever, and demonstrates
more conclusively from year to year how impossible it is for her to
keep fast hold upon any creed whatever. Perhaps this manifestation of
internal division and doctrinal anarchy may contribute somewhat to
turn the eyes of Anglicans toward the ancient and immovable Church of
the East.
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