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matrimonial cases and the power, also, of delegating
such faculties. (\o. xxiii) Permission to use the short
formula in the baptism of adults is to be requested of
the Holy See, either for perpetuity or for twenty years.
(No. xxiv) The sixth decree of the Se\"enth Pro\'incial
Council of Baltimore is to be understood as applj-ing
to those who rashly (teinere) marrj- before a Protes-
tant minister. Priests should give no benediction to
those whom they know to intend to remarrj' before
a preacher, or who, having done so, show no signs of
penitence. (Xo. xxv) These decrees are binding as
soon as they are published by the Archbishop of
Baltimore after their revision and approval by the
Holy See.
In sending the pope's approval of these decrees, the prefect of the Propaganda exhorted the bishops to add the feasts of the Circumcision of Our Lord and the Immaculate Conception B. V. M. to the festivals already observed. He added that although some diversity as to fasts and fe.asts is found in the Ameri- can dioceses, still it is not desirable to lessen the number in those places where they are in accord with the discipline of the universal Church, because fewer feasts are observed in other American dioceses. The bishops are not to labour for conformity among the dioceses in customs that are foreign to the discipline of the universal Church, for thus the appearance of a national Church would be introduced. The cardinal prefect added that the Holy See tolerated relaxations of the common law of the Church for grave reasons, but such derogations were not to be confirmed and extended, but rather every effort was to be made to bring about the observance of the universal discipline. As to the method of adult baptism, the Holy See extended the dispensations to use the short formula for another five years. A letter from Cardinal- Prefect Franzoni, added to the acts of the council, treats of the question of how the bishops are to be supported by their dioceses. It likewise insists that priests ordained titido missionis are not to enter re- ligious orders without the consent of their ordinaries, as they are required to make oath that they will serve perpetually in the diocese for which they were ordained. In the acts of this council is fovmd a statement of the Bishop of Monterey concerning the California Missions. He informed the Fathers that a large sum of money had formerly been placed in the hands of the Mexican Government to be used under the sanction of Spanish law for the support of the Californian missionaries. For years they had received none of this money and the late revolutions made any hope of reparation unlikely. However, as it is reported that the civil power in California intends to demand this money from the Mexican treasury for public purposes, he desired to know what effort the American bishops thought it desirable to make in the premises. The outcome of the whole discussion was the sending of a letter on the subject to the Archbishop of Mexico. We may add here that this money was later recovered and employed for the Church in California. (See Caijforxi.\, sub-title History.)
II. The Second Plex.^ry CorxciL was presided over by Archbishop Spalding of Baltimore as Dele- gate Apostolic. It was opened on the 7th of October and closed on 21 October, 18(36. The acts note that, at the last solemn session, Andrew- Johnson, President of the United States, was among the auditors. The decrees of this council were signed by seven arch- bishops, thirty-nine bishops or their procurators, and two abbots. The decrees are divided into fourteen titles and subdivided into chapters.
Title i. Concerning the Orthodox Faith and Present Er- rors, declares the Catholic doctrine (cap. i) on Divine revelation and the one Church of Christ; (ii) the na- ture and necessity of faith; (iii) the Holy Scripture; (jv) the Holy Trinity; (v) the future life; (vi) the
pious invocation and veneration of the B. V. Mary
and the saints, (vii) The seventh chapter in which
the present errors are discussed treats of (a) the dis-
sensions among the Protestant sects and of zeal for
their conversion, (b) Indifferentism. The Fathers
warn their flock against the teaching that one religion
is as good as another provided one be honest and just
to his neighbour. They call this a plague, spreading
under the guise of charity and benevolence, (c) Uni-
tarianism and Universalism. These theories, the
first denying the divinity of Christ and the other
eternal punishment, tend to the rejection of the
supernatural in religion, (d) Transcendentalism and
Pantheism. These are the systems of men, who
ha\-ing dethroned God, make a deity of man. (e)
Abuse of magnetism. The faithful are warned that
magnetism is often employed for superstitious and
illicit purposes, namely, to forecast the future by
means of female "mediums", (f) The hallucinations
and dangers of spirit i.sm. There is little reason to
doubt that some of the phenomena of spiritism are
the work of Satan. It is noteworthy that the leaders
of this system deny either implicitly or explicitly
the di%'inity of Christ and the supernatural in re-
ligion.
Title ii. Concerning the Hierarchy and the Gorern- mcnt of the Church, treats (cap. i) of the Roman pon- tiff"; (ii) of the hierarchy teaching and ruling; (iii) of provincial councils, which ought to be held ever}"- three years; (iv) of diocesan synods, in which the bishop alone is legislator and judge. This chapter also treats of quarterly conferences for the discussion of theological questions by the clergj-. (v) The officials of the bishop are considered in this chapter. Besides the diocesan consultors and the ^'icar-general, the bishop should appoint vicars forane or rural deans who are to preside at clerical conferences, to watch over ecclesiastical property, to counsel the junior clergj' and report annually to the bishop on the state of their districts. Other officials mentioned are the secretan.', chancellor, notan,-, and procurator for temporal affairs. Sjmodal examiners and judges for the criminal cases of clerics are also to be constituted. The latter, by delegation of the bishops, hold courts of the first instance and they shovild follow a judicial method closely approximating that prescribed by the Council of Trent.
Title iii. Concerning Ecclesiastical Persons, is di- \-ided into seven chapters, (cap. i) Of metropolitans. (ii) Of bishops; they are to make a visitation of their dioceses frequently; they should provide support for aged and infirm priests; before death they should ap- point an administrator sede racante for their dioceses. If this has not been done, the metropolitan is to make the appointment, or if it be a question of the metro- politan church itself, then the senior suffragan bishop constitutes an administrator until the Holy See can provide. The administrator cannot make innovations in the administration of the diocese, (iii) Of the election of bishops. A method for episcopal nom.ina- tions to American sees is given, as also the requisite qualifications for candidates. (iv) Of priests ex- ercising the sacred ministn,'. When several priests serve a chvirch, one only must be designated as pastor. Priests should often preach to their people; they must not marrv' or baptize the faithful of other dio- ceses. Although our missions are not canonical parishes, yet it is the desire of the bishops to conform as much as possible to the discipline of the universal church in this matter. In cities containing more than one church, accurate limits for their districts should be assigned. When in these decrees the terms "parish" or "parochial rights" are used, the bishops have no intention of thereby indicating that the rector of a church is irremo\'ab!e. No priest should be appointed to a parish unless he has made an ex- amination before the bishop and two priests, and has
