LETTER ll. The Puseyite and the Jesuit.

Rome, November, 1846
DEAR EUGENIO,-
I am the happiest man in the world. You will remember that in my last letter I told: you of having formed an acquaintance with a minister of the Anglican Church; well, you will not believe it, but I have already almost succeeded in converting him. I should never have believed that the conversion of a Protestant priest could be so easy a matter, nor have imagined that their arguments were so weak, that it needed only a little logic and a little good sense to reduce them to nothing. But I hope the story which I have to relate to you will be of great benefit to you.

Scarcely had I left the religious house of St. Eusebius, where, as I wrote to you, I had gone through the spiritual exercises of St. Ignatius, than I went to the Church of St. Peter to acquire plenary indulgence. My religious acts to this end being finished, I stayed to observe the superb monuments of Christian art, which render that church the greatest marvel in the world, and I particularly stopped before the superb mausoleum of Pope Rezzonico, the work of the immortal Canova. I am not an artist, but such a monument is capable of inspiring anyone with enthusiasm. That statue of the Pope, in marble as white as snow, kneeling with hands clasped, in the attitude of prayer, has an expression so true, that you feel inclined to hold your breath to avoid disturbing that holy meditation. The artist has drawn his inspiration from the fervent prayer this Pope made, that God would cause him to die rather than that he should be obliged to repress the Jesuits, who are the moat powerful support of our holy Church. Those two lions, the most beautiful that have ever come from the chisel of man, making the finest contrast to the benevolence expressed on the face of the Pope, the principal figure of the monument, fascinate and delight you.

Whilst I was thus, almost in ecstasy, considering this mausoleum, I heard a slight noise near to me; I turned and saw a man of about thirty years of age, with a sympathetic face, dressed entirely in black, having a coat that descended beneath, his knees, fastened in front by a long row of buttons, that only permitted a small portion of a white cravat to be seen. He, like me, was occupied in admiring this marvel of modern art. At first I took him far a priest, but seeing in his hands a top (a cilindro) hat, I found I was mistaken. He approached me, gracefully saluting me, and began to speak to me of the magnificence of that monument; he wished to know the artist, and asked me about the actions of the Pope who was honoured by so magnificent a mausoleum. “It is certain,” he said to me, that this Pope must have rendered great services to religion to have merited a monument so immortal.” I answered that Clement XIII. had been a really holy Pope; that his life had been one tissue of trials; that all the Catholic Courts had tormented him, because not only did he refuse to suppress the Jesuits, but rather protected them against all. We then came out, of the church together.

I did not know who this was with me. From his physiognomy and pronunciation I judged him to be an Englishman. His dress was rather that of an ecclesiastic, and as I know that in England priests and friars cannot dress in their habits, but wear coats which are only not exactly similar to those of the laity, I thought he might be a priest. I was on the point of questioning him on this subject, when he said to me: “This is, indeed, a grand temple, and worthy of the majesty of God; we in England have no idea of such an one” “Pardon me,” I asked, “are you Catholic or Protestant?” “I am a Catholic,” he answered me, “but not a Roman Catholic; I am a minister of the Anglican Church, and belong to that class which we call High Church. Our Church is Catholic and Apostolic; it retains the Apolitical: succession in its bishops and in its priests, and all the doctrines and practices of venerable antiquity.”

Then I saw that my interlocutor was a Protestant priest, and I thanked God from my heart that He gave me so soon an opportunity for exercising my missionary zeal. Nevertheless, I will not hide from you that I was somewhat embarrassed, and with all my best intentions I did not know how to begin a discourse on his conversion. He, in the meanwhile, asked me many questions upon ecclesiastical matters. Finally, I sought to introduce the subject, asking him what he thought regarding the separation of the Anglican from the Roman Church – that is, whether he judged it to be a good or bad thing.

