The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1870-04-16
The Pope's Inlallibility.

1t seems to be pretty certain that on Mon
day next the Q,cumenical Council in Rome
will declare the dogma of the Pope's infalli.
bility TO he an essential part of the Catholic
faith. What little opposition TO this action
there has been in the Council hitherto has
30 dwindled away, that those bishops who
have made il will probably hasten to change
their course, and convert the majority
against them into practical unanimty.
AS we understand it, the infallibility which
will be ascribed to the sovereign Pontif win
EXTEND no further than 10 his official acts as
The head of the Church. 1t is not
the personal opinion of MAsTAI FER.
RETTI, or whoever else may occupy
the Papal chair, TO which the Church
will be required to bow, but the solemn de-
clarations made by the successor Of st. Peter,
with duo deiberaton, and with the full
sense of his responsibility as the vlcegcrcnt
of God on earth. In this sense, the dogma
of Papal infallibility has long been held and
taught by distinguished Catholic thcologians,
and that they have finally won over their
colleagues proves both tho intrinsic force of
their views and the ability with which they
have been advocated.
Indeed, the infalliblity of the Pope as IN
official teacher of religious truth is only the
legitimate Towering and crown of the whole
mass of Catholic theology. If men must
submit their reason at oil to authority, that
authority can properly be no other than that
of divinely ordained and constituted priest
hood. The priesthood again must have an
organization and head and what better
head can be found than the lineal successor
of him to whom the Founder Of Christianity
committed the keys of tho kingdom of
heaven2 Ard when we have got as far as
this, and recognize in the Bishop Of Rome
the accredited instrument through which
God rules the Church, logic compcls the ad-
mission that this instrument is and remains
under divine guidance, and can no more err
than his heavenly Master,
OF course Protostants will refuse to accept
the first step Of this reasoning, and 80 avoid
the last but all those among them who ad.
init that any doctrine, such as that of the
anu tuc lCuIlOus IOT CX-
ample, must be believed under pain of dam.
nation, whether nationally understood or not
have no right to sneer at the Catholics for
accepting as true the decisions Of their &C,
clesiastical chief II is only that small class
which repudiatcs authority in religion al
together, and makes each individual man his
own Judge in religious matters, which can
consistently dissent from the conclusions OF
the Council.
But in thus distinctly defining the doctrine
ofauthority in matters of religious faith, and
ombodying that authority in the person OF @
single man, the Catholic Church enters upon
new and perilcus phase of its existence
The power Of its head over the souls Of men
Will DO consolidated and increased but
with this increase of power comes core
spending increase Of responsibility. SO long
rs the Pope shall confne himself to settling
points of abstract speculation, the Church
will be perhaps safe enough. His utter
Ances will provoke no rebe lion. as4 bt