During the meeting of the Vatican Council I, several discussions, agreements, disagreements and conclusions were made.
Among them was the definition of papal infallibility. The bishops who were attending the Vatican Council I were divided into three groups, to see through this matter. The first group active infallibilists was led by Manning and Senestrey. The Vatican Council also experienced great opposition to the draft constitution on the nature of the Church. Some participants in the opposition of this draft boycotted the meeting wanting the document to be amended before approval.
The chapters 3 and 4 state the supreme powers of the Pope and that he is the final decision maker on very important matter of the church. A section of Catholics especially of German language protested this and formed the separate Old Catholic Church.
Thereafter, more discussion of the rest of the document on the nature of the Church was to be done after the bishops returned from a summer break. Make Halloween Catholic again. Handing down the faith through conversation and play. Bishops, public officials, and holy communion: once again. How do you want to be remembered? Father Regis Scanlon, O. Perspective Jared Staudt Opinion. Looking Back to the First Vatican Council. By Jared Staudt. January 15, Next article Nothing about us without us.
Jared Staudt R. Jared Staudt, PhD, is a husband and father of six, the Associate Superintendent for Mission and Formation for the Archdiocese of Denver, a Benedictine oblate, prolific writer, and insatiable reader. Jared Staudt. Handing down the faith through conversation and play November 12, George Weigel. Bishops, public officials, and holy communion: once again November 10, Wherefore we teach and declare that, by divine ordinance, the Roman Church possesses a pre-eminence of ordinary power over every other Church, and that this jurisdictional power of the Roman Pontiff is both episcopal and immediate.
Both clergy and faithful, of whatever rite and dignity, both singly and collectively, are bound to submit to this power by the duty of hierarchical subordination and true obedience, and this not only in matters concerning faith and morals, but also in those which regard the discipline and government of the Church throughout the world.
In this way, by unity with the Roman Pontiff in communion and in profession of the same faith , the Church of Christ becomes one flock under one Supreme Shepherd [50].
This is the teaching of the Catholic truth, and no one can depart from it without endangering his faith and salvation. This power of the Supreme Pontiff by no means detracts from that ordinary and immediate power of episcopal jurisdiction, by which bishops, who have succeeded to the place of the apostles by appointment of the Holy Spirit, tend and govern individually the particular flocks which have been assigned to them.
On the contrary, this power of theirs is asserted, supported and defended by the Supreme and Universal Pastor; for St. Gregory the Great says: "My honor is the honor of the whole Church. My honor is the steadfast strength of my brethren. Then do I receive true honor, when it is denied to none of those to whom honor is due. Furthermore, it follows from that supreme power which the Roman Pontiff has in governing the whole Church, that he has the right, in the performance of this office of his, to communicate freely with the pastors and flocks of the entire Church, so that they may be taught and guided by him in the way of salvation.
And therefore we condemn and reject the opinions of those who hold that this communication of the Supreme Head with pastors and flocks may be lawfully obstructed; or that it should be dependent on the civil power, which leads them to maintain that what is determined by the Apostolic See or by its authority concerning the government of the Church, has no force or effect unless it is confirmed by the agreement of the civil authority.
Since the Roman Pontiff, by the divine right of the apostolic primacy, governs the whole Church, we likewise teach and declare that he is the supreme judge of the faithful [52], and that in all cases which fall under ecclesiastical jurisdiction recourse may be had to his judgment [53].
The sentence of the Apostolic See than which there is no higher authority is not subject to revision by anyone, nor may anyone lawfully pass judgment thereupon [54]. And so they stray from the genuine path of truth who maintain that it is lawful to appeal from the judgments of the Roman pontiffs to an ecumenical council as if this were an authority superior to the Roman Pontiff.
So, then, if anyone says that the Roman Pontiff has merely an office of supervision and guidance, and not the full and supreme power of jurisdiction over the whole Church, and this not only in matters of faith and morals, but also in those which concern the discipline and government of the Church dispersed throughout the whole world; or that he has only the principal part, but not the absolute fullness, of this supreme power; or that this power of his is not ordinary and immediate both over all and each of the Churches and over all and each of the pastors and faithful: let him be anathema.
