Pastor aeternus

Painting to commemorate the dogma of papal infallibility (Voorschoten,1870). Left to right:Thomas Aquinas,Christ and PopePius IX

Pastor aeternus( "FirstDogmatic Constitutionon the Church of Christ ") was issued by theFirst Vatican Council,July 18, 1870. The document defines four doctrines of theCatholicfaith: theapostolic primacy conferred on Peter,the perpetuity of thePetrine Primacyin the Roman pontiffs, the definition of thepapal primacyas apapal supremacy,andPapal infallibility– infallible teaching authority (magisterium) of thePope.

Petrine and papal primacy

There is general agreement among scholars on the preeminence that the historical Peter held among thedisciplesof Jesus, making him "the most prominent and influential member of the Twelve during Jesus' ministry and in the early Church".

It was to Simon alone, to whom he had already said You shall be called Cephas, that the Lord,…spoke these words: "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jona. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of the underworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven".

ThePrimacy of Simon Peteris essential to the vision ofpapal primacyaspapal supremacy:that is, the idea that thepapacyby divine institution enjoys delegated authority from Jesus over the entire Church. The primacy of theBishop of Romeover the whole Catholic Church is derived from the pope's status as successor to Peter as "Prince of the Apostles" and as "Vicar of Christ"(Vicarius Christi). TheFirst Vatican Councildefined papal primacy in the sense of papal supremacy as an essential institution of the Church that can never be relinquished.

Magisterium

Main article:Magisterium

In the Catholic Church, the word "Magisterium" refers to the teaching authority of the church. This authority is understood to be embodied in theepiscopacy,which is the aggregation of the currentbishopsof the church, led by theBishop of Rome(thePope), who has authority over the bishops, individually and as a body, as well as over each and every Catholic directly.

That apostolic primacy which the Roman Pontiff possesses as successor of Peter, the prince of the apostles, includes also the supreme power of teaching. This Holy See has always maintained this, the constant custom of the Church demonstrates it, and the ecumenical councils, particularly those in which East and West met in the union of faith and charity, have declared it.

Ex cathedra

There is a distinction between theSolemn Magisteriumand theOrdinary Magisterium.When the Pope issues a dogmatic definition, he is speakingex cathedrain an exercise of the Solemn Magisterium.Ex cathedrameans literally "from the chair”; it is a theological term which signifies authoritative teaching and is more particularly applied to the definitions given by the Roman pontiff.The second form of Church teaching, the Ordinary Magisterium, is continually exercised by the Church especially in her universal teaching regarding with faith and morals.

For a Papal statement to be considered "ex cathedra" it must be made by the Pope as supreme teacher and pastor of the entire church; it must be on a matter of faith and morals; and it must be definitive, and applicable to the universal church.

Infallibility

See also:Pope Honorius I § Legacy

Papal infallibilitywas thus formally defined in 1870, although the tradition behind this view goes back much further. In the conclusion of the fourth chapter ofPastor aeternus,the council declared the following:

...We teach anddefinethat it is a dogma divinely revealed that the Roman pontiff when he speaksex cathedra,that is when in discharge of the office of pastor and doctor of allChristians,by virtue of his supreme Apostolic authority, he defines a doctrine regardingfaithormoralsto be held by the universal Church, by the Divine assistance promised to him inblessed Peter,is possessed of that infallibility with which thedivine Redeemerwilled that his Church should be endowed in defining doctrine regarding faith or morals, and that therefore such definitions of the Roman pontiff are of themselves, and not from the consent of the Church, irreformable.

The chapter was subject to two votes in July 1870.In the first on 13 July there were 601 voters: 451 affirmative, 62 conditional affirmative, and 88 negative.The latter groups were then permitted to leave; others left because of the imminentFranco-Prussian War.The final vote on 18 July saw 433 affirmative and only two negative votes, from bishopsAloisio RiccioandEdward Fitzgerald.

According to Catholic theology, this is an infallibledogmatic definitionby anecumenical council.Because the 1870 definition is not seen by Catholics as a creation of the Church, but as the dogmatic definition of a truth about the Church Magisterium, Papal teachings made prior to the 1870 proclamation can, if they meet the criteria set out in the dogmatic definition, be considered infallible.Ineffabilis Deusis an example of this.

Opposition and criticism

See also:Hans KüngandIgnaz von Döllinger

The Catholic priestAugust Bernhard Haslerwrote a detailed criticism of theFirst Vatican Council,presenting the passage of the infallibility definition as orchestrated.Mark E. Powell, in his examination of the topic from a Protestant point of view, writes: "August Hasler portrays Pius IX as an uneducated, abusive megalomaniac, and Vatican I as a council that was not free. Hasler, though, is engaged in heated polemic and obviously exaggerates his picture of Pius IX. Accounts like Hasler's, which paint Pius IX and Vatican I in the most negative terms, are adequately refuted by the testimony of participants at Vatican I".

See also

• Lumen gentium

External links

• "Pastor aeternus".Holy See(in Latin). 18 July 1870.
• Text with English translation