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Holiness。 At length it appeared that the Inopportunists were

dragging out the proceedings in the hope of obtaining an

indefinite postponement。 Then the authorities began to act; a

bishop was shouted down; and the closure was brought into

operation。 At this point the French Government; after long

hesitation; finally decided to intervene; and Cardinal Antonelli

was informed that if the Definition was proceeded with; the

French

troops would be withdrawn from Rome。 But the astute Cardinal

judged that he could safely ignore the threat。 He saw that

Napoleon III was tottering to his fall and would never risk an

open rupture with the Vatican。 Accordingly; it was determined to

bring the proceedings to a close by a final vote。 Already the

Inopportunists; seeing that the game was up; had shaken the dust

of Rome from their feet。 On July 18th; 1870; the Council met for

the last time。 As the first of the Fathers stepped forward to

declare his vote; a storm of thunder and lightning suddenly burst

over St。 Peter's。 All through the morning the voting continued;

and every vote was accompanied by a flash and a roar from heaven。

Both sides; with equal justice; claimed the portent as a

manifestation of the Divine Opinion。 When the votes were

examined; it was found that 533 were in favour of the proposed

definition and two against it。 Next day; war was declared between

France and Germany; and a few weeks later the French troops were

withdrawn from Rome。 Almost in the same moment; the successor of

St。 Peter had lost his Temporal Power; and gained Infallibility。



What the Council had done was merely to assent to a definition of

the dogma of the Infallibility of the Roman Pontiff which Pius IX

had issued; proprio motu; a few days before。 The definition

itself was perhaps somewhat less extreme than might have been

expected。 The Pope; it declared; is possessed; when he speaks ex

cathedra; of 'that infallibility with which the Redeemer willed

that His Church should be endowed for defining doctrine regarding

faith or morals'。 Thus it became a dogma of faith that a Papal

definition regarding faith or morals is infallible; but beyond

that; both the Holy Father and the Council maintained a judicious

reserve。 Over what OTHER matters besides faith and morals the

Papal infallibility might or might not extend still remained in

doubt。 And there were further questions; no less serious; to

which no decisive answer was then; or ever has been since;

provided。



How was it to be determined; for instance; which particular Papal

decisions did in fact come within the scope of the definition?

Who

was to decide what was or was not a matter of faith or morals? Or

precisely WHEN the Roman Pontiff was speaking ex cathedra? Was

the

famous Syllabus Errorum; for example; issued ex cathedra or not?

Grave

theologians have never been able to make up their minds。 Yet to

admit

doubts in such matters as these is surely dangerous。 'In duty to

our

supreme pastoral office;' proclaimed the Sovereign Pontiff; 'by

the

bowels of Christ we earnestly entreat all Christ's faithful

people;

and we also command them by the authority of God and our Saviour;

that

they study and labour to expel and eliminate errors and display

the

light of the purest faith。' Well might the faithful study and

labour to such ends! For; while the offence remained ambiguous;

there was no ambiguity about the penalty。 One hair's…breadth from

the unknown path of truth; one shadow of impurity in the

mysterious light of faith; and there shall be anathema! anathema!



anathema! When the framers of such edicts called upon the bowels

of Christ to justify them; might they not have done well to have

paused a little; and to have called to mind the counsel of

another sovereign ruler; though a hereticOliver Cromwell?

'Bethink ye; bethink ye; in the bowels of Christ; that ye may be

mistaken!'



One of the secondary results of the Council was the

excommunication of Dr。 Dollinger; and a few more of the most

uncompromising of the Inopportunists。 Among these; however; Lord 

Acton was not included。 Nobody ever discovered why。 Was it

because he was too important for the Holy See to care to

interfere with him? Or was it because he was not important

enough?