That apostolic primacy which the Roman Pontiff possesses as successor of Peter, the prince of the apostles, includes also the supreme power of teaching.
This Holy See has always maintained this, the constant custom of the Church demonstrates it, and the ecumenical councils, particularly those in which East and West met in the union of faith and charity, have declared it. So the fathers of the fourth Council of Constantinople, following the footsteps of their predecessors, published this solemn profession of faith: The first condition of salvation is to maintain the rule of the true faith. And since that saying of our lord Jesus Christ, You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church [55], cannot fail of its effect, the words spoken are confirmed by their consequences.
For in the Apostolic See the Catholic religion has always been preserved unblemished, and sacred doctrine been held in honor. Since it is our earnest desire to be in no way separated from this faith and doctrine, we hope that we may deserve to remain in that one communion which the Apostolic See preaches, for in it is the whole and true strength of the Christian religion [56].
What is more, with the approval of the second Council of Lyons, the Greeks made the following profession: "The Holy Roman Church possesses the supreme and full primacy and principality over the whole Catholic Church. She truly and humbly acknowledges that she received this from the Lord himself in blessed Peter, the prince and chief of the apostles, whose successor the Roman Pontiff is, together with the fullness of power.
And since before all others she has the duty of defending the truth of the faith, so if any questions arise concerning the faith, it is by her judgment that they must be settled. Then there is the definition of the Council of Florence: "The Roman Pontiff is the true vicar of Christ, the head of the whole Church and the father and teacher of all Christians; and to him was committed in blessed Peter, by our lord Jesus Christ, the full power of tending, ruling and governing the whole Church.
To satisfy this pastoral office, our predecessors strove unwearyingly that the saving teaching of Christ should be spread among all the peoples of the world; and with equal care they made sure that it should be kept pure and uncontaminated wherever it was received. It was for this reason that the bishops of the whole world, sometimes individually, sometimes gathered in synods, according to the long established custom of the Churches and the pattern of ancient usage referred to this Apostolic See those dangers especially which arose in matters concerning the faith.
This was to ensure that any damage suffered by the faith should be repaired in that place above all where the faith can know no failing [59].
The Roman pontiffs, too, as the circumstances of the time or the state of affairs suggested, sometimes by summoning ecumenical councils or consulting the opinion of the Churches scattered throughout the world, sometimes by special synods, sometimes by taking advantage of other useful means afforded by divine providence, defined as doctrines to be held those things which, by God's help, they knew to be in keeping with Sacred Scripture and the apostolic traditions.
For the Holy Spirit was promised to the successors of Peter not so that they might, by his revelation, make known some new doctrine, but that, by his assistance, they might religiously guard and faithfully expound the revelation or deposit of faith transmitted by the apostles.
Indeed, their apostolic teaching was embraced by all the venerable fathers and reverenced and followed by all the holy orthodox doctors, for they knew very well that this See of St.
Peter always remains unblemished by any error, in accordance with the divine promise of our Lord and Savior to the prince of his disciples: I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail; and when you have turned again, strengthen your brethren [60]. This gift of truth and never-failing faith was therefore divinely conferred on Peter and his successors in this See so that they might discharge their exalted office for the salvation of all, and so that the whole flock of Christ might be kept away by them from the poisonous food of error and be nourished with the sustenance of heavenly doctrine.
Thus the tendency to schism is removed and the whole Church is preserved in unity, and, resting on its foundation, can stand firm against the gates of hell. But since in this very age when the salutary effectiveness of the apostolic office is most especially needed, not a few are to be found who disparage its authority, we judge it absolutely necessary to affirm solemnly the prerogative which the only-begotten Son of God was pleased to attach to the supreme pastoral office.
Therefore, faithfully adhering to the tradition received from the beginning of the Christian faith, to the glory of God our savior, for the exaltation of the Catholic religion and for the salvation of the Christian people, with the approval of the Sacred Council, we teach and define as a divinely revealed dogma that when the Roman Pontiff speaks EX CATHEDRA, that is, when, in the exercise of his office as shepherd and teacher of all Christians, in virtue of his supreme apostolic authority, he defines a doctrine concerning faith or morals to be held by the whole Church, he possesses, by the divine assistance promised to him in blessed Peter, that infallibility which the divine Redeemer willed his Church to enjoy in defining doctrine concerning faith or morals.
