The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1903-08-01
POWER OF PAPkcy misunderstood.

| DuflHS Hlc 1dSI illness OF inc ldlC SupIcluC
pastor of the Universal Church wild speculations
were INDUCED in as to his successor. Since Leo's
death still wilder are the speculations to what
his successors attitude his policy, and innovations
| III the teaching of the Church, may be,
t Making all due allowance for human frail-
ties, likes and dislikes, it may be fairly presumed
that the cardinals III concave and bound by sol
emn oath to vote for the most worthy, whom
they consider most worthy, will not violate their
consciences. When the choice is made bv two
thirds majority of the College of Cardinals the
future pontif will make no innovations in faith
morals which entirely independent of the
occupant of Peters chair. The mistaken notions i'll
this respect, entertained by many unprecedented
persons, arise from the fact that they confound
Ae plentitude of his authority, as vicar of Jesus
Christ OF earth, with his power and authority over
faith and morals, which are entirely independent
of him.
Papal infallibility is privilege of the papacy,
not an attribute of the pope. His exalted Office
does not confer on the successor of st. Peter the
Cover to make new article of faith, new
precept of morality As the infalble teacher, and
lad of the Church, he is the guardian and in
rerpreter of the faith which was and is the same
from the beginning, but he is powerless to make
or mould that faith which has divine SANCTION and
has been from time to time defined by ecumenical
councils. He could not, even if he willed it, permit
or sanction the remarrage of person once valid
" married even though legally divorced for the
divine law forbids it.
Here the pope stands on the footing as
the humbest member of the Church. He has no
power of his own over faith but is simply the organ
of the law, or of the original authority who in
spired the law. He is not the author of the law
itself, but, like the supreme court of the United
States he defines and interprets the law entrusted
to his care by virtue of his power and authority
as visible head of the Church.
Any Protestant minister who has gained the
good will and confidence of his congregation has
far greater latitude over their conscience than the
pope has over that of his spiritual flock, For
the former there is no yard measure for what he
considers the proper Interpretation of Scriptural
texts He admits his fallibility; accepts only
his own view, to the exclusion of thousands
who differ from him, and, to counterfeit the
effect of his errancy, has only to depend on his
eoouence and personal magnetism. With the pope
it is entirely different He is restricted in his
teaching to the deposit of faith entrusted to him,
and in his ecclesiastical administration, he IS con-
fined to the law first imposed. He can Introduce
no new principle, change those that have been
in use in the past Whatever the law defined, or
interpreted by His predecessors, is as binding on
the new popes conscience it is on the conscience
of Law believers whom he may from time to time
enghten.
The idea entertained by many, that Catholic
IL ,,,J 10 I'LL
science thereby formed, is an unfounded charge
This point, so widely misunderstood, leads to
lectures as to possible innovations in faith by Leo
XIII's successor. Whoever that successor may be-
will by virtue of his election, have universal iuris
diction; but, over Catholic faith and morals he
has no arbitrary power, and can neither add nor
take from them.
These articles of faith and morals can all be
/ found in the Little Catechism, and are public
property. The Catholic creed of twenty centuries
ago still remains unchanged, and in that long
lapse of time, in its divine elements, there has
been no variation.
This point, when properly understood, removes
the mistaken notion that the conscience of the in
dvidua Catholic is subject to the whims, caprices
or arbitrary power of the Supreme Pastor. The
pope can only give WilaC CnflSC gave 10 1eter, ana
as his two hundred and sixty-fourth success
sor, he will assume the official title, power
sid authority, as Peter did. 1t will give him the
right to govern, and to feed the lambs and
Sheep; to convoke general councils and preside
over them; to erect dioceses and appoint bish-
ops over them; to create cardinals, establish sup
press religious communities, and that nothing
contrary to faith morals is taught by any
kchurch in communion with the Holy See.
| The individual popes die but the papacy sur
| wives, for without the pope the source and
center of authority there could be neither unity
nor catholicity In rejecting the papa authority,
or the supremacy of Peter ia his successor, those
who protested lost the unity of faith and its
catholicity. Hence the numberless Christian de-
nominations, and, inevitable consequence we
have national churches as substitute for the
Catholic Church.
The pope is not only the summit but he is also
the basis Of the Catholic hierarchy. Without the