A CHAPTER ON ROMANISM

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Feb 27, 1879

A CHAPTER ON ROMANISM.

From an exchange we gather the following interesting items concerning the papacy:—

The Roman Catholic priests of Roussilin, France, are irritated at the spread of Protestantism in their bounds, and have recently made family visits to all the people in five districts, and, seizing every copy of the Holy Scriptures that could be found in the homes of the people, paid what they had cost and then made a bon-fire of all they had collected, and publicly burned them.

The Roman Catholics have not succeeded very well in Virginia. In the entire State there is only a Catholic population of 17,000. A correspondent of the Examiner and Chronicle says they lose two of their immigrants where they make one native convert. Bishop Keane is making special efforts now to draw in the colored people. A special service was held in the Cathedral at Richmond recently for this purpose, and there was a crowded house. The colored pastors do not greatly fear for the results.

The Roman Catholic Missions in India, Ceylon, Burmah, and Siam have gained greatly since 1866. In that year there were 16 bishops, 20 vicars-apostolic, 790 priests, and 915,590 persons in the congregations. Now there are 21 bishops, 23 vicars-apostolic, 1,096 priests, and 1,088,309 professing members in the churches. The number of schools has increased from 716 to 1,422, and of scholars in them from 27,078 to 94,494. The Archdiocese of Goa, which is an ancient see, contains 766 priests, who minister to 156,162 persons.