posed by several congregations, but it was postponed to a later synod. Two committees were appointed to prepare, the one a draft for a new ritual in the native tongue, the other a catechism and a Biblical history. The synod also elected six synodal examiners, four of whom' were priests and two laymen. From a statistical report made to this synod it appears- that in May, 1874, there were in Prussia 31 congregations fully organized and IG in the course of organization ; in Bavaria, 51 congregations; in Baden, 31 congregations and socie- ties. The number of Old-Catholic priests was 41, and that of students of theology 12. The latter studied at the University of Bonn, where a majority of the pro- fessors of the' theological faculty had joined tlie Old- Catholic movement. The fourth Old-Catholic Con- gress, which was held in September, 1874, at Freiburg, devoted its attention chiefly to the subject of Church liroperty, demanding that wherever a formal separation between the adherents of the Vatican Council and the Old Catliolics should take place, the latter should re- ceive a proportionate part of the Church property. One of the favorite projects of the Old-Catholic leaders, tlie holding of a Union Conference between Old Catho- lic, the Eastern Church, and Anglican theologians, for the purpose of discussing the best means for reuniting these large divisions of the Christian Church, was carried out iu September, 1874. The first Union Conference of these theologians met at Bonn, under the presidency of Dr. Dcillinger. The theologians of all the three churches agreed that the differences on doctrinal points which divided the three churches were not insuperable. The Old Catholics and Anglicans conceded to the Eastern theologians that the words Filioque (q. v.) were added to the Nicene Creed in an illegal manner, and that, with a view to future peace and unity, it is desirable to ex- amine the question whether the creed can be restored to its original form without sacrificing a doctrine ex- jjressed in the form at present used by the Occidental churches. The agreement by the Old Catholics to sev- eral doctrinal theses adopted by this conference indi- cates a further progress in the departure of the Old- Catholic movement from the doctrinal system of the Cluirch of Kome. Among the most important of these theses were the following : The apocryphal books of the Old Testament are declared to be not canonical in the same sense as the books contained in the Hebrew canon ; no translation of Holy Writ can claim a higher author- ity than the original text ; divine service should be celebrated in a language understood by the people ■, the doctrine tliat superabundant merits of the saints can be transferred to others, either by the heads of the Church or by the authors of the good works, is untenable ; the number of sacraments was for the first time fixed at seven in the 12th century, and this became a doctrine of the Church, not as a tradition of the Church received from the apostles or earliest times, but as the result of theological speculation; the new Koman doctrine of the immaculate conception of the Virgin is at variance with the tradition of the first thirteen centuries; indulgence can only refer to penances which have really been im- posed by the Church herself. The second Old-Catholic Synod, which was held at Bonn in January, 1875, adopt- ed tlie draft of a German liturgy, and recomjnended its introduction to the congregations. Most of the resolu- tions passed by this synod aimed at completiug the or- ganization of the Church. In regard to the abolition of priestly celibacy, opinions still differed very widely, and action on the subject was again postponed. From the statistical reports made to the synod it appeared that on March 31, 1875, the number of Old-Catholic congrega- tions was 98, with 14,7GG adult members, and a total population of 44,886. The number of ( )ld-Catholic priests was 53, and of Old-Catliolic students of theology at the University of Bonn 11. Of the congregations, 32 be- longed to Prussia, 35 to Baden, 2(! to Bavaria, 3 to Hesse, 1 to Wiirtemberg, and 1 to Oldenburg. These figures were, however, far from exhibitint; the total strentrth of
the Old Catholics, for a number of societies had not sent in the lists of membership in time. A second Union Con- ference of theologians of the Old-Catholic, Oriental, and Anglican churches, again presided over by Dr. Diillin- ger, was held at Bonn in August, 1875. After long and animated discussions, a resolution was adopted that the three churches agreed in receiving the oecumenical sym- bols and the doctrinal decisions of the ancient undivided Church, and in acknowledging the representations of tlie doctrine of the Holy Ghost as set forth by the fa- thers of the undivided Church. The third Old-Catholic Synod was held at Bonn in June, 187(1. From the sta- tistical report it appears that the greatest progress dur- ing the year had been made in the grand-duchy of Ba- den, where there had been an increase of 10 congrega- tions, 6 ministers, 1182 men, and 2210 persons. In Prussia 2 new congregations had been organized, 1 new liarish had been established, and 6 societies had been recognised by the government. The increase in the number of clergymen was 3, in that of men 2G3, and in total population 1759. In the grand-duchy of Hesse 2, and in Oldenburg 1 new congregation had been formed. The reports from Bavaria were incomplete and unsatis- factory. In some places there had been a decline, and on the whole there had been no progress. "\Mthout Bavaria there were 87 congregations (last year 72), and an increase of 1G24 men and 4434 souls. The number of priests has increased since 1873 from 30 to GO.