Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1881-12-12
FATHER GULL
On the rnfsiIibuty OF che Pspe-An Ia.
teressing and Able sermon Preached
Last Might at sc. Johns Church. Bel.


laire-
Notwithstanding the disagreeable weather.
ST. Johns church was we'll filled last night
by large and attentive audience TO listen
10 Father Cults discourse on the "lnfallibil-
ity of the Pope" The people Of Bellaire have
been anxious for some time past to hear o
sermon on this subject, and this one proved
to be OF q very interesting as well as IN
structive nature. After vespers, the row
erend &c ntleman spoke as follows:
In the first discourse of this series we
find that Jesus Christ was God, consequent
ly eternal truth. In the second discourse
IL was shown that as consequence Vi
Jesus Christ's divinity all that he said was
true. His authority wherever placed
bound all men, and that the system reveale9
Inv Him for the salvation of men should
and could never become obsolete or nan; II
was shown that the authority due Him nau
been committed by Him to the churchI
GAS the Father sent Me, send you anu
that TO the church was commit TIED the great
Office OF teaching the whole world 70 wnolit
the world owed the correlatlye DUTY Oh
obedience. So too it was shown that our
beloved Lord, coming as He did that men
might ''haye eternal and possess IL more
abnndantly." he made His church more IN
defectible by building it on rock-Peter-
and made it infallible by promising that
He himself would abide with it all MS
DAYS even, TO the consumation OF the world.
But the Church could not be infallible un-
less the head be also infallible: The great
body, the Church, could not DC lhiaI,ioi t
unless the head. the speaking organ, Whlch
enunciates the principle oil the oodY' oe
also infallible.
Though dread making this discourse too
long vet deem it necessary before ex-
rlain 10 Won what infallibility IS to tell you
what 4 Is not. The Catholic Church, like
Jesus Christ, whose life is but repeated i'll
her history, is maligned, falsely accused
and innocently held up to the ridicule OF
deceived world. She is not that cruel mon
ster her enemies-many OF them sanctlmo-
NOUS preachers of peace, charity and truth
have painted her.
INFALLIBILIrY, THEN, or THE POrE
does not mean impeccability. In other
words, we do not claim that the Pope can
not sin. The Pope is, like the rest Of us,
made of flesh and blood, subject to tcmpta-
ton, though, thank Heaven, most OF them
were men who led extraordinarily good
lives, many OF them martyrs. Seventy
nine of the two hundred and sixty POpes
who have sat on the chair Of Peter were
saints, and even our bitterest enemies
charge that only five or six were not good.
Then, while one iii twelve was BAD among
the apostles, il is only one in iOrty-fOur
among the POpes.
Again, infallbili,y does not mean in
sp:ration. The apostles were endowed
with the gift OF inspiration, and we accept
their writings rs the revealed word OF God.
The Vatican council, which declared the in
fallibility of the Pope dogma OF Catholic
faith, i'll 1870, in the celebrated chapter w.,
uses their words: For the Holy Spirit
was not promised to the successors OF Peter
in order that they might spread about new
doctrines which lie reveals, but that under
His assistance they might guard inyiOlably,
and with fidelity explain the revelation or
deposit OF faith handed down by the apOs-
ties"
Again. it is not claimed that
the Pope is infallible otherwise than as
the great teacher speaking 10 the
whole church in matters Of faith and morals
only. The utteranCe must be &c eothedr0,
and it must be the whole church. Hence
il is not claimed He is infallible in matters
OF science, history and ecclesiastical pro-
cesSes, such as marriage questions, benetice
questions, patronage questions, church
building questions, etc.
To use the similc of Archbishop Gibbons
in his priceless Faith of our Fathers" the
sovereign pontiffis to the church though in
q more eminent degree what the Chief JUS
tiCe is to the United States. When disputes
arise between individuals, corporations. or
States, appeal is made to the courts for ad-
Indication, Should either party feel ag-
grieyed, All appeal is made to the higher
court till at last it reaches the highest tri-
bunal-
rHE SUPREME COURT or THE UNITED STATES.
The Chief Justice with the Associate JUS
tees examines into the case prOnounces
Judgment upon it. and this decision is
final irreyOcable, and practically infallible,
here than in such q supreme Court anarchy,
rapine and confusion would circle through
the land Now, the Pope is the Chief Judge
of the Catholic world, guided i'll his decis-
ions by the revealed word Of God. When
PheS sense of Scripture, the subject is re.
ferred to the Pope for final adjudication.
The Sovereign POntiir before deciding the
case, gathers around him his venerable col
leagues, the cardinals of the church, or he
calls o council OF his associate judges of
faith, the Bishops of Christendom; or he
has recourse to other lights which the Holy
Ghost may suggest to him. Then after
powerful dcliberation he pronounceS judg-
ment and his sentence is final, irreYOcable
and infalliblc
II the Catholic church was not fortified
by this divinely established Supreme tri-
bunal she would be broken up like the
sects around her into thousand frag-
ments and anarchy would soon follow. But
by means of this infallible court her mar
velous unity is preserved Throughout the
world
The reverend gentleman then, in order
that his hearers might judge of it as il is
authoritatiyely given by the Vatican Coun-
Gil, read the iy. chapter 'On the infallible
teaching Office of the Roman PontifT" In
further support of his discourse he quoted
from the second Council OF Lyons CA. ID.
1914 and the Council of Florence (li39).
In order to fulfill their pastoral office
my predecessors have time after time,
directed their unweared labors that the
wholesome doctrine of Christ might be
spread abroad among all people of the earth
and with like care have they watched that
wherever the true doctrine has been re-
ceiVed, there it should be preserved pure
and updefiled. Therefore have the Bishops
of the whole world sometimes individually
and sometimes assembled in solemn SynodS,
acting according to the long received Gus
tom of the church, and according to the
pattern OF the ancient rules. brought before
the Apostolic chair those difficulties which
were ever arising in matters of faith, in
order that the rents of faith might be
mended, where alone the filth could never
fail.
THE ROMAN PoSTIYFs,
however. have as times and circu instances
defined that these things should be held
firm which they had thus learnt under
Gods assistance to be in accordance with
the Holy Scripture and apostolic traditions
For the Holy Spirit was not promised to
the successors of st. Peter that by His reye-
lations they might make known new doc
trine, but by his assistance they might
holly preserve and faithfully expound the
revelation delivered to the apostles or in
other words, the deposit of the faith (deyo-
sri TN !Sdci). This is that apostolic doctrine
which all the venerable Fathers OF the
church have embraced and all the orthodox
holy Doctors have venerated and followed,
for they had the most perfect conviction
that this Holy See of Peter always remains
free from all error, according to the divine
promise Of our Lord and Saviour which He
made to the prince of His disciples: ~
have prayed for thee that thy faith fail not,