The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1874-12-27
Pastoral Letter Of the Archbishop Of Westminster
on the DEGREES Of the Vatican Council as Bindiy-
Upon all the Faithful.
London Tablet Dec. 81

London Tablet Dec. 81
The following Pastoral was read in the
ch lrches of the diocese on Sunday last =
"Dear Children in Jesus Christi. On
Sunday, the 2Sth of August, 1870, the fol-
lowing letter from his Eminence Cardinal
AntonelIi was read by our order in all
churches of this diocese -
"'RoAIE, Aug. IL, 1870.
"It has been made known to the Holy See
that some among the faithful, and perhaps
even among the Bishops, of opinion that
ed in the Session of the Gcumenioal Council
of the Vatican on the 18ta day of the mouth Of
July, will not be o. obligation until it has been
solesnuly published by some further act of the
Holy See. How strange such supposition is
any one may easily know.
'Tbe said Constitution had the most solemn
publication possible on the very day on which,
in the Vatican Basilica, it had been solemnly
confirmed and promulgated by The Sovereign
Pontif in the presence of more than 500 Bish-
OBJ for it was on that day, although thel,
was no such necessity in this case, put up
with the customary formalities in the usuat
plac OF Rome SO that according to the we'll
known rule it was made obligatory for tfs
whole Catholic world without need of any
further publication Whatsoever.
81 have thought it my duty TO communicate
these brief oh ervatio is to you, in order that
doubts thaj may from any quarter be brought
before you.
JAMES, CARDINAL ANToNELLl.
This declaration was made by the Car
dinal in answer to the objection of some
persons who had thought that the DEGREES of
been solemnly defined and confirmed by
the Sovereign Pont ff in the Council itself,
might require some further promulgation
as condition of their being regarded as
publicly binding upon the whole Church.
"'2. Events which unhappily are motor
ious induce Us to make known to the faith
ful, lest any should be misled by the words
OF example of one or two who still profess
to be Catholic, that whosoever does not in
his heart receive and believe the doctrine
doctrine of the infallibility of the Vicar OF
Jesus Christ, as they have been defined by
the supreme authority of the Church, does
by that very fact cease to be a Catholic.
The Eucycllcal 'Ioeffabilis Deus,' by which
on the 9th of December, 1854, the Sover-
ereign Pontiff defined that the most bless
ed Virgin Mary was, by u singular grace
and privilege of Almighty God, and by
reasons of the merits of Jeeus Christ the
Saviour of mankind, preserved in the first
moment of her conception free from all
stain of original sin, contained these words:
Wherefore, if any person, which God
forbid, shall presume to think in their
hearta otherwise than we have now defin-
ed let them know that they are condemned
by theic own judgment, that they have
su ffered shipwreck in faith, and have fallen
away from tue Dnity of the Church.
In like mauner, the Constitution of the
Vatican Coupcil which defined that the
Roman Pontif, when be speaks e1 ca:hedrG
that is, when, discharging the Office of
pastor and teacher of all Christians, He,
by virtue of his supreme apostolic authori-
ty, defines doctrine of faith or morals to
be held by the universal Church'--is infal-
lible, ended with these words:
"And if.any che, which God forbid, sha"
presume to contradict this our definition,
let him be anathema.'
"3. 1t has come to our knowledge that
some who openly refuse to believe the said
doctrines persist, nevertheless, in calling
themselves Catholics, and to give out that
they. go to confession and to holy commun-
ion in the Catholic Church. We, there
fore, hereby warn them that in SO doing
they deceive our clergy by concealing their
unbelief, and that in every such confession
and communion they commit a sacrilege to
their own greater condemnation. We re-
joice to know, dear children in Jesus Christ,
that of such men there are few indeed.
BuG, lest their wo'ds or their example
should seem to be tolerated by the Catho-
lie Church, we make this declaration, and
we make it with an earnest prayer, that
the Holy Spirit of God, against whom they
are striving, may bring them to repentance.
"May the grace of the Holy Ghost abb
undantly confirm You In his infallible guild
ance. HENRY EDwAED,
Archbishop of Westminster.
HNovember 22D