72 THE ROMAN CONFESSIONAL. and ideas, etc. On my observing that the cultus (of the) Blessed Virgin must be a great difficulty, he said that this would, and ought to be, modified, that the cultus was 'unnatural,' that what was said (ordinarily) was 'no calumny but a truth,' that our Lord was put into the shade, that there really was a contradiction between the books of divinity and the common popular usage, the former saying that there was no necessity to pray to the Saints, and for consequence not to the Blessed Virgin Mary; and these devotions of the people (are) cast entirely upon the principles of such worship. On my alluding to Père Hyacinthe and the Swiss movement, he said that the French Swiss would attach themselves to the French line of thought, the German Swiss to the German, difference of language hindering combination; that Père Hyacinthe was putting forward such questions as of the marriage of priests, etc., naturally; but that the Germans considered it quite a subordinate one, that it would follow on any change; and he alluded to the Greek Uniat-priests allowed to have wives-and he implied the same as to other purely disciplinary matters. He then went on to speak of Confession, and alluded to the discussions now rife in England. He gave his opinion freely on some important points . . that confession ought not to be pressed or over encouraged in little matters; that it was more for serious, deadly sins; that he had in his own experience observed that English ladies were disposed to make too much of little matters, getting up a case for confession without need. He thought this very hurtful, and a misuse of the Sacrament of Penance. He denied that Roman priests required some deadly sin to be recalled in order to give absolution, and spoke of the evil of such an idea; that Roman priests always gave the same form of absolution whenever they absolved. He spoke very strongly of the evil consequences of what universally prevailed, of giving absolution on the mere promise of forsaking sin, so that what was charged against the Roman Confessional of leading persons to sin on from the easy obtaining of pardon, making, as he said, a 'safety valve' for sin, is strictly true, everywhere prevailed. I asked how it had arisen. He only repeated it was certainly the fact. On my suggesting it might be from the difficulty of keeping up a stricter view of Confession in case of such numbers, he put this aside, as not being the case, from the numbers of priests and of persons neglecting confession. He said half the people in Munich kept away from Confession. It would be different, he said, in villages, where the parish priest knew everybody. On my asking whether all these were therefore debarred communion, he said no; that in towns it would not be known who went to Confession or not; that it could not but be left to every man's own conscience, and that it was equally so in villages where there were monasteries, the monks being Confessors; and as he seemed to imply, they acted without concert with the parish priest. On my asking particularly on the point, he said all parish priests were, of course, from their position, empowered to confess, that their assistant priests also had no difficulty, but were in fact equally empowered; that other priests like himself had to arrange this with the parish priest, but that it was readily agreed to. His parting words to me were, that while Russia would have her influence in the East, Germany and England would be the leading nations influencing the West; that we on our side must work towards a future union, which would come after our day." In June, 1873, Mr. Carter returned home with strength restored, and again took up his work in the parish and Sisterhood. He was warmly welcomed by parishioners and friends, and to the address in which they expressed their hope that he might "long be spared to watch, as you have always done, over our best and highest interests, and to minister to our spiritual necessities," he returned the subjoined answer : "MY DEAR FRIENDS, "Clewer Rectory, July 8, 1873. "Your kind welcome to me on my return home has deeply affected me, and can never be forgotten by me. To have been restored to the hope of being useful in my appointed duties is a blessing for which I heartily thank Almighty God; but you have added to this the happiness of feeling that I have your affectionate goodwill, which is the greatest possible comfort and encouragement to me. "In the long period that I have been permitted to minister in this important parish, I am very conscious how imperfectly I have fulfilled what I have desired to do, but your expressions of sympathy lead me to trust that you 74 THE WELCOME, on return. accept my desires, and regard kindly what it may please God to allow me to do. "My children wish me to express their sense of thankfulness to you for your kind thoughts of them, and their delight, in which they unite with me, in being again amongst you. "I heartily pray that in whatever trials of sickness and infirmity it may be your lot to share, you may have a large measure of that kindness and those consolations which have been richly and most mercifully granted to me in my time of need. "Believe me to remain, "Your obliged and faithful friend |