The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1919-12-27
APOLOGET|CS'
Adapted from the German of Rev. Pc
ter Mikes, S. j., by Rev.
James Watcher.
g. The lnfallibIe Church.

Obiection: The Church is composed
of men, and men are subject to error
cannot believe in human infaIIi-
hiIity, whether you attribute it to the
Pope, or to general council, or to the
agreement of the whole Church.
Answer: Not human thought, but
divine guidance produces infallibility
so that the ecclesiastical authority
(the Pope and BishOps) by the special
assistance of the Holy Ghost is pre-.
served from error This assistance
Christ had to give to His Church
For what would it mean to say:
The Church is fallible? 1t would
mean: The Church of Christ can lose
wholly or in part the truths which
Christ has committed to her; she can
fall from one error into another; she
gropes around in the dark without
knowing whether she teaches truth OF
error If her children ask her:
What is true? What is right? She
must answer honestly: Il do not
know it myself; believe what yor
want; do what you want. | cannot
lelp YOU
Why then has Christ given her the
commission: Teach all nations anG
5aptiZe them, teach them to observe
Ill things whatsoever | have com
handed you. Behold | am with you
even to the contamination of the
world Why then has He promised
His own divine assistance and that Of
he Holy Ghost?
If Christ demands from all men un
der pain of eternal damnation MARI
Is: l6) to hear and obey the Church
hat is, believe what she teaches anC
10 what she prescribes, he had to take
are that His Church would always
each and command what He haC
aught and commanded, in Other
words: He had to make His Church
nfallible. Besides. He, the infallible
nd all-holy God, has promised to rat
fly in heaven whatever st. Peter anC
lis lawful successors in their officia
capacity should bind and loose or
narth, hence He must take care thai
he Pope binds and looses'' nothins
which He, the God of truth, cannot
atty or approve, that is, He must
make the Pope and thereby the whole
eaching Church infallible.
A fallible Church would be very
leplorable, human society, which
would be deserted by all good spirits
Rather no Church than fallible
Church, for such one would be I'm
worthy of God.
TO- Dogmatic Intolerance.
Objections: Taking no account o.
civil tolerance or intolerance, the dog
matte intolerance of the Catholic
Church, b. which she claims to pos
sess the whole truth and comedies t
,ther churches no dogmatic or doc
rinaI rights, is simply into!erabIe;
hat is arrogance. ....
Answer: 1t is the arrogance O
'ogic or mathematics, which does no
olerate another system of logic O.
mathematics. Truth is but one, az
1od, the author of truth is but one
The Church of Christ is the kingdom
If truth; hence the Church can b,
but one, and cannot concede equa
lights to any other church to teacl
contrary doctrines. Truth must nee
essarily be intolerant of error, though
may be tolerant of the erring.
Christ has said: Il will build m.
'thIrcb - not churches
A religious society or church whic1
comedies to other contradicting re
| igions that they, too, can be true, dc
alares itself bankrupt and commit
theoretical suicide. And even if thi
| S the fashion among many religion
denominations, it is asking too nue.
| If the true Church of Christ to d
| likewise, that is, concede that also il
| her doctrines truth and error ar
| mixed.
The true Church is conscious of pos
tossing the full and unadulterate
truth and of having the divine assis
| ance of teaching this truth withou
thy admixture of error: of being an
| feIudlHluS TIE pillar anu ground G
truth" & Tim. 3:15). If only on
Church claims this prerogative an
no other dares to claim it, then it j
easy to find the true Church of Chris
| Tor reason and common sense tell u
that the Church must claim this. Blu
| since no other. besides the Catholi
/ Church, practically claims to be tn
| exclusive Church of Christ, therefor
she must be the Church of Christ an
! hence the only true Church.