The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1879-03-31
THE PoPE's INrALLIBILIrY.
sermon ON the Subject BY Bishop Kaiu
Yesterday Afternoon.


Sermon ON the Subject by BIshop Kahn
Yesterday Afternoon.
The Cathedral was crowded yestertla,
afternoon to hear Bishop Kahn discourse
upon his previously announced theme o.
the Pope's Infallibility. He took for hi,
text the 18th, 10th and 18th verses Of the
last chapter Of John, the first Of which
reads as follows:
80 when they hal dInCl. Jesus saith 10 Simon
eter simon son OF lgnaA lowest thu me more tiia
thosei lie saith unto him, yea, Lord; thou khOWeSt
that 1--we thee hCrAlth unto hiul iced NY Iambs.
In introducing his subject, the Blshop
called attention TO the prevailing miscon.
cepttons which Protestants entertained
of the "lnfallihility Of the Pope" and
sought to correct them. Iniallibility must
not be coniounded with impeccability, II
does not mean that the Pope cannot sin,
or that he is inialliblein his private capaci.
~; or that he Is inspired. It simply
means that, in his official character as
Chiet Pastor he Is protected from error by
the pledged presence with him OF Christ
and the holy Spirit Of God. As Head Of
the Church, he cannot lead the church
astray by teaching erroneous doctrines.
In every age the Popes have claimed
and exercised supreme spiritual authority
over all the faithful and this implies, as a
necessary requisite for It's exercise, their
infallibility. This infallible authority was
never questioned, except by the Greek
schismatics, until the Council OF Con.
stance; and never systematically denied
until the rise Of Gallicanism. It was de-
fined an article Of faith by the first G General
Council, assembled after the opposite
opinion had developed and taken shape,
A number OF passages from the ecclesias.
teal writers Of the first, second, third and
fourth centuries of tho church were
quoted to show the unouestioned
OF the Roman PontiT in
those early times. The belief of
the church cannot be better expressed
than in the words OF the illustrious st.
Augustine, after hearing Of the condemns
ton by the Pope OF the Donatist heresy:
"Rome has spoken; the cause Is ended"
or Of the Bishops assembled in General
Council at Chalcedon, in the year 45l, on
hearing the letter Of Pope Leo: "Peter has
spoken through Leo" This supreme au.
thority was recognized in the Bishop of
Rome, because the successor Of St. Peter
and heir OF his authority us chief pastor
Of the flock OF Christ. The attempts TO
discredit the fact Of St. Peters being the
first Bishop OF Rome-a fact attested by all
Christian tradition and unduesdonable
nomenclature received no counte.
nance from the learned, even among
Protestant historical critics. 1t is easy to
deny; but when nero negative arguments
las that st. Paul Is silent on the subiect)
are addueed In refutation Of universally
admitted fact Of history, child may sec
their nakedness. 10 none other Is at.
tributed the first preaching Of the Gospel
III the Eternal City, which St. Peter calls
in his first epistle (5:lS), as all the early
Christians were wont to call It Babylon.
From the time oil POter's call to the
Apostleship, he invariably holds the place
othonor. Our Lord gave him name in.
significant OF the high Office he should NIL
in the church,, for in the Syro-U haldaic
language spoken by our saviour, the word
Ctphds means rock. and Christ says
plainly to Simon: "Thou art cpphas Ia
rockl; and on this (cephas) rock | will
build my church, and the gates OF hell
shall not prevail against II" The reason
why the gates OF hell, that is, error and
false doctrines shall never destroy the
church, is because Christ has constituted
the Apostle Peter the firm foundation OF
the church. AS long as the foundation is
secure, the edifce built upon It
cannot fall. The meaning is placed
beyond doubt by the words that
follow: "And will give TO thee the keys
OF heaven, and whatsoever thou shalt
bind upon earth shall he bound in heaven,
and whatsoever thou shalt loose upon
earth, shall be loosed in heaven" Upon
no other apostle singly did Christ confer
this supreme power of finding and
losing; and to none other did he give or
promise the keys Of his kingdom, or
church on earth. To Peter alone did He
give this supreme authority.
Foretelling luke XXI, 81, 3a,) the Of
forts Of the devil to seduce all the Apostles,
He provides for the security OF their faith
by praying, not for all, but for Simon, and
charging him to confirm his brethren"
Il have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail
not; and thou being converted, confirm
thy brethren. This expresses precisely
the doctrine Of the Catholic Church. But
1t was after His resurrection from the dead
that our Divine Lord, expressly ard In
unequivocal terms, gave to st. Peter charge
over His entire flock. "Feed my lambs;
feed my sheep" The commission could
not be given in palmer words; and could
not contain more exactlythe Catholic doc.
trine. It Is and always will be Peters duty
to feed the whole flock of Christ with
ound.doctrine. This he could not do, un.
less secured by Gods assistance against
the danger Of teaching error. Immediate.
ly after our Lords Ascension, St Peter en-.
tiers on the duties OF his Office OF Chief
Pastor, as the "Acts" clearly show. On
every occasion, he appears in the promi.
nent position OF Prince OF the Apostles.
When he speaks, "all controversies cease,
and all keep silence" (Acts xv.) As then,
so has It ever been since, and shall It ever
continue to be. The infallible voice Of
Peter will ever put an end to all religious
disputes among the faithful. Heaven and
earth may pass away and all else perish,
but the word Of Christ guaranteeing the
Rock" on which He has built Hi Church,
shall never pass away.
The Year 1870.