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 276 VATICAN (COUNCIL OF THE) which the church reposes ; that they had been again and again insisted on in preceding gen- eral councils ; that they were especially devel- oped in well known papal constitutions, &c. In the 36th general congregation, March 29, the procemium and first chapter of the schema on faith were unanimously adopted in the form ultimately given to them by the deputa- tion, and all the chapters were adopted before April 12, when 1 the entire schema was put to the vote, every bishop rising in turn, and say- ing Placet or Non placet, or Placet juxta modum (this last formula implying that he dissented on a part of the matter decreed, or in the mode of formulating it) ; 595 prelates voted, of whom 515 voted placet and 80 placet juxta modum. The third solemn session was appointed for April 24. More than 1 00 amend- ments or modifications were submitted; but only two were adopted by the deputation on faith, and voted on in the general congrega- tion of April 19. In the solemn session of April 24 the pope ordered that the proceedings should be made as public as possible ; the doors of the council hall remained open throughout, and the partitions and enclosures concealing it from the crowd outside were temporarily re- moved. The constitution " On Catholic Faith," Dei Filius, was presented to the pope by Bishop Fessler, and read from the ambon. The vote being taken, 667 members answered to their names, all assenting to the constitution. The constitution " On Catholic Faith " purposes to affirm the existence of the supernatural re- vealed order, as opposed to rationalism and nat- uralism. The schema of a first constitution "On the Church" had been adopted by the " deputation on faith " long before the month of April. The theologians intrusted with its preparation had followed the method usually adopted in schools and works on theology ; they had embraced all that relates to the insti- tution of the church and its members, before treating of its head and the prerogatives and duties attached to his office. The outside pres- sure of the prevailing angry discussions caused the council to intervert this order, and to treat of the head of the church and his office from the very beginning. The opportuneness of a definition of the pontifical authority in teach- ing was deemed evident by the majority ; and this once admitted, it became necessary to hasten the work while the council had not de- creased in numbers, and before the oppressive heat of summer began. At this juncture the members of the council were divided on infal- libility into three classes, the first in favor of an immediate discussion and definition, the second strenuously opposing the introduction of the question, and the third seeking a middle way by obtaining an indirect and implied defi- nition through the condemnation of all errors adverse to the pontifical prerogatives. A pos- tulatum in favor of this middle course had been drawn up before the opening of the council by Archbishop Spacing of Baltimore, and was fa- vored by many American prelates ; but it was never presented to the proper deputation, and its author and promoters soon joined the first class. Such an indirect definition was, however, perseveringly advocated throughout by Arch- bishop Darboy of Paris. The second class, or opposition proper, was led by Bishops Dupan- loup of Orleans and Strossmayer of Bosnia and Sirmia. In the first class, forming the great ma- jority in the council, there was no one leader. On April 29 the Italian bishops addressed to the council and the pope a collective letter, beg- ging that all other matters should give way to the discussion on infallibility. The same day the deputation on faith referred the matter to the pope, who instantly ordered that the chap- ters " on the primacy and magisterium or teach- ing office of the Roman pontiff " should take precedence of all others. The discussion on the general question began May 14, and was concluded on June 8. It occupied 15 private sessions of four hours each, and was followed by the special discussion on each chapter, thus affording the opposition an opportunity for re- newing their objections. On May 17 all the members of the council received an anonymous pamphlet addressed Soli Epixcopis (to bishops only), and proposing the consideration of ques- tions as to the sinfulness of concurring in a definition not clearly founded on Scripture and tradition. This, together with the publication in May of Ce qui e passe au concile, and toward the end of June of La derniere heure du con- cile, confirmed the determination of the ma- jority. In the general discussion 65 members were heard, nearly all their discourses touch- ing on the fourth chapter, that on infallibility ; in the special discussion on the separate chap- ter, closed on July 4, 56 members spoke on this same subject, and 60 whose names were in- scribed renounced their right to speak. More than half of the speakers were inopportunists. On July 11 the vote was taken on the amend- ments submitted in writing; and on the fsth the constitution Pastor sEternus, embodying the entire matter discussed, amended and adopted, was put to the vote in a general congregation. There were present 601 members, of whom 451 voted placet, 62 placet juxta modum, and 88 non placet. On July 15 a deputation com- posed of the primate of Hungary, the arch- bishops of Paris and Munich, and the bishops of Mentz and Dijon, had an audience of the pope, and demanded that the words nixus tes- timonio ecclesiarum should be inserted in the decree after the words cum ex cathedra loqui- tur, thus making the official infallibility depend on the previously ascertained testimony of each diocese. As the pope declined to entertain this demand, the prelates wrote him a joint letter, informing him that they persisted in their convictions, and begged permission to re- turn home. On July 17 a letter to the pope, signed by 54 prelates, urged him to interfere at the very last moment and save the church from irreparable evils, by adjourning the coun-