The movement thus entered a new phase, the congress occupying itself mainly with the formation of a more definite organization and with the question of reunion with other Churches. The immediate effect was a fateful divergence of opinion ; for many who sympathized with the opposition to the extreme papal claims shrank from the creation of a fresh schism. Prince Chlodwig Hohenlohe, who as prime minister of Bavaria had attempted to unite the governments against the definition of the dogma, refused to have anything to do with proceedings which could end only in the creation of a fresh sect, and would make the prospect of the reform of the Church from within hopeless ; more important still, Dollinger refused to take part in setting up a separate organization, and though he afterwards so far modified his opinion as to help the Old Catholic community with sympathy and advice, he never for mally joined it.
Meanwhile, the progress of the quarrel between the Prussian government and the Curia had been highly favourable to the movement. In May, 1873, the celebrated Falk laws were en acted, whereby the articles 15 and 18 of the Prussian constitu tion were modified, so as to legalize a systematic state super vision over the education of the clergy of all denominations, and also over the appointment and dismissal of all ministers of religion. The measure, which was a direct response to the Vatican decrees, inspired the Old Catholics with a not unreason able expectation that the moral support of the government would henceforth be enlisted on their side. On the 1 ith of August Professor J. H. Reinkens of Breslau, having been duly elected bishop of the new community, was consecrated at Rot terdam by Bishop Heykamp of Deventer, the archbishop of Utrecht, who was to have performed the ceremony, having died a few days before. In the meantime the extension of the move ment in Switzerland had been proceeding rapidly, and it was resolved to hold the third congress at Constance. The proceed ings occupied three days (12th to 14th September), the sub jects discussed being chiefly the institution of a synod as the legislative and executive organ of the Church, and schemes of reunion with the Greek, the African and the Protestant communions.
The following year (1874) was marked by the assembling of the first synod and a conference at Bonn, and of a congress at Freiburg-im-Breisgau. At the congress Bishop Reinkens spoke in hopeful terms of the results of his observations during a recent missionary tour throughout Ger many. The conference, held on the i4th, 15th and 16th of September, had for its special object the discussion of the early confessions as a basis of agreement, though not necessarily of fusion, between the different communions above-named. The meetings, which were presided over by Dollinger, successively took into consideration the Filioque clause in the Nicene creed, the sacraments, the canon of Scripture, the episcopal succession in the English Church, the confessional, indulgences, prayers for the dead, and the eucharist (see MALINGER). The synod
(May 27-29) was the first of a series in which the doctrine and discipline of the new Church were gradually formulated. The tendency was, naturally, to move further and further away from the Roman model ; and though the synod expressly re nounced any claim to formulate
or any intention of destroying the unity of the faith, the "Catholic Catechism" adopted by it in 1874 contained several articles fundamentally at variance with the teaching of Rome. At the first synod, too, it was decided to make confession and fasting optional, while later synods pronounced in favour of using the vernacular in public worship, allowing the marriage of priests, and permitting them to administer the communion in both kinds to members of the Anglican Church attending their services.
The new alliance between Bismarck and Pope Leo XIII. against revolutionary Socialism, deprived the Old Catholics of the special favour which had been shown them by the Prussian government; they continued, however, to enjoy the legal status of Catholics, and their communities retained the rights and the property secured to them by the law of the 4th of July 1875. In Bavaria, on the other hand, they were in March, 189o, after the death of Dollinger, definitely reduced to the status of a private religious sect, with very narrow rights. When Bishop Reinkens died in January, 1896, his successor Theodor Weber, professor of theology at Breslau, elected bishop on the 4th of March, was recognized only by the governments of Prussia.
outline of the whole movement up to the year 1875 will be found in The New Reformation, by "Theodorus" (J. Bass Mullinger) ; and an excellent résumé of the main facts in the history of the movement in each European country, as connected with other developments of liberal thought, and with political history, is given in the second volume of Dr. F. Nippold's Handbuch der neuesten Kirchen geschichte, vol. ii.
See also A. M. E. Scarth, The Story of the Old Catholic and Kindred Movements (London, 1883) ; Biihler, Der Altkatholicismus (Leiden, 1880) ; J. F. von Schulte, Der Altkatholicis mus (Giessen, 1887) ; and article in Herzog-Hauck's Realencyk. fur Prot. Theol. and Kirche, i. 415. For details the following sources may be consulted: (a) For the proceedings of the successive congresses: the Stenographische Berichte, published at Munich, Cologne, Constance, etc.; those of the congress of Constance were summarized in an English form, with other elucidatory matter, by Professor John Mayor; (b) the series of the Catholique national (Berne, 1898-1908) and the series of the Revue Internationale de theologie (Berne, 1893-1910).