Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 17.djvu/815

Rh OLD CATHOLICS 755 bishops throughout the world to put an end to the schism by declaring whether the recent decrees were or were not binding on the faith of the church. This appeal, on its appearance in La Liberia early in 1871, was suppressed by the order of the king of Italy. On the 28th of March Dr Dollinger, in a letter of some length, set forth the reasons which compelled him also to withhold his submission alike as &quot;a Christian, a theologian, an historical student, and a citizen.&quot; The publication of this letter was shortly followed by a sentence of excommunication pronounced against Dr Dollinger and Professor Friedrich, and read to the different congregations from the pulpits of Munich. The professors of the university, on the other hand, had shortly before evinced their resolution of affording Dr Dollinger all the moral support in their power by an ad dress (3d April 1871) in which they denounced the Vatican decrees with unsparing severity, declaring that, at the very time when the German people had &quot;won for themselves the post of honour on the battlefield among the nations of the earth,&quot; the German bishops had stooped to the dishon ouring task of &quot; forcing consciences in the service of an unchristian tyranny, of reducing many pious and upright men to distress and want, and of persecuting those who had but stood steadfast in their allegiance to the ancient faith&quot; (Friedberg, Aktenstiicke z. ersten Vaticanischen Concil, p. 187). An address to the king, drawn up a few days later, received the signatures of 12,000 Catholics. The refusal of the rites of the church to one of the signataries, Dr Zenger, when on his deathbed, elicited strong expressions of disapproval ; and when, shortly after, it became neces sary to fill up by election six vacancies in the council of the university, the feeling of the electors was indicated by the return of candidates who were all distinguished by their avowed dissent from the new decrees. In the follow ing September the demand for another and a free council was responded to by the assembling of such a congress at Munich. It was composed of nearly 500 delegates, con vened from almost all parts of the world ; but the Teutonic element was now as manifestly predominant as the Latin element had been at Rome. The proceedings were pre sided over by Professor von Schulte, and lasted three days. Among those who took a prominent part in the delibera tions were Landammann Keller, Windscheid, Dollinger, Reinkens, Maassen (professor of the canon law at Vienna), Friedrich, and Huber. The arrangements finally agreed upon were mainly provisional ; but one of the resolutions plainly declared that it was desirable if possible to effect a reunion with the Oriental Greek and Russian Churches, and also to arrive at an &quot; understanding &quot; with the Pro testant and Episcopal communions. In the following year lectures were delivered at Munich by various supporters of the new movement, and the learning and oratorical powers of Reinkens were displayed with marked effect. In France the adhesion of the abbe Michaud to the cause attracted considerable interest, not only from his reputation as a preacher, but also from the notable step in advance made by his declaration that, inas much as the adoption of the stand-point of the Tridentine canons would render reunion with the Lutheran and the Reformed Churches impossible, the wisest course would be to insist on nothing more with respect to doctrinal belief than was embodied in the canons of the first seven oecumenical councils. The approximation which took place in the same year between the Old Catholics, as they now began to be termed, and the historical little Church of Utrecht must not be left unnoticed. Dr Dollinger, in delivering his inaugural address as rector of the university of Munich, expressed his conviction that theology had received a fresh impulse and that the religious history of Europe was entering upon a new phase. Other circumstances contributed to invest Old Catholicism with additional importance in the eyes of mere observers. It was evident that the relations between the Roman curia and the Prussian Government were becoming extremely strained. In February 1872 appeared the first measures of the Falk ministry, having for their object the control of the influence of the clergy in the schools ; and when Cardinal Hohenlohe presented himself at Rome in the following May the world was startled at the refusal of Pius IX. to receive the accredited minister of the Prussian court. In the same year two humble parish priests, Renftle of Mering in Bavaria and Tangermann of Unkel in the Rhineland, set an example of independence by refusing to accept the decrees. The former, driven from his parish church, was followed by the majority of his congregation, who, in spite of every discouragement, con tinued faithful to him ; and for years after, as successive members were removed by death, the crosses over their graves recorded that they had died &quot; true to their ancient belief.&quot; Tangermann, the poet, expelled in like manner from his parish by the archbishop of Cologne, before long found himself the minister of a much larger congregation in the episcopal city itself. These examples exercised no little influence, and congregations of Old Catholics were shortly after formed at numerous towns and villages in Bavaria, Baden, Prussia, German Switzerland, and even in Austria. At Warnsdorf in Bohemia a congregation was collected which still represents one of the most important centres of the movement. In September the second con gress was held at Cologne. It was attended by some 500 delegates or visitors from all parts of Europe, and the English Church was represented by the bishops of Ely and Lincoln and other distinguished members. The general scope of the proceedings was the formation of a more definite organization ; and the question of reunion with other churches was again a prominent topic of discussion. Among those present was the late Dean Stanley, and the striking accounts which he forwarded to The Times of the whole congress did much to awaken in England a more widely-extended interest in the movement. In the month of May in the following year (1873) the celebrated Falk laws were enacted, whereby the articles 1 5 and 18 of the Prussian constitution were modified, so as to legalize a systematic state supervision over the educa tion of the clergy of all denominations, and also over the appointment and dismissal of all ministers of religion. The measure, which at the time was interpreted as what Prince Bismarck afterwards openly declared it to have been, viz., a direct response to the Vatican decrees, inspired the Old Catholics with a not unreasonable expectation that the moral support of the Government would henceforth be enlisted on their side. On the llth of August Dr Reinkens, having been duly elected bishop of the new community, received his consecration at Rotterdam, as &quot; missionary -bishop of Germany,&quot; at the hands of Bishop Heykamp of Deventer. The archbishop of Utrecht, on whom it would otherwise have devolved to perform the ceremony, had died somewhat suddenly a few^days before, and the Ultramontanists did not scruple to interpret the event as a sign of the divine displeasure. In the mean time the extension of the movement in Switzerland had been proceeding rapidly, and it was resolved that Constance should be elected as the centre for the third congress. The proceedings occupied three days (12th to 14th September), and were of an animated and interesting character, the intelligence that the Prussian Government had resolved on recognizing the election of Bishop Reinkens contributing not a little to inspirit those who were present. English and American theologians, of widely different schools,, listened to the discussions with sympathizing apprecia-