aims. He does not shrink from the consequences of the
persecuting theory; and he has given the most authentic and unvarnished
exposition of the Syllabus. He was the first who spoke out openly what
others were variously attempting to compromise or to conceal. While the
Paris Jesuits got into trouble for extenuating the Roman doctrine, and
had to be kept up to the mark by an abbe who reminded them that the
Pope, as a physical person, and without co-operation of the Episcopate,
is infallible, Schrader proclaimed that his will is supreme even against
the joint and several opinions of the bishops.[372]

When the proceedings of the dogmatic commission, the acts of the Pope,
and the language of French and Austrian bishops, and of the press
serving the interests of Rome, announced that the proclamation of
infallibility had ceased to be merely the aspiration of a party and was
the object of a design deliberately set on foot by those to whom the
preparation and management of the Council pertained, men became aware
that an extraordinary crisis was impending, and that they needed to make
themselves familiar with an unforeseen problem. The sense of its gravity
made slow progress. The persuasion was strong among divines that the
episcopate would not surrender to a party which was odious to many of
them; and politicians were reluctant to believe that schemes were
ripening such as Fessler described, schemes intended to alter the
relations between Church and State. When the entire plan was made public
by the _alleging Zeitung_ in March 1869, many refused to be convinced.

It happened that a statesman was in office who had occasion to know that
the information was accurate. The Prime Minister of Bavaria, Prince
Hohenlohe, was the brother of a cardinal; the University of Munich was
represented on the Roman commissions by an illustrious scholar; and the
news of the thing that was preparing came through trustworthy channels.
On the 9th of April Prince Hohenlohe sent out a diplomatic circular on
the subject of the Council. He pointed out that it was not called into
existence by any purely theological emergency, and that the one dogma
which was to be brought before it involved all those claims which cause
collisions between Church and State, and threaten the liberty and the
security of governments. Of the five Roman Commissions, one was
appointed for the express purpose of dealing with the mixed topics
common to religion and to politics. Besi