The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1910-05-14

for Pope-Meaning of Infallibility-
Extent Universal Jurisdiction Exer
cised-Bishops' Supplemental Exer,
cise-No Arbitrary Power-Priests' Du-
ties.
1t is this principle of twofold authority in teach
ing and governing which constitutes the Papaey,
and the Papaey is the bond which holds together in
indlssolube unity all the diverse elements in the
Church The Bishop of Rome is not first in honor
only among the Bishops of the world The words of
Christ to Peter and through him to his successors
g will give to thee the keys of the kingdom of
heaven, and whatsoever thou shalt bind earth
shall be bound in heaven and whatsoever thou shalt
loose earth it shall be loosed also In heaven, =
indicate clearly the bestowa of a supreme authority
and supreme authority supposes the right to govern
and direct, and not merely primaey of honor.
That this the understanding of Peters
premaey by the early Church may be from the
Commentaries OF the Fathers on the texts referring
to Peter, St. Ambrose SAYS ''Where Peter Is
there is the Church, thus making communion with
the See Of Peter the test of orthodoxy st. Jerome
the greatest scriptural scholar of the early Church.
says Zone Is chosen among the twelve that head
being established the occasion of schlsm may be re
moved" St. Chrysostom says E'Christ placed
Peter the entire world; he is the basis of the
Church. the key-bearer of the kingdom OF heaven.
To him the Lord gave the presidency of the Church
through the entire world. ST. Cyprlan calls Peter
the source of unity. ST. Irenaeus says. that every
other church should agree with the Roman
count of its superiority of headship St Augustine,
speaking to the NIancheans of the reasons which
held him in the Catholic Church says: i am held
by the consent of people and nations, by that au-
thority which began in miracles, nOurished in
hope. increased by charity. and made steadfast by
age by that succession of priests from the chair of
the Apostle Peter to whose feeding the Lord. after
His resurrection. commended His sheep, to the
present epscopate lastly. by the very title of Catho
lie. which not without hath this Church alone,
amid so many heresies. obtained in such sort that
whereas all hereties wished to be called Catholics,
nevertheless. to any stranger who wished to find the
Catholic Church. none of them would dare to point
to his basiIiea home'
Testimony of st. Maximus
st. Maximus an eastern abbot and martyr speak
ing to Pyrrhus. Patriarch of Constantinople, who
had fallen into the Monotheie hersy says that if
he would not be considered hereto, he must seek
before all to satisfy the Roman See That done, all
will everywhere hold him orthodox. These test
monies typical of the teaching of the Fathers bear
witness to the belief that Peters See had authority
over the whole flock of Christ. This authority in
cudes. of necessity the guardianship of the Faith
and therefore the final judgment In whatever con
Germs it. This final Judgment IN turn implies the
Gift of inerraey or infalbiity. Perhaps there is
no Catholic doctrine frequently misunderstood
that of Papal Infaibility. 1t may be well. them to
state briefly Just what that doctrine issand what it
is not.
Every intelligent person knows, of course, that IN
fallibty is not to be eonfounded with impeeeabil-
ity An infalible Pope does not mean Pope i'm
mune from sin. Like every good Catholic. the Pope
regularly makes confession of his SINS Like every
priest who offers the sacrifice OF the Mass at the
foot of the altar. the Pope must proclaim himself
sinner before God, before angels and men, thrice
striking his breast and saying ''Through my fault.
through my fault, through my most grevious
fault" Again before receiving the Sacred Host he
strikes his breast three times and repeats the words
of the Centurion: ''Lord I not worthy that
thou shouldst come under my roof
Priests Pray for the Pope
Priests throughout the world are directed to add
to the prayers of the Mass supplieation that God
may so guide the Supreme Pontiff that he may both
save himself and bring to salvation the flock COM
initted to him. He himself daily spends hours in
prayer that he may be equal to the tremendous
sponsibility laid upon him. Again, when there Is
question of infallibility must distinguish be-
tween the Pope In his private and individual
pacity and in his public and official action Infal
lbility does not attach to the Pope private per-
son. nor as a temporal sovereign. He is not infable
as private theologan stating his own opinion.
even as Pope when he delivers decisions in Judicial
cases which depend on the testimony of men.
Papal infallibility, moreover, is not inspiration
such as was possessed by the Apostles; it is not
new revelation; 1T Is only a divine assistance by
which the Pontiffs are enabled ''to preserve and
faithfully expound the revelation deposit of the
Faith delivered through the Apostles" 1t does not
come from personal learning wisdom, but from
the divine assistance promised in Peter. The Pope
then cannot define any doctrine not contained either
expressly implicitly in the original deposit of the
Faith: for the Church can teach nothing which she
has not received He cannot, therefore. 90 outside
of the sphere of faith and morals and before giving
decision in this sphere he will every means at
his command to make certain of what is conformabe
to Holy Scripture and the Apostolic Tradition.
What Infallibility Is.
The Pope, then, is infaIlible only in his official
character, when he speaks ex cathedra-i. e., from
his official Teaching Chair-as the Father and
Teacher of all Christians. and when thus speaking
he defines by his supreme Apostolic authority doc
rine of faith or morals to be held by the universal
Church Under these circumstances, the Sovereign
Confined ON Pace &