The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1912-07-13
PHILOSOPHERS AND lNFALLIRlL-
lTY.

Three arguments are generally ad-
duced by those who reject the dog
ma of papal infallibility. They may
be summed up as the theological, the
philosophical, and the governmental
arguments. In the first place, it is
alleged that Catholic theology is di-
vided on the question of papal in
fallibility. But it should be borne in
mind that for Catholics this doctrine
is not an open question. For them
it is theologically certain. 1t may be
admitted, says the Pittsburg Observ-
er, that before the Vatican Council
it was not dogmatically defined doc
trine. Yet anybody who has the COM
monest notion of theological science
is aware of the fact that a doctrine
can be theologically certain without
it's having been dogmatically formu-
lated; that it may even be of divine
faith without being of defined faith;
and that the absence of a dogmatic
definition only spares the opposite
opinion from mourning the charge of
heresy, but in nowise weakens the
doctrine itself; for a truth can be
divinely revealed without being dog
matically defined.
Let us leave this disputatious and
passion-heated age, and go back to
the calmer and soberer times of theo-
logical science. Let us begin with
the illustrious Suarez, who fiourished
in the sixteenth century, and who
was a commentator on the Angelic
Doctor, st. Thomas Aquinas. In lis
tening to him we hear the voice of
the whole school of theology, as Bos-
suet declared:
1T is Catholic TRUTH" says Suarez,
that the Roman Pontiff when defin-
ing 'ex cathedral is a rule of faith
that can not err" But it may be
of faith that can not err" Suarez re-
plies: when he automatically pro-
poses to the Universal Church any
thing to be believed as being of divine
faith" And he adds: Thus teach all
Catholic Doctors of this age; and
they regard it as being of certain
faith"
clares, "can not err in judging of faith
and morals. This is not to be held
as an opinion, but the opposite is a
manifest error in faith
These statements may surprise
many when it is recognized that the
Councils of Basic, of Constance, and
of Trent did not brand the opposite
cSo ~
and Toletus, however, represent the
universal view of their age; and that
view, taken as a whole, was the view
of the whole theological world. 1t
was a doctrine regarded as certain,
though not defined.
Men who claim to be philosophers
and who make reason the sole guide
of their lives protest against the
dogma of papal infallibility as being
absurd. They fancy that Catholics
hold that the Pope is infallible in the
orders which he gives to his domestic
servants and to his chamberlains. 1t
would be a waste of time and of space
to refute such gross misconceptions
of our belief: for Catholics hold that
the Pope is infallible only when he
defines matter of faith or of morals.
There are, however, Christian philoso-
pliers who think that papal infallibil-
ity even in the domain of faith and
morals is a doctrine that reason can
not admit. They ask: Who will
guarantee that a man possessed OF
such an enormous privilege will never
;r[1& ho or he.
come the victim of hallucination or OF
softening of the brain?"
Those who put forward such sup
positions may be asked: On what dc
you make infallibility depend and
what do you think is it's source? Does
it depend on mans power or on the
power of God? If it depends on man
you are speaking of what is not Cath
Ole doctrine; for where is the Cath
Ollie who ever claimed that the Pope
is infallible as a man and in virtue
of any force inherent in his human
nature? II you think that God alone
gives to man infallibility, why are
you scandalized? Is it harder fol
God to prevent one man from teach
is to prevent a council of six or eight
hundred men from doing so? Surely
not; for whether there is question Of
one man only or of eight hundred
men the whole reason of infallibilit!
lies in the presence of the Holy
Ghost, realizing the Divine promise;
Behold / am with you" Naturally
eight hundred men possess more in
tellectual light than one man has
Yet they do not possess all the light
and in the long run, under penalty O
wandering away from the Catholic
position, recourse must be had to tbs
fact of the presence and the ef1caci
Gus action of the Holy Ghost prevent
ing one man or many men from error
in 6opmatic definitions of matters al