RELIGIOUS | AdventAI

International Tract and Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Oct 19, 1888

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 14, No. 40.

RELIGIOUS.

—Palestine now has 500,000 inhabitants, “not as many,” says the Jewish Times and Observer, “as the city of Chicago.” Of these only seven per cent. are Jews.

—A Jewish paper states that the Baron and Baroness Edmond de Rothschild are about to visit Russia, in order to examine the condition of the Jews there.

—A Catholic priest from Millhousen, Ind., recently returned from a visit to Rome, is credited with the statement that “the affairs of the church in Italy are in bad condition, the Pope and the priests being daily subjected to abuse by the Government and the people. The greater portion of the people in Rome are infidels, and this is one of the reasons why they are so bitter in their hatred of the church.” The statement that the greater part of the people are infidels is not at all surprising since infidelity is the legitimate fruit of Catholicism “gone to seed.”

—The American Hebrew characterizes as “a pious outrage” the expending of $500,000 annually in efforts to convert the Jews. It calls the missionaries “miserable wretches,” and says that the money expended by them “is put to a disgraceful and disreputable use which should cause a blush to mantle the cheeks of those who contribute thereto.” These are bitter words and certainly indicate that a people who cherish such feelings toward those who are trying to do them good stand sadly in need of conversion, whatever may be their prospects for such a change of heart.

—“Peter’s Pence,” which is no small part of the Pope’s income, is said to have been originally an English idea, and was at the start a voluntary tribute paid by the English kings to the Pope. After the Pope began to lose his domains, the French began to contribute to his needs by what they called the denier de St. Pierre, and in France the greatest sums are yet collected for this purpose. Since 1822 the French have given to the Propaganda Society alone the sum of 220,000,000 francs. In the year 1887, of 6,648,000 francs contributed to this Society, France alone sent 4,355,000 francs, or more than two-thirds of the whole sum.

—Thibet is now the only country barred to missionary operations. But notwithstanding the fact that at present they are not permitted to give the gospel to the 10,000,000 inhabitants of that country, the British and Foreign Bible Society has translated the Scriptures into the Thibetan language, and now has a warehouse filled with Bibles printed in that tongue. The society has confidence in the purpose of God to give the Bible to the whole world, and to open the doors of the nations to his word.

—Ever since the occupation of Rome by the king of Italy, until the first of July last, the Pope has refused to accept the annual stipend voted to him by the Italian Parliament, and it was placed in the treasury subject to his orders. Since that time, however, he has been drawing upon the fund. It is thought that this action is due in part to the falling off of receipts from Ireland, where the Pope’s rescript has had a disastrous effect upon contributions. Some also regard it as an indication that the Italian Government is to be recognized by the Vatican. The Italian premier has already announced that when this recognition is accorded the State will make all reasonable concessions to the church.