Emperor William and the Catholic Church
By L. A. S.
According to assertions put forth by the leading organs of the papacy in Europe, the Catholic Church is soon to receive no less an accession than Emperor William of Germany. It is declared that the emperor’s sympathies are being won over to this church in various ways, and that he will at no distant day boldly declare himself as its adherent and supporter. Two reasons are assigned for this expectation. First, the “center,” or Catholic, party in the government has stood by the emperor in supporting every measure devised by the latter for the furtherance of his imperial ambitions, and has likewise joined with him in opposing the social-democratic party, and supported his claim to rule by divine right. This has drawn the emperor to that party, and to the church which it represents. Second, the emperor wishes to maintain religion among the people, and as Protestantism is evidently falling into decay, it must be the Catholic religion to which he must lead the people. On this point a German Catholic paper says:— Emperor William has a lucid mind. He is perspicacious enough to be aware of the ever divine and living power of the Catholic Church in the face of the impotence and weakness of Protestantism, which is dying of decay. There is every reason to believe that the emperor has made or will make this observation, which is a thing self-evident, and that he will have the courage to give his support, in every German Protestant state, to the Catholic Church, and to bring all Germany back to the old mother church; that is, to Catholicism. He would thus give to Germany a splendor and a power known to her only in the days of Charlemagne. The emperor, as he says himself, wishes to maintain religion among the people. Now that can only be the Catholic religion; for Protestantism can be sustained no longer. It is suffering from inward ruin, it is stricken with consumption. Hence it can be said that the emperor, in his speech at Aix-la-Chapelle, spoke as a Catholic emperor. It is no doubt true that “Protestantism” in Germany, as represented by the state church and by German “rationalism” and the “higher criticism” is “stricken with consumption,” and that, as compared with the Catholic religion, it is much inferior in vitality and in power to hold the people. And this is no doubt plain to the mind of the emperor. This is a fact which is working powerfully in other countries where a like state of things exists, to win religiously minded people over to the Catholic Church, and no doubt it has its effect upon the mind of the German emperor. As regards the work of the Catholic party in the Reichstag, it may be said that for many years the pope, through this party, which is strong enough to hold the balance of political power in Germany, has been securing concessions from the German government which have brought that country more and more under the influence of the papacy. So that on the whole, there seems much reason to believe that in this matter the Vatican organs have not spoken far short of the truth. L. A. S.