My question was a direct one, and he, heaving a deep sigh, replied: “That separation has been the greatest misfortune for the poor English Church; the separation was a necessity, but a necessity created by the obstinacy of men who would yield in nothing. The questions were taken up with too much heat, and also they were on each side somewhat exaggerated; there was no compromising, and thus the separation became necessary; but it was very fatal necessity. Both the Anglican Church and the Roman Church have lost much by the separation.”

In the meantime, we had arrived at his lodging; he shook my hand, gave me his card, and said to me: “I much love the priests of the Roman Church, I shall be very pleased to see you again and speak with you concerning the Roman religion. Adieu.”

You can imagine what my surprise was after such a conversation; that a Protestant, and Protestant minister, could speak with such veneration, I may say love, of the Roman Catholic Church, appeared an inexplicable phenomenon. I had, up to that time, imagined that the Protestants were rabid enemies of Catholics, and particularly of their ecclesiastics; and I found instead, in this man, not only great courtesy, but also assured benevolence.

The evening of that day I went to the Roman College to consult my theological professor about the plan I should follow, in order to succeed in the conversion of this Protestant. I represented the case to him, and he, after reflecting a little while, said to me: “I think that your Englishman is a Puseyite.” I then prayed the good Father to give me an exact notion of Puseyism, because I had heard it spoken of, but had no clear idea of it.

“It would be a very long thing,” answered the good Father”, “to unravel the story of the religious movement of Oxford, called Puseyism, from Dr. Pusey, who is at the head of it. If you only knew what trouble that movement costs our good Fathers who are in England, either in having excited it or in supporting it! It produces truly good fruit, and will produce greater, lint it coats much. But that is enough; it will little interest yon, at least, at present; that which ought to interest you is to know the conduct you should maintain with such an Anglican minister in your discussions, and it is as to this that I wish to instruct you now.

“Ascertain accurately in the first place if you have to do with a’ Puseyite. Certainly the conversation he held with you leaves scarcely any room to doubt; but you never can be too cautious. You must better assure yourself of it. With such an aim you should begin to speak of the Church and of its ministers, but limit yourself to speaking of the bishops, priests, and deacons, without alluding to the other orders. You will say pleasantly and in no tone of discussion, that where you find Apostolical succession, there is the true Church. If he is a Puseyite he ought to agree entirely with that doctrine. Then you, to be better assured, will speak of the episcopate as a thing of Divine institution in the Church, and touch gracefully upon the doctrine of the superiority of bishops over priests by Divine right. Speak of the power of the keys, and of the power to absolve sins left by Jesus Christ to the ministers of His Church; the power that is preserved in the Church of Apostolical succession, transmitted by regular ordination; then begin to speak of auricular confession, but on this point do not quote passages from the Bible, limit yourself to saying that the practice of it dates back to the first ages of the Church, and say that our Father Marchi has discovered confessionals in the Catacombs, and you will see that this discovery will interest him very much.

“Yon need not take the Puseyites to the Bible, my son; they admit the authority of the Bible, but they admit, as we do, its supreme, but not sole, authority; they admit, likewise, the authority of tradition, the authority of the Church, the interpretation of the Fathers, and, above all, they occupy themselves with ecclesiastical antiquity; they repudiate the Protestant principle of free examination, from which you see clearly that they approach us very nearly. Nevertheless, be cautious, I repeat to you, not to take up with him the tone of discussion, nor show too much zeal. Ascertain if he agrees with these doctrines; if he agrees, he is a Puseyite, and then I counsel you not to advance further in your conversation without first consulting me.”

“Pardon me, my Father,” I then interposed; “do the Puseyites really admit such doctrines?”

