The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1872-11-10

VfoS eV4s1 - Nv II - a " -
tsAt oG any ether man. when VIII our
neighbor learn this a ) u Of the doctrine 81
Infaliibility
Onr neighbor goes on to prove, by two
passages from ct. Augustine, that he tonight
that an appeal could be had from the Pope
to a General Council.
First passage. This is from the treatise
de Bapt. The reader will please look back
and examine it. # he can there find any
allusion to the Pope, his critical acumen
must go a great deal further than ours.
There is no doubt that the rule there laid
down by st. Augustine holds good to this
day-but it has nothing to do'with the
Pope.
Second passage. From the AID Eristle,
I'd class, CHI. 10. There is here slight in.
accuracy. The words given are not words
which st. Augustine uses for himself, but
which he puts in the mouth of the heretics
to whom he is writing. But apart from
this there are several grave errors. ST.
Augustine does not "advise the Donatists
to appeal to general council from the de-
cision of Melchiades, bishop or Pope Of
Rome" though our neighbor says he does.
Indeed the Pope Of Rome had given no
decision. The very passage quoted by the
Presbyterian intimates as much. The Do
natists are made by st. Augustine to say,
" Behold, we are of opinion that those
Bishops who gave judgment at Rome were
not good judges" Why did not our neigh
Dor give the facts of the case necessary to
a good understanding of itf The Dona-
fists had referred mooted question to the
Emperor, the Emperor referred it to eight
cen Bishops, who met at Rome to examine
it. This made q small local Council, over
which the Pope presided, and to the
DEGREES of which he gave effect, not
simply rs Bishop of the Diocese in which
it happened to be held. 1t is from the de-
cision of these Bishops that St. Augustine
says the Donatists might appeal. The
Presbyterian translates it so as to make
"illos Episcopos'-thoseB ishops-mean the
Pope.
This blunder of our neighbor comes from
it's ignorance of the question at issue. In
the first place it must know that the Bishop
of Rome has several distinct characters.
Thus he is simply Bishop of his Diocese
like any other Bishop, then he is Arch
bishop of his Province, then he is Primate
of Italy, then Patriarch of the Occident and
finally Pope OF Doctor of the Universal
Church. He may act in any one of these
utterly distinct from the Others
and his action is subject to appeal when
acting in any of them excepS the last. 1t
was merely in the first of these capacities
or as simple Bishop, that he was acting, at
the express request of the Emperor, on the
occasion spoken of by st. Augustine, in
and that author evidently speaks of the
judgment as that of those Bishops including
the Bishop of Rome, and makes no refer
ence whatever to the Pope as Pope. This
is perfectly evident also from another pas
sage in the works of st. Augustine. where
lie speaks of the same event. 1t is in the
treatise Post Coll, oh. 33, No. Sc, found in
vol. 9, p. $50, and is in the following words:
f.Primo Ceciltanus EPISCOPAL judicio Melchi-
ads est absolutus," that is, I" First Cecilia
nus was absolved by the episcopal judgment
of Melchiades." Cecilianus was the per-
son whose affair was on trial before the
above referred to, and the decision
given in his favor is the one from which st.
Augustine tells the Donatists they might
have appealed. Yet he cautiously and
pointedly speaks of it as episcopai judicio,
an episcopal judgment, not papaf decree.
Again. Our neigbbor is evidently igno-
rant of another fact which it certainly
ought to know by this time, that is, gen.
eral Council, of which st. Augustine speaks,
is no council at all without the Pope. He
is and always was chief integral part of
It, and without his approval its decisions
never had particle of force. No instance
can be found where any decree of any
Council is or has been binding or valid
without the approval of the Pope, but in
every instance where such DEGREES have
been disapproved of by him, and those
;pstancea ara numerous thew werc and