The Purpose of the Papacy by John S. Vaughan
page 18 of 95 (18%)
page 18 of 95 (18%)
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concludes:--"_Until the Church shall decide_ upon this question of the
Schools, either opinion may be adopted by individual Catholics, without any breach of Catholic communion or peace." This was how the question stood until 1870. But it stands in that position no longer; for the Church has now spoken--_Roma locuta est, causa finita_. Hence, no Catholic can now deny or call into question the great prerogative of the Vicar of Christ, without suffering shipwreck of the faith. At the Vatican Council, Pope Pius IX. and the Archbishops and Bishops of the entire Catholic world were gathered together in Rome, and after earnest prayer and prolonged discussion, they declared that the prerogative of infallibility, which is the very source of Catholic unity, and the very secret of Catholic strength, resides in the individual Pope who happens, at the time, to occupy the Papal chair, and that when he speaks _ex cathedrĂ¢_, his definitions are infallibly true, and consonant with Catholic revelation, even before they have been accepted by the hierarchy throughout the world. But here it must be borne in mind that the Pope speaks _ex cathedrĂ¢_, that is to say, infallibly, only when he speaks:-- 1. As the Universal Teacher. 2. In the name and with the authority of the Apostles. 3. On a point of Faith or Morals. 4. With the purpose of binding every member of the Church to accept and believe his decision. Thus it is clearly seen that from the year 1870 the dogma of _Papal_, |
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