The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-08-05

l. OAANAAA 10 AIO /
the Prince of the Apostles, the true Vicar of
Jesus Christ, the Chief of the whole Church,
the father and teacher of all Christians, and
that to him has been intrusted by our Lord
Jesus Christ, in the person OF the Blessed
Peter, the full power to feed, to rule, and TO
govern the Universal Church, as is stated in
the acts of the Gcumenical Councils and the
Sacred Canons.
Therefore we teach and declare that the
Roman Church, by the institution of the
Lord, has the pre-eminence OF ordinary
power over all the other churches; and that
this truly episcopal power of the jurisdiction
of the Roman Pontiff Is Immediate; that the
pastors and the faithful, both individually
and taken together, whatever may be their
rite and their dignity, are subject to him by
the duty of hierarchical subordination aud of
true obedience; not only in those things
which concern the faith and the morals, but
also in those which belong to the discipline
and the government of the Church scattered
throughout the whole universe; so that pre-
serving the unity both of communion and of
profession of the same faith with the Ro nan
Pontiff, the Church of Christ is one flock
under one Supreme Pastor. Such is the
doctrine of the Catholic Truth, from which
no one can deviate without losing faith and
salvation.
This power of the Supreme Pontiff is far
from injuring that ordinary and Immediate
power of episcopal jurisdiction, by which the
bishops, who, instituted by the Holy Ghost,
have succeeded the Apostles feed and
rule as true pastors, each the particular flock
which is assigned to him. Their episcopal
power is proclaimed, confirmed, and corro-
borated by the Supreme and Universal Pastor,
according to the Word of Saint Gregory the
Great: My honor is the honor of the Univer-
sal Church. My honor is the solid strength
of my brethren. 1 am truly honored, when
the honor due to every one is not refused to
him.
From this supreme power of the Roman
Pontiff to govern the Universal Church re-
suits for him the right to communicate freely
in the exercise of his functions with the pas
tors and fiocks of the whole Church in order
that they may have the privilege of being in
structed and directed by him in the way Of
salvation. Therefore we condemn and cen
sure the opinion of those who say that this
communication of the supreme head with
the pastors and flocks may lawfully be him
dered, or who make it subject to the secular
power, claiming that the things provided by
the Apostolic See, or in virtue of his autho-
rity for the government of the Church, have
force and authority only when they are
confirmed by the agreement of the secular
power.
And as the Roman Pontiff, by the divine
right of the apostolical primacy, is placed
| oNtII hO huiCh WO uiOO CdS OlAt
we declare that he is the supreme judge of
the faithful and that recourse may be
had to his Judgment in all things which belong
to ecclesiastical jurisdiction that on the
contrary the Judgment of the Apostolical See,
above which there is no other authority,
cannot be modified by any one, and that no
one is permitted to judge its judgment.
Those therefore deviate from the right way of
truth who assert that it i lawful to appeaifrom
the judgment of the Supreme Pontiffs to an
Ecumenical Council as an authority superior
to the Roman Pontiff.
If any one, therefore, shall say that the
Roman Pontiff has only the charge of inspec.
ton and direction, but not the universal and
supreme power of jurisdiction over the whole
Church, not only in things which pertain tc
faith and morals but also in matters which
pertain to the discipline and government Of
the Church Universal, or that he has only the
greater part and not the plentitude of thi
supreme power; or that this power which b,
possesses is not ordinary and immediate
whether it be over all the churches or owe
each of them, or over all the pastors and al
the faithful, or over each of them-let him b.
anathema.
CHAPTER ".
Of the HtaRtbe authority of the Roma.
P0ntif.
This Holy See has always held, the un
broken custom of the Church proves, and tn
Gcumenicai Councils themselves-those es
p%ecially in which East and West came togethe
in a union of faith and charity-have de
clared, that the supreme power of mastershi
was comprehended by that Apostolic Primac
which the Roman Pontiff received as the sue
cessor of Peter, the chief of the apostles
' The fathers of the fourth Council of Con
st~antinople, following in the footsteps G
their predecessors, put forth this solemn dc
3 claration. Safety lies above all in guardin
the formula of the true faith, and as the de
. c~laration of our Lord Jesus Christ canno
. be overlooked, who said:-''Thou art Peter
, and on this rock will l build my church;
. these things are said to be borne out by II
, suits, since in the Apostolic See the Catholi
! religion has always been kept Immaculate
! and the sacred doctrine spread abroad. Wisf
! ing, therefore, to depart as little as possibl
: from his faith and doctrine, we hope to mer
I being in the unity of communion which th
Il Apostolic See breaches, in which is the I'll
+ broken and real solidity of the Christian rel
l gion. With the appreciation of the Secon
l Council of Lyons the Greeks have declare
that the sacred Roman Church has til
sovereign and complete ~primacy, and pr,
1 eminence over the Catholic Churc
5 Universal, pre-eminence which she truI
i in the person of the blessed Peter, I'll
J head or chief of the Apostles, of whom th
u Roman Pontiff is the successor. Aud, ina
. much as he is bound more than others to d
u fend the truth of the faith, when any que
tions of faith are raised these que
tions ought to be decided by his judgmen
Finally, the Council of Florence has dete
"a mined ''That the Roman Pontiff stands for
" as the true Vicar of Christ, the head of Il