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Now in this celebrated controversy between the Ultramontanists and the French the Church has thought fit to give no decision, as appears from the acts of the council of Trent, which we shall relate in our article on the pope's prerogatives.

Jamvero de hâc celebri Ultramontanos inter et Gallos controversiâ nihil definire voluit ecclesia, ut patet ex eis quæ acta sunt in concilio Tridentino, et quæ referemus in articulo de R. pontificis prærogativis.

The Book of the Roman Catholic Church, by
Charles Butler, Esq. 1825.

Letter 10, p. 122.

In spiritual concerns, the Transalpine opinions ascribe to the Pope a superiority and controlling power over the whole church, should she chance to oppose his decrees, and consequently over a general council his representative. *

They likewise ascribe to the pope the extraordinary prerogative of personal infallibility, when he undertakes to issue a solemn decision on any point of faith.

The Cisalpines affirm, that in spirituals the pope is subject, in doctrine and discipline, to the church, and to a general council representing her.

They affirm, that a general council may without, and even against the pope's consent, reform the church. They deny his personal infallibility, and hold that he may be deposed by the church, or a general council, for heresy and schism.

Letter 10, p. 119.

A chain of Roman Catholic writers on papal power might be supposed:* on the first link we might place the Roman Catholic writers, who have immoderately exalted the prerogative of the pope; on the last we might place those who have unduly depressed it; and the centre link might be considered to represent the canon of the 10th session of the council of Florence, which defined, that full power was delegated to the Bishop of Rome, in the person of St. Peter, to feed, regulate, and govern the universal church, as expressed in the general councils and holy canons.

Treatise on the Church, by L.
E. Delahogue, p. 385.

Infallibility of the Pope.

Moreover the Ultramontane

Tractat. de Ecclesiâ, aut. L. Æ. Delahogue, p. 385, (Dublinii, editio tertia, 1829.)

Porrò Romano pontifici sub

* What a happy picture of unity! as many opinions on a subject of this paramount importance as there are links in a chain! The canon of the council of Florence leaves the question quite undecided.

theologians ascribe infallibility to the pope when regarded in this last point of view, and speaking, as they say, ex cathedrâ; which opinion others, and more particularly the French, oppose.

Cardinal Bellarmine on the Authority of Councils, book 2, c. 17. (Printed at Ingolstadt, 1590.)

Thirdly, a council without a Pope may err even in decrees of faith, as appears in the council of Sirmium, to which Hosius subscribed; also in the councils of Milan, Rimini, Ephesus, Constantinople under Justinian 2, Constantinople under Leo the Isaurian, and another under Constantine Copronymus.

But a

council with a pope cannot err; therefore, a council without a pope cannot do all those things that a council with a pope can do. Nor can it be replied, that those councils erred, because they were not lawful, for to most of them *nothing was wanting but the pope's assent. The second council of Ephesus, moreover, was precisely similar to the council of Basil; each was called by a pope, the pope's legate was present at the opening of each of them, the pope's legate shortly after withdrew from each of them, the pope was excommunicated in each of them, all of which things respecting the council of Basil appear in its acts as related by Eneas Sylvius. And

hoc altimo respectu considerato, et ubi loquitur, ut dicunt, ex cathedrâ, infallibilitatem attribuunt Ultramontani theologi, quibus alii et Galli speciatim contradicunt.

Cardinal Bellarmine contends for the Fallibility of Councils. Bellarminus de Concil. Auctoritate, lib. 2, c. 17. (Ingolstadii, 1590.)

Tertiò concilium sine papa potest errare etiam in fidei decretis, ut patet in concilio Sirmiensi, cui subscripsit Hosius, item Mediolanensi, Ariminensi, Ephesino, Constantinopolitano sub Justiniano 2. Constantinopolitano sub Leone Isauro, et alio sub Constantino Copronymo. At concilium cum papa non potest errare, ergo non potest sine papa omnia illa, quæ potest cum papa. Neque potest responderi errasse illa concilia, quod non fuerint legitima, nam plerisque nihil defuit, nisi pontificis assensus. Immo Ephesinum 2, fuit omninò simile Basileensi, utrumque enim fuit indictum á pontifice, in utroque adfuit legatus pontificis circa initium, ab utroque recessit paulò post legatus pontificis, in utroque fuit pontifex excommunicatus, quæ omnia de Basileensi patent ex gestis ejus ab Enea Sylvio descriptis. De Ephesino autem patet ex epistolis Leonis, 12, 13, 15, 21, 22. Et ex concilio Chalcedonense art. 3, et nihilominus errasse concilium Ephesi

He evidently refers to general councils.

what regards the council of Ephesus appears in the 12th, 13th, 15th, 21st, and 22nd letters of Leo, and in the council of Chalcedon, art. 3, and, notwithstanding, our adversaries cannot deny that the council of Ephesus erred.

Bellarmine on the Roman Pontiff, book 4, c. 2. (Printed at Ingolstadt, 1590.)

