New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1894-05-23

Pentecost there came to Peter the Holy
Spirit of Truth, who was pledged to
come to all the Apostles. and to abide
with them forever, guiding them in all
truth-so St. John writes. Infallibility
is therefore gift, a supernatural, not a
natural endowment; it belongs to the Or
der of grace not to that of nature; it
consists not in the learning of man but
in the power of God. For the Pope is
infallible not because he is prudent
or wise or slpless. not because he is aid
ed by thelearning and prudence and wis
dom of the entire church but simply and
solely because he is supernaturally as
sisted by the Holy Spirit of Truth, ac-
cording to the Divine promise. The
learning or tile ignorance. the wisdom or
the unwisdom, the virtues or the vices of
the Pope in no way affect his infallibil-
ity. as that gift is;wholly independent of
such qualities. On this point Cardinal
Manning, (an Englishman) is very clear
and explicit: '.'Some have thought that
by the privilege of infallibiliry was IN
tended quality inherent in the person
whereby as an inspired man he could at
any time and on any subject declare the
truth; whereas infallibility isnot quail
ity inherent in any person, but an assist
ance attached to an office; and its opera
tion is not the discovery of new truths
but the guardianship of old ones. 1t is
simply an assistance of the Spirit Of
Truth, by whom Christianity was reveal
ed, whereby the head of the Church is
enabled to guard the original deposit of
Revelation and faithfully declare it to
all ages" On this point another cele-
brated Euglishman, Cardinal Newman.
observes: "Infallibility is simply an ex-
ternal guardianship, keeping the Pope
and the church from error, a guardian
ship saving them, as far as their ulti-
nate decisions are concerned, from the
defects of their inherent infrmities, from
any chance of extravaganza, of confu-
sion of thought, of collision with former
decisions or with Scripture.''
The purpose of infallibility is to guar
antee for all time the safe keeping and
preaching in its unity, purity and integ-
rity of the whole Christian Faith. By
it the Church is enabled to guide all ma
tionsinto all truth as the Divine Founder
intended. Saint Paul counsels that ''we
should all come into the unity of FAITH
and "be no more children tossed to and
fro and carried about by every wind of
doctrine, ever learning and never able to
come to the knowledge of the truth.'' In
one word, the purpose of Infallibility is
Quoting st. Paul again), ''to make the
Church the pillar and ground of truth,''
and thereby assure all men that they
can with the utmost confidence intrust
to her direction the great interests OF
their souls.
Infallibility does not raise the Pope
above the Divine Law or above the Ten
Commandments; it does not enable him
Ito make evil good'' or "to create right
and wrong or truth and falsehood or
morality and immortality" as the oppo-
nents of Infallibility contend; it does
not enable him to make new revelations
or to create new doctrines to be believed
by Catholics. In Catholic teaching there
IS no power on earth authorized to add
to, or to take from, or to alter in one jot
or title the Revelation completed in the
Apostles nor can any doctrine not con-
tanned in that Revelation, ever he made
dogma OF Catholic faith.
1t IS clear that if God made a SUPER
natural Revelation of His Will, and in
tended the same for the benefit of man
to the end of time, He must have pro-
vided living infallible Witness to it's
authenticity and genuiness, living in
fallible Interpreter of it's contents and
meaningl For, firstly, without living
infallible Witness how is this Revelation
to be certainly identified? How is a
man to distinguish with certainty what
isRevelation from what is not revelation?
In cases of doubt and controversy (every
Revealed truth at one time or another
has bcen doubted or controverted), what
adequate means is there of as:ertainlng
the truth? If there is no living Infalli-
1le Witness to this Revelation and it's
contents what sufficient guarantee have
shat what is proposed for my assent is
beyond all reasonable doubt or prudent
fear of error, the identical message de-
1ivorod hu Odd poorl1 <u,