Another ulterior consequence was the appearance of a pamphlet by

Mr。 Gladstone; entitled 'Vaticanism'; in which the awful

implications involved in the declaration of Infallibility were

laid before the British Public。 How was it possible; Mr。

Gladstone asked; with all the fulminating accompaniments of his

most agitated rhetoric; to depend henceforward upon the civil

allegiance of Roman Catholics? To this question the words of

Cardinal Antonelli to the Austrian Ambassador might have seemed a

sufficient reply。 'There is a great difference;' said his

Eminence; between theory and practice。 No one will ever prevent

the Church from proclaiming the great principles upon which its

Divine fabric is based; but; as regards the application of those

sacred laws; the Church; imitating the example of its Divine

Founder; is inclined to take into consideration the natural

weaknesses of mankind。' And; in any case; it was hard to see how

the system of Faith; which had enabled Pope Gregory XIII to

effect; by the hands of English Catholics; a whole series of

attempts to murder Queen Elizabeth; can have been rendered a much

more dangerous engine of disloyalty by the Definition of 1870。

But such considerations failed to reassure Mr。 Gladstone; the

British Public was of a like mind; and 145;000 copies of the

pamphlet were sold within two months。 Various replies appeared;

and Manning was not behindhand。 His share in the controversy led

to a curious personal encounter。



His conversion had come as a great shock to Mr。 Gladstone。

Manning

had breathed no word of its approach to his old and intimate

friend; and when the news reached him; it seemed almost an act of

personal injury。 'I felt;' Mr。 Gladstone said; 'as if Manning had

murdered my mother by mistake。' For twelve years the two men did

not meet; after which they occasionally saw each other and

renewed their correspondence。 This was the condition of affairs

when Mr。 Gladstone published his pamphlet。 As soon as it

appeared;

Manning wrote a letter to the New York Herald; contradicting its

conclusions and declaring that its publication was 'the first

event that has overcast a friendship of forty…five years'。 Mr。

Gladstone replied to this letter in a second pamphlet。 At the

close of his theological arguments; he added the following 

passage: 'I feel it necessary; in concluding this answer; to

state that Archbishop Manning has fallen into most serious

inaccuracy in his letter of November 10th; wherein he describes

'my

Expostulation as the first event which has overcast a friendship

of forty…five years。 I allude to the subject with regret; and

without entering into details。'



Manning replied in a private letter:



'My dear Gladstone;' he wrote; 'you say that I am in error in

stating that your former pamphlet is the first act which has

overcast our friendship。



'If you refer to my act in 1851 in submitting to the Catholic

Church) by which we were separated for some twelve years; I can

understand it。



'If you refer to any other act either on your part or mine I am

not conscious of it; and would desire to know what it may be。



'My act in 1851 may have overcast your friendship for me。 It did

not overcast my friendship for you; as I think the last years

have shown。



'You will not; I hope; think me over…sensitive in asking for this

explanation。 Believe me; yours affectionately;



'H。 E。 M。'



'My dear Archbishop Manning;' Mr。 Gladstone answered; 'it did; I

confess; seem to me an astonishing error to state in public that

a friendship had not been overcast for forty…five years until

now; which your letter declares has been suspended as to all

action for twelve。。。



'I wonder; too; at your forgetting that during the forty…five

years I had been charged by you with doing the work of the

Antichrist

in regard to the Temporal Power of the Pope。



'Our differences; my dear Archbishop; are indeed profound。 We

refer them; I suppose; in humble silence to a Higher Power。。。

You assured me once of your prayers at all and at the most solemn

time。 I received that assurance with gratitude; and still cherish

it。 As and when they move upwards; there is a meeting…point for

those whom a chasm separates below。 I remain always;

affectionately yours;



'W。 E。 GLADSTONE。'



Speaking of this correspondence in after years; Cardinal Manning

said: 'From the way in which Mr。 Gladstone alluded to the

overcasting of our friendship; people might have thought that I

had picked his pocket。'



VIII



IN 1875; Manning's labours received their final reward: he was

made a Cardinal。 His long and st

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