The second opinion is, that a pope, even in his character as pope, may be a heretic and teach heresy, if he defines without a general council, and that this has in fact happened. Nilus follows and defends this opinion in his book against the pope's primacy: certain Parisians, as Gerson and Almain in their books on the power of the church, follow the same opinion; and, moreover, Alphonso de Castro in his first book against heresies chapter 2, and Pope Adrian 6, in his ques tion on confirmation; all of whom vest infallibility in the church only, or in a general council only, and not in the Pope.

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Pope Pius 2nd's Bull of Retraction.

Labbaus and Cossarte's Coun

cils, tom. 12, p. 1407.

Pope Pius's Bull of retraction of all things formerly written by him when in his minority for the Council of Basil, and against Pope Eugenius.

num adversarii negare non possunt.

Pope Adrian 6 admits the Fallibility of the Pope.

Bellarminus de Romano Pontifice, lib. 4, c. 2.

Secunda opinio est, pontificem, etiam ut pontificem, posse esse hæreticum, et docere hæresim, si absque generali concilio definiat, et de facto accidisse. Hanc opinionem sequitur et tuetur Nilus in suo libro adversus primatum papæ: eandem sequuti sunt aliquot Parisienses, ut Gerson et Almain in libris de potestate ecclesiæ; nec non Alphonso de Castro lib. 1, c. 2, contra hæreses, et Adrianus 6 Papa in quæstione de confirmatione ; qui omnes non in pontifice, sed in ecclesiâ, sive in concilio generali tantùm constituunt infallibili

tatem.

:

Labbai et Cossartii, tom. 12, p. 1407. (Editio ut supra.)

Pii Papa secundi Bulla retractationum omnium dudum per eum in minoribus adhuc agentem pro concilio Basileensi et

When we were in our minority, and not yet ordained, and were with those persons at Basil who pretended that they constituted a general council and represented the universal church, we addressed to you a certain book of dialogues, in which upon the subject of the authority of a general council, and the acts of the fathers at Basil and the opposition of Pope Eugenius, we approved or condemned the things which we deemed worthy of approval or condemnation.

* *

We thought that we were acting rightly and walking in the right way, and we had no other object at heart than the public advantage and the love of truth. But what man is there who does not err? We also have gone astray from our mother's womb, we have wandered in a by-path and not in the true way, we have walked in darkness, and departed very far from the true light: nor have we only wandered with respect to ourselves, but we have conducted others to the precipice, being blind we have led the blind, and have fallen with them into the ditch. *

Whosoever is appointed over the Roman church in conformity with the canonical regulations, as soon as he is elected by the holy college, obtains the supreme power immediately from God, and diffuses it according to order throughout the whole church, and his sins are left to be punished by the divine judgment. If you shall discover anything repug

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Quicumque Romanæ secundum canonicas sanctiones præficitur ecclesiæ, quamprimum electus est a sacro collegio, supremam a Deo potestatem sine medio consequitur, et per ordinem in omnem diffundit ecclesiam, cujus peccata divino judicio punienda relinquuntur. Si quid adversus hanc doctrinam inveneritis aut in dialogis,aut in epistolis nostris, respuite atque contemnite; sequimini quæ nunc dicimus, et seni magis quam juveni credite: nec privatum hominem pluris facite quam pontificem. Eneam rejicite, Pium recipite.

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The Comments of Eneas Sylvius* on the Proceedings of the Council of Basil, book 1. (Printed at Basil.)

If the church is the mother of all the faithful, she has even the Roman pontiff for her son: for otherwise (as the most blessed Augustine declares) he never has God as his Father, who will not acknowledge the church as his mother. Which Anacletus understanding, calls the universal church (as the canonists are aware) his mother. And Calixtus says, as the Son came to perform the will of the Father, so it behoves us to fulfil the will of our mother, which is the church. Whence it appears, that the church is as much superior to the Roman pontiff, as a son is inferior to his mother. We have already said that the church is the spouse of Christ; and we know that the pope in his vicar. But no one so appointed his vicar, as to subject to him his wife.

Universal Bishop.

St. Gregory's Works. (Printed at Paris, 1705.)

Comm. Enea Sylvii, de Gesiis Basileensis Concilii, lib. 1. (Basilea.)

Quod

Si mater omnium fidelium est ecclesia, Romanum etiam pontificem in filium habet: aliàs verò (sicut beatissimus prædicat Augustinus) nunquam habet Deum patrem, qui ecclesiam noluerit recognoscere in matrem. Anacletus intelligens,universalem ecclesiam (ut canonista scicunt) matrem suam appellat. Et Calixtus, sicut filius, ait, venit facere voluntatem patris, sic et nos implere voluntatem matris nostræ, quæ est ecclesia. Unde apparet, tanto superiorem esse ecclesiam Romano pontifice,quanto est matre inferior filius. Supra etiam dircimus, ecclesiain Christi Jesu, sponsam fore. Papam vero vicarium esse scimus. At nemo sic vicarium suum instituit, ut ejus sponsum illi subjiciat.

St. Gregorii Opera Omnia. (Parisiis, 1705.)

* Who was afterwards Pope Pius 2nd.

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