The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1908-09-12

The Catholic Church is perfect society, super
natural society, a society founded by Christ for the
salvation of the human race. But the church is
society of living men, and therefore must be
visible society. 1t is a society for all men who
would be saved and must therefore be perpetual
society. No society can exist without head,
center. an authority, a governing power. Our Dl-
vine Lord before organizing His society and estab-
fishing His church chose one of His disciples and
appointed him head of the society or church He was
soon to institute. Chou art Peter" spoke our
Savior to this disciple "and on (thee) this rock
will build my church"
Had the disciples of Christ chosen the visible
foundation they would have had(power to change
it. Had Peter himself, by divine appointment, es-
tablished the church Peter could claim right to
alter or modify its doctrines. But when Christ
himself chose the bead and built his church no
power on earth could destroy it and all hell could
not prevail against it.
Now as the Divine Founder soon to 60 to
the Father and leave for all time visible society
to perpetuate his doctrines. it was necessary tnat
visible head should preside this society, and
so He made Peter that head and His visible sue
cessor on earth with superhuman power to rule His
church, and in and through his lawful successors
to rule it to the end of time. This is what we
Catholics mean by the Supremacy of st. Peter, and
of the Pope of Rome as his lawful successor.
The Church of Christ is one, holy, Catholic and
Apostolic. The church is one in its Sacrifice, its
Saeraments and its Doctrines. And this oneness
excludes all multiplicity all division, all diversity.
Christ said:
IT, -, (,,cf
churches) to thee I will give the keys; feed my
lambs feed my sheep there shall be one flock and
one Shepherd"
By divine precept all are bound to be within this
church which Our Lord compared to a sheep fold.
"He that hears you hears me; he that will not hear
the church let him be as the heather. As the Father
hath sent me, I send you; go teach al nations;
preach the gospel to every creature; he who be-
lieves and is baptised shall be saved; he who be-
leveth not shall be condemned"
There can be only one true church. and all are
commanded by Christ to belong to that church.
He who knows this will of Christ and this obiga-
ton and does not obey cannot be in the way Of
salvation.
A church teaching supernatural truth, mysterious
truth beyond human understanding, must be an
nfallibe church. especially if tremendous penalties
accompany determination not to listen to its
voice Hence our Lord made His church infalliblS
on the instance he made it divine. II will be with
YOU always, even to the end of time" and again:
g" will send you the Holy Spirit, the spirit of TRUTH
to teach you and He will abide with you for ever"
Without an infallible church there be no
faith, no certainty and therefore, no supreme obi
cation to believe The only church on earth that
makes good her claim to infallbility is the Roman
Catholic That church not only claims infallibiity
but she exercises and makes her claim operative
through: Cd General councils. (2) The voice of
her Bishops in union with the See of Peter. (3)
The Pope the head of the church, teaching ex Ca
thedra or as the vicar or representative on earth
of Christ.
What then. do we mean by asserting Papal in
fallibiIity? We mean that the Sovereign Pontif is
bv divine appointment and as successor to ST. Peter
divinely protected and exempt from error, whsh,
in the exercise of his exalted Office he defines what
is of faith that is what we to believe touching
doctrines and morals Here is what the Vatican
Council representing the universal church, pro
claims in reference to this subject eve teach and
define it to be a dogma divinely revealed that when
the Roman Ponti speaks ex Cathedra, that is, when
in discharge of the Office and as teacher of all Chris
tians by virtue of his supreme apostolic authority,
he defines that doctrine regarding faith or morals
is to be held by the universal church he enjoys by
the divine assistance promised to him in blessed
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