“They admit these,” he replied, “and many others besides. They admit, for example, the adoration of the Eucharist, although they will not admit transubstantiation; they admit, although with some restriction, the worship of the cross and images; they admit prayers for the dead; of justification they speak almost in the same terms as the Council of Trent; they praise monastic vows and the celibacy of priests; they desire the re-establishment of convents and have founded some; they make use of crowns; of crucifixes, of medals; they light candles on their altars, and adorn them with flowers; they praise generally all the customs of our church, which can be justified by antiquity; and they desire to unite themselves by , some arrangement to the Roman Church, from which their fathers so imprudently separated themselves; and note well that the Puseyites are not like those obstinate Methodists, who attach themselves to the Bible, and so strongly, that they will not agree with anything that is not in the Bible. It is a terrible thing to have to fight with those people; but the Puseyites are much more reasonable, they admit the authority of the Church and all that can be proved consonant with ecclesiastical antiquity.”

“And why, my dear Father, do you not seek to make them Catholics? It appears to me that if they admit such principles, it would be very easy to convert them to our holy religion.”

“There is nothing easier, my son, than the conversion of a Puseyite; if he wishes to be logical he must become a Catholic. Admitting, for example, that the only true Church is that which has the Apostolical succession in its ministry, succession that is transmitted by the hands of the bishops, what is the consequence? It can only be this. The Roman Church is the true Church, because this has such a succession; and, admitting that the rule of faith is not only in the Bible, but is found also in tradition, and in the authority of the Church, it follows, consequently, that all the Protestant churches, who admit no other rule of faith than the Bible, are in error, and that the Roman Church alone has the truth. Thus you see clearly that a little logic is sufficient to make Catholics of all the Puseyites who will reason sincerely. But do you think that it would be for the greater glory of God to seek to convert the Puseyites to Catholicism? No, my son, the Puseyite movement must not be destroyed, but preserved and nourished; it has already been well received among the English aristocracy, by the Anglican clergy, in Parliament, and, perhaps, also in a still higher circle. Let us skilfully foster it, rather than destroy it, and it will infallibly bring forth its fruits; this is seeking the greater glory of God. But suppose that all the Puseyites became Catholics, that would do little good, but great evil; the Protestants would be alarmed, and our hopes and our endeavors by this means to bring back the English nation to the bosom of Holy Mother Church would be dissipated, and all our gain would be reduced to causing some thousand individuals to declare themselves Catholics, who are already so in heart, without having made explicit declaration. From time to time it is well that some Puseyite doctor should declare himself Catholic in order that under our instructions he may better conduct the movement; but it is not well that many should do so. Puseyism is a living testimony, in the midst of our enemies, of the necessity of Catholicism; it is a worm that, carefully preserved, as we strive to preserve it, will eat up the old Protestantism until it has destroyed it. England must expiate the great sin of its separation from Rome, and it will expiate it, most certainly. I know what I say, but I cannot tell you any more.”

“But in the meantime, my Father, all our good Puseyite friends are lost, dying outside the pale of our Holy Mother Church, and this appears to me a great evil.”

“Do not sorrow on that account, my son; our good Fathers, who are in England, provide for this untoward event, if we may call it so; they are furnished with all the power of our Holy Father to receive the recantation of the dying, when this can be done with prudence and quietly; when. they cannot do this, patience; their damnation cannot be imputed to us. You well know the end justifies the means; our aim is most holy, which is, the conversion of England; and the most fitting means to attain this end is Puseyism. You who have just come from the holy exercises know that our Holy Father Ignatius teaches that all means are good when they conduce to the end. Prudence, which is the first of the cardinal virtues, teaches us aIways to permit a small evil in order to attain a. greater good; thus the sick man allows the amputation of his leg to save the remainder of his body; in the same way we must resign ourselves to seeing the loss of some hundred Puseyites, in order that one day England may be converted. Therefore, follow my counsel; do not give yourself so much trouble to convert this man; lead him here to us. Father Marchi will take him to the Catacombs, and will show him those monuments of Christian antiquity which will further confirm him in his opinions; and he can do much more for our Holy Church in England as a Puseyite than as a Catholic.”

