The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1876-02-27
LITTLE CATECHISN
ON THE AVAILABILITY OF THE soVER-
EIGN PoNTIFF, DESIGNED TO AID IN
ruE COMPREHENSION OF THE DOGMA.

|
WHAT TIE INFALLIBILITY IS, AND WHAT 1T
| IS NOT.
!. 70 gou understand arhat the InfaH
LiEty ct the Pope is, ard also what it is not
By tic Grace of God l think that I'M
derstard It, and that am able to retute
all the errors disseminated by the oPpon-
ents of Papnl lnfalibility.
q: Very nell. But, first, mhat IS meant by
this HuiaNJiHty? Does it mean that The
Pope is impeccable
Assured,y not. The Pope, child of
Adam, Ike ourselves, is lia5'e TO have do
f.cts, ard to commit faults But Papat In
fallibility relates to the ,cordS CT the Pope,
aud got to his conduct
3. And are zoe then cbliged to receire as an
ordcle crcry irord that comes from The rope
lips?
No; the words of the Pope, however
great oc thrir authority. and however en-
| titled Ia all respect, are pot intaihoe, save
| WHEN He TEACHES AS POPE.
4 You mean Il hen he speaks EN- CATuEDRA.
But undor what circumstances does tho rope
speak, precisely as Pope, EN CATHEDRA
| (Cr0m the chair)
The Chair (catheira) signified the teaching
of the Master. The Pope speaks cr cathedrd
when, IN his character of Universal Master
eign and apostolic authority, be detnes
| some doctrine regarding faith or morals,
FOR The whole Catholic Church. Pontlh-
| cal Infal!ibilty is then the privilege which
the Roman Pontitf las received from
God, of being incapable of erring when he
speaks er cathedra, in matters of faith anu
! morals.
| the Pope cannot teach error in place Of
| truth ? In other cords, that he IS inJatH-
bic?
He ID infallih'e because God assists him
because the Holy Spirit, the Spirit OF all
Truth, aids him, according to the promise
made to Peter and, in him, to his success
soTs.
6. Tie Pope then, has the same Imtallibil.
ity as the Church itself?
Precisely the same. The Pope, even
alone, in his character of Master and uni
vcrsal Teacher, has that same infaIilhllity
Which JESUS Christ gave HIs Church for
teaching faith and morals.
I. When the Pope has pronounced a defni-
| tion must it be held as imfdlibIe, and must
no one be held capable Of discussing or re-
| forming such decision
| Yes the ditinltions of the Pope. made
by his supreme and apostolic authority
are henceforth, by them selves, inmutabe
! In Orde, to be certain OF their truth there
| ia no Iced of awaiting the conse ut OF the
! Churcl,, ADD, as a consequence, they can no
be rct";;ned.
: Int, ia dctUmL Of this consent, might
not chance that ne should see the Pope OF
one side Of the question, and the Church OF
tLe OfherY
No; we will never see the Pope on on
, eide teaching certain doctrine, and Il.
{ Bishops 90 the other side teaching the con
trary doctrine. And thus vanishes tina
terror Of isolated, separated and persona
IntallibIlty, as 1t is called.
The Catholic Episcopate. under the n
tinrnce of the Holy Spirit which assists til
I Church, will always adhere IT, the judg
nlcut pronounced hy the Pope in tbs in
fall bic authority. The etitice ~Ijl fore We
, remain united to It's foundation; bu
1 Sustained Ivy the foundation. not sus .atu
iuE II.
o We wN hure then tco ia('s|HbiIit;ss
} the cSUeCtire imfdlHbiitY Of TIE tedchin
e Church, and the personal infaNib'Htyo OF til
q Pope
r Strictly speaking, the Iufallibiiity is on
in ia origin, which Is the assistance OF til
Holy Sp'rt one in it's end, which is til
y universal welfare of the faithful. How
ever, the subject in whom the 1nfalli bIlit
resides, may be either the chief of til
/, Church alone, or this same Chief to who1
t unites though always subordinate to hin
; the, Catholic EpiscOpate, to form the teact
Z ing Church. Thus we have, as it were,
double organ by which God makes Us hea
:, His voice: the teaching Church, or til
. Pope together with the Epis .opste dis
. persel, or reunited in Council; aud th
{ Pope alone, speaking cr CdHedrG, ~ tt
i Universal Teacher, with his apostolic al
& thority alone.
s. TUE DEFINITION Is xEw-TuE DOGMA is NC
:, NEW.
e /. Tie InfulliJiliy Of the Pope INIT
.s to the bishops, or the intaiibiHty Of t.
:, Chuch, is q dogma both ancient and recci''
d IN all ages but is not this infalHbiity of t
e Pope, independently Of the consent and a
n thority ofhe Bishops, a new Dogma?
, The definition Is new-the dogma is NJ
le and cannot be new. The dogma IS as al
= Gent as the Gospel in which it rs said
m That Jesus Christ established Peter
d H." foundation of the Church aud the IN
h. ve:sal Pastor that He prayed for him tn
r, his faith might not fail; that He gave hi
)" the privilege of confirming his brethren
-. the faith" Now it is evident that if Il
OF Pope's decision need to he examined AT