f Papal Infallibility may
be the beginning of a way out of the difficulty, and that its promoters
were so eager for it, rather for the facilities it afforded for the
repealing of old dogmas than for the imposition of new ones. The Pope
cannot, even now, under any circumstances, declare a dogma of the Church
to be obsolete or untrue, but I should imagine he can, in council, _ex
cathedra_, modify the interpretation to be put upon any dogma, if he
should find the interpretation commonly received to be prejudicial to
the good of the Church: and if so, the manner in which Rome can put
herself more in harmony with the spirit of recent discoveries, without
putting herself in an illogical position, is not likely to escape eyes
so keen as those of the Catholic hierarchy. No sensible man will
hesitate to admit that many an interpretation which was natural to and
suitable for one age is unnatural to and unsuitable for another; as
circumstances are always changing, so men's moods and the meanings they
attach to words, and the state of their knowledge changes; and hence,
also, the interpretation of the dogmas in which their conclusions are
summarized. There is nothing to be ashamed of or that needs explaining
away in this; nothing can remain changeless under changed conditions;
and that institution is most likely to be permanent which contains
provision for such changes as time may prove to be expedient, with the
least disturbance. I can see nothing, therefore, illogical or that needs
concealment in the fact of an infallible Pope putting a widely different
interpretation upon a dogma now, to what a no less infallible Pope put
upon the same dogma fifteen hundred, or even fifteen years ago; it is
only right, reasonable, and natural that this should be so. The Church
of England may have made no provision for the virtual pruning off of
dogmas that have become rudimentary, but the Encyclical from which I
have just quoted leads me to think that the Church of Rome has found
one, and, in her own cautious way, is proceeding to make use of it. If
so, she may possibly in the end get rid of Protestantism by putting
herself more in harmony with the spirit of the age than Protestantism
can do. In this case, the spiritual reunion of Christendom under Rome
ceases to be impossible, or even, I should think improbable. I heartily
wish that my conjecture concerning future possibilities is not
unfounded.

Scientists have been right in preaching evolutio