I confess to you, dear Eugenio, that I was not quite persuaded by the reasonings of my master; nevertheless, I saw in them profound prudence quite above my inexperience; still I felt in my heart I know not what, which prevented my following these counsels to the letter as I ought to have done. I thought over them a good part of the night, and decided to make use of these counsels only as far as they would help me to the conversion of my Englishman, which I did not feel disposed: to give up. Having made this decision, the following morning I went to find my Englishman, who received me with extreme kindness, as if I had been an old friend of his. We began our conversation about religion. I will not stop to detail this conversation, which circulated round those points indicated to me by my master, and with which my Englishman almost entirely agreed. Then I wished him to go further. He admitted that the only real Church of Jesus Christ is that visible company (societa visibile) established on the day of Pentecost, which has for its founders the Apostles, for its heads their successors, and for members all those who profess Christianity. From this principle, admitted by my interlocutor, I drew consequences against him, that is, if the true Church is a visible company, a visible body, it must have a visible head. If, as he admitted, the heads of the Church, viz., the bishops, are the successors of the Apostles, there must likewise be amongst them an order; hence, a head of the bishops, and consequently of the church; and he only could be such from among the bishops who is the successor of St. Peter.

Mr. Manson, for such was the name of my Englishman, was somewhat embarrassed, and I was transported with joy and delighted that I had not obeyed by master. Mr. Manson saw that he could not do away with the consequences which I had drawn from his principles, that he could not logically remain a Puseyite without admitting the primacy of the Pope, and all his prerogatives as Head of the Church. He sought to defend himself as he best could, saying that the Roman Church had degenerated in many points from the beautiful and pure Catholic doctrine of antiquity. I made him observe that even if it were so (which I did not admit), my conclusion would not on that account be less true or less just; for admitting that that alone is the true Church of Jesus Christ in which is preserved the Apostolic succession, there could be no doubt of the Apostolic succession of the Roman Church; it follows therefore, that the Roman Church is the only true one, and as outside the true Church of Jesus Christ there is no salvation, so one must either belong to the Roman Catholic Church or be lost for ever.

I would not and could not admit that the Roman Church had degenerated from the doctrines of antiquity, and repeated with pleasure that expression of “antiquity”; because, to say the truth, controversies with Protestants are a little tiresome for us, when one must only discuss with the Bible; you Protestants not admitting either the authority of tradition or the interpretation of the infallible Church, we find ourselves on difficult ground with you. But if, besides the Bible. you admit tradition, and the authority of the Church, and refer to ecclesiastical antiquity, to prove doctrines and justify customs, then the advantage is all for us, and our victory is certain. I, therefore, asked Mr. Manson what those doctrines were in which the Rom.n Church had, according to his opinion, degenerated from venerable antiquity?

Then he seemed to me somewhat embarrassed; he said many things rather unconnected, but from his discourse I gathered that he spake of worship in the Latin tongue, and of Communion in one kind only; customs, he said, that the Roman Church had adopted, but which it could not sustain by antiquity.

I prepared to show him from these same principles that such customs, although they may be called modern; did not show that the Roman Church, having adopted them, was in error, because such things do not pertain to dogma but to discipline; and as he himself admitted, the Church, that is, the bishops assembled together, having supreme authority in affairs of discipline in the Church, had had the right to change that discipline. To say that the changes were errors, you must prove either that the’ Church has no authority in affairs of discipline, or that these things pertain to dogma, or that they have been changed without good, reason.

It was at this point of my reasoning, when already I felt certain of victory, that the servant entered to announce two visitors. We rose to receive them, and two gentlemen entered, one of them a young Englishman; the other, his tutor, an Italian. a man of about fifty years of age. I then took leave with great vexation. Mr. Manson asked me my address, and promised that he would come and see me to continue our conversation, which had much interested him, and thus we parted.

I do not see the moment, dear Eugenio, to bring this affair to an end; the conversion of this man is certain. When he shall come, and we shall have continued the discussion, I will write to you at once. – Love your most affectionate
Enrico.

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