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German Catholioism Germanus THE NEW SCHAFF-HERZOG
German Catholic council and the third synod of the free Protestant congregations met in Leipsic for negotiations with each other. There
4. Absorp- were here represented about 100 Gertion by the man Catholic congregations and about Free Prot- thirty free Protestant ones. The reestant Con- sult was the formation of the " Regregations. ligious Society of Free Congregations " (Religiorasgesedlschaft freier Gemeinden), which means that the German Catholic congregar tions gave up their Roman Catholic character and their creed and melted away in the Protestant free religious movement. This union was the end of German Catholicism as an independent party building upon Catholic foundations; the confessional element, which had hitherto still persisted in it though in a weakened form, was sacrified in the interests of the more highly valued element of freedom.
This union was not adopted without objections in the meeting, and not all the congregations socepted it. There still exist to-day in the Kingdom of Saxony several German Catholic congregations comprising more than three thousand persons; that at Leipsic shows a vigorous increase (1866, 407 persons, 1903 almost 1,400). It can not be determined how many of the free congregations outside Saxony may still be counted as German Catholic; their names are too indefinite. In general it may be said that the title of " German Catholic " is used at present by the congregations of Western and Southern Germany belonging to the League of Free Religious Congregations. In isolated instances there occur titles like " Christian Catholic " (Christ katholisch), " Free Christian " (Frei-chrisaich), and even the name " Free Evangelical Catholic " (Frei evangelisch-katholisch) is found in Kbnigsberg, as an attempt to express absolute superiority to confessionalism. According to a list of the League of Free Religious Congregations (Bund freireligioser Gemeinden) of 1896, fifty-nine congregations belonged at that time, fourteen of them mentioning in their self-chosen title their relationship to Catholicism.
Within German Catholicism Czeraki tried at the start to maintain connection with churchly Christianity, but he was not able to make his influence felt alongside that of Ronge. From objecting to compulsory dogmas they went on
5. Reasons apace to thrusting all dogmas aside, for and so to a breach with the Christian Failure. faith, both Roman Catholic and Prot estant. Many who had joined the movement at the start because they hoped from it a purification and reformation of the Roman Church, now withdrew; such were Anton Theiner, professor of Catholic theology, and M. E. Regenbrecht, pro fessor of canon law, both in Breslau. Very soon it became evident that Ronge merely had the ability to summon to the first attack on the Roman Church and to stir up the masses as an agitator, but that he did not have the power of founding a new Church. His lack of capacity was soon recog nized even by those of his own party; he died in Vienna Oct. 26, 1887, a forgotten man. Czerski had long been of no public significance when death reached him Dec. 22, 1893. At the start German Catholicism was not with out certain prospects, for it voiced demands and represented ideas which corresponded to the mood of the times and contained much that was good. But that which Ronge and Czerski lacked was that wherein the entire movement was deficient, viz., the power to proceed from negative criticism of the faults of the Roman Church to the formation of a purer Catholic Church. This impotence was rooted in the lack of religious productivity. The German Catholic movement brought forth not a single per sonality able to lead others as a prophet. Though it may also be granted that persecution by the civil power was not without influence on the decline of the movement, nevertheless in the last analysis the ddcisive reasons for failure lie in its own make-up. For but a few years it was a danger to the Roman Church; after it had amalgamated with the free Protestant congregations, it needed no longer to be feared. CARL MIRBT.BIBLIOGRAPHY: F. Kampe, Geschichfe der religibsen Bewegung der neuern Zeit, 4 vols., LelpsiC, 1852-60; idem, Das Wesen des Deutschkatholiciernus, Tfibingen, 1850; H. Schmid, Geschichte der katholiechen Kirche Deutschlands van der Mute des 18. Jahrhunderts, Munich, 1874; H. BrUek, Geechichte der katholisden Kirche im 19. Jahrhundert, ii. 525 sqq., Monster, 1903; G. Tschirn, Zur BO-jdhrigen Geschichte der freireligdeeen Beuregung, Bamberg, 1904. For review of literature consult Jenaische alkemeine Lideraturseitung, 1846-47; T. Bruns in C. Hifner, Neues Repertorium ffir die theologiade Litteratur and kirchliche Statis6k, vol. v., 1846.
GERMAN EVANGELICAL CHURCH DIET. See CHURCH DIET, GERMAN EVANGELICAL.GERMAN EVANGELICAL PROTESTANT CHURCH: A name given collectively to a number of independent German churches, mostly west of the Alleghany Mountains, holding the general position of the Protestant Union, German (q.v.), represented by two associations named respectively " Union of Ministers of the German Evangelical Protestant Church of North America, " and " Evangelical Protestant Preachers' Conference of North America." The first, formed in 1885, succeeded the defunct " Protestant Union," and aimed to furnish a representation of the churches interested, to preserve their independence and mutual interests, and to increase the efficiency of the ministers. It has three districts, Pittsburg, Cincinnati, and Western, with a central executive board of three members, and reports thirty-four churches and as many ministers. The second association, holding essentially the same position, was formed in 1896, and has twelve ministers and fourteen oongregations. Besides the churches represented in the associations named, there are a number of independent congregations, the ministers of which are unaffiliated, the number and membership of which is not known, but the latter may reach 20,000. The fundamental principles are practically those of the United Evangelical Church of Prussia of 1817. Its religious foundation is the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the interpretation of which is left to the judgment of the believer, guided by the Christian idea. The associations maintain an orphan's home and a home for the aged near Pittsburg, Pa., have a ministers' seminary, aid in the support of the Protes-