ABSTRACT
The twentieth century opened with a face-to-face confrontation between one of the liberal Catholics and the English ecclesiastical authorities. Vaughan suggested that a talk with the liberal Catholic priest George Tyrrell might be useful. Meanwhile, in the absence of a profession of faith from Mivart, Vaughan excommunicated him. English liberal Catholics were able to continue their efforts at reconciling the Church with contemporary thought and scientific criticism since distinctions could be made between the liberal Catholicism censured by the pastoral and permissible forms that represented a tendency of mind recurring in the Church. The joint pastoral had suppressed for the time being the publication of strident articles like those that had appeared during the previous year. But tempers among English liberal Catholics were beginning to run high over issues treated in the pastoral, and basic questions were beginning to be put in pointed form.
