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PUBLIC DOCUMENTS. 



toritate ad regimen Ecclesiae constituuntur, vim ac 

 valorem rion habere, nisi potestatis saecularis placito 

 confirmentur. , 



Et quoniam divino Apostolici primatus iure Eo- 

 manus Fontifex universae Ecclesiae praeest docemus 

 etiam et declarainus, eum esse iudicem supremum 

 fidelium,* et in omnibus causis' ad examen ecclesi- 

 asticum spcctantibus ad ipsius posse iudiciuui re- 

 curri ;t Sedis yerp Apostolicae, cuius auctoritate 

 inaior non est, iudicium a nemine fore retractandum. 

 neque cuiquam de eius licere iudicare iudicio.j 

 Quare a recto veritatis tramite aberrant, qui affirm- 

 aut, licere ab iudiciis Komanorum Pontificum ad 

 occumenicum Concilium tamquam ad auctoritatem 

 Eomano Pontifice superiorem appellare. 



Si quis itaque dixerit, Eomanum Pontificem ha- 

 bcre tantummodo ofticium inspectionis vol directionis, 

 non autem plenam et supremam potestatem iurisdic- 

 tionis in universam Ecclesiam, non solum in rebus, 

 quae ad fidem et mores, sed etiam in iis, quae ad 

 disciplinam et regimen Ecclesiae per totum