Therefore, such definitions of the Roman Pontiff are of themselves, and not by the consent of the Church, irreformable. So then, should anyone, which God forbid, have the temerity to reject this definition of ours: let him be anathema.
Given at Rome in public session, solemnly held in the Vatican Basilica in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and seventy, on the eighteenth day of July, in the twenty-fifth year of Our Pontificate.
S Bernard, Ep. Letters PL , The translation found here is that which appears in Decrees of the Ecumenical Councils ed. Norman Tanner. The numbering of the canons is however found in Tanner's text. Religious Catalogue. See of Peter.
Daily Readings. Seasons and Feast Days. Prayer Requests. Church Councils. First Vatican Council. Author: Vatican I. Session 1 : 8 December Decree of opening of the council Pius, bishop, servant of the servants of God, with the approval of the sacred council, for an everlasting record.
They are: 1. Likewise 7. I resolutely assert that images of 1. Session 3 : 24 April Dogmatic constitution on the Catholic faith Pius, bishop, servant of the servants of God, with the approval of the Sacred Council, for an everlasting record. Thus she can never cease from witnessing to the truth of God which heals all [8 ] and from declaring it, for she knows that these words were directed to her: My spirit which is upon you, and my words which I have put in your mouth, shall not depart out of your mouth from this time forth and for evermore.
Chapter 1 On God the creator of all things 1. Chapter 2 On revelation 1. Chapter 3 On faith 1. Chapter 4. On faith and reason 1. Canons 1. On God the creator of all things 1. In this sense, the church mirrored and imitated the great empires and national states of the 19th century, which used new means of communication and transportation to consolidate power, enforce unity and build bureaucracies.
It did so, once again, out of a great sense of urgency, driven initially by the conviction that its very survival and existence were at stake. Moreover, to add to the irony, church leaders managed to convince others, and even themselves, that the institution they had created was the church as it had always been from time immemorial. But what they had created was a far more decisive departure from what had gone before than what has been claimed for Vatican II by the most radical proponents of historical discontinuity.
Jeffrey von Arx, S. Your source for jobs, books, retreats, and much more. June , issue. June 10, Radical Acts The definition of papal infallibility at Vatican I did not represent the most radical act of the council, even though that definition resolved controversies over this issue at the extreme, with the pope infallible apart from and above a council. Show Comments Comments are automatically closed two weeks after an article's initial publication.
See our comments policy for more. Is there a followup article by Fr. William Rydberg. I am guessing that the Author was either educated in Europe or at least, his professors were. The notion that the Church almost "died" is pure dramaturgical hogwash that betrays a strong sense of euro-centrism which continues to this day. The North American Church in Quebec City was well insulated, and would have been prepared to provide safe haven. I know much less about South America, but I expect that the same could also be said of them in the Era.
Furthermore, this Author seems to forget that the actual "cell" of the Church is the Catholic Family, and its Head is the same Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow. The Author forgets that the people perpetrating the attacks on the Church happened to be in large part-baptized Christians themselves. That in most cases this "battle" was between families, either Aristocratic, or otherwise influential opinion makers. Religion is always personal! These people were not about to kill off all of their relatives.
And, don't get me started on the example of the Ashkenazi branch of Jews as well as Sephardic branch of Jews who have managed to keep their Abrahamic Religion to this day. There is a lot more to draw from this example. To say that one couldn't have a priestly succession is ridiculous since one only needs one Bishop or arguably 2 to establish Apostolic succession. Getting back to the Jews mentioned above, you can be assured that if necessary, they could come up with many persons living today that they can establish by historical proofs who are direct descendants of the Temple Priests - all legally and in accord with the Law of Moses!
I am sorry, but I really detest this dramaturgical, hype filled euro-centric description of history. Its simply bunk in my opinion! Finally, remember that the roots of the Catholic Church are Abrahamic, and will never be cut off. The centralization changes because of the French Revolution. All three are and in need of renewal The clock turns and renewal is always necessary. He went to Princeton, is President of Fairfield University.
Thanks for writing this Fr. I found this article very enlightening.
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