The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1921-01-22
PASTORAL lie Il Err

guage OF st. Paul would not, lndeed,
fit the Church, if it were at the mercy
of every wind OF doctrine. Yea more,
Christ threatens with eternal damna-
ton any one who would wilfully re-
fuse to hear and obey the Church. IF
he will not hear the Church, let him
be to thee as the heather and the pub
lican." Matt. 1S:17.) A church,
which exacts so stern faith in her
doctrine and enforces so strict a full
filment of her precepts. would have
but few followers, could she not sub
lstantiate her claims to the prerogative
of infallibility in teaching and to a
| full possession of the truth.
The church's Claim to Infallibilitr
THE Church of Rome alone claimed
and exercised throughout the ages the
high and important prerogative of in
| fallibility under the assistance and en-
| lightenment of the Holy Ghost. The
Church could not nationally claim to
4 be the Church of Ghrist, should she
not claim an unquestionable authority
| to render unerring testimony to the
truth. Unworthy would she stand be-
! fore mankind of the noble name of
the Church of Christ, who came to
be the Light of the world, if she should
fail to speak unerringly in her char
Iacter of universal Teacher. A church
liable to err could not be, the work of
the Divine Founder. Truth and error
could not dwell together in the
Church of the Divine Master. The
moment the Church would become
| fallible, that moment the Divine prom
Uses of assistance become impossible.
Either an infallible Church, or no
/ Church. at all.
! Every Church not built on Peter,
the Christ-established foundation,
shall fall victim to the powers of
hell, that is, fall into the destructive
errors of heresy, schism and apostasy,
Fallible churches, divided houses of
the doubling, cannot endure. AS ma
tions they rise and fall The absence
of infallibility, as exhibited among the
| mnltitudinous sects begets division,
decay and DEATH Noreligion can last
long without inerrancy in teaching.
No infallible church as sole and In
fallible messenger, protector and in
terpreter of the will of God, then no
true religion on earth. Should there
be no infallible teacher, mankind
would be abandoned to all the
changes of rampant error and to end
less divisions and confusion. The his.
tory of Professionalism is veritable
record of continual change. What
other authority but an infallible one
could settle the bitter and far-reaching
! controversies and disastrous disputes
/ coacsFnin gsfaith, andsmoEals2s AS the
truths revealed by Almighty God are
not to perish, there must exist on
tearth an authority to decide with un
erring certainty what Christ has
| taught, clearly fix the limits Of free
! thought and the freedom of mans
5 ever-changing opinion and make re
7 ligion consist in Gods Interchangeable
| revelation. A standard of right doc
: trine must be found to which the en-
u tire world may safely appeal. AL
f men, to be saved, must place credence
: in the identical doctrine taught by thu
e Author of Christianity, and since H,
/ has granted to His established Church
S the power to preach this doctrine, H,
! must therefore guard her against tn,
i possibility Of error in teaching, that is
ell He must have endowed her with doc
Ell trinal infallibility. Christ, therefore
0 still guides His Church, lives in Hi
o Church and teaches His Church, 81
r that all nations may know the i1nmul
r able truths of the religion of Christ
e The Church composed of men appear
(, to be but a merely human society
e nevertheless God speaks through
Y and it's voice is the voice of God rathe
y than that of men. The Church is
J Divinely constituted organization al
Y thorized to speak and teach for Chris
} with infallibility. Christ is the invis
k ible head and life of the Church, whicI
e is under His permanent influence, TIL
r one true fold, in which He alon
It dwells, speaks and teaches. Chris
= Jesus directs and governs His Churc
r1 through His Vicar, whom He preserve
d against all error, in order that tn
nj Church may stand firm against tn
b very gates of hell.
AS the Church possesses Infallibilit
n in teaching, her Dfvinely appointe
d chief head must be infallible. Natui
is ally, if the Church is infallible, he
le mouthpiece must possess the sam
ID quality. Infallibility should Of nece
y sity rest in the head The Church
al infallible because Christ is infallible
e. and the head of the Church is infall
n Bile because the Church is infallibl,
n Infallibility is a necessary gift of
Ia supreme teacher and a Divinely col
"a stituted messenger of God Divin
pr revelation demands the existence, o
ofl earth, Of an infallible teacher for pr,
-oi lection from the chance interpret;
lie tions and imaginations of men. Th
ID Interchangeable God must have estal
n lished on earth an undying, infallibl
le and definite authority to proclaim [
lel the world with unerring certainty nj
ID only the exact doctrines He reveale,
Y. but also to interpret their meanin
70 from age to age.
III Instability OF Peter.
,ul Our Lord, the Supreme Truth, sal
W to ST. Peter, the Prince Of the Apostle
ar Il say to thee that thou art Peter an
III ,,YstI b,,;1d Az, (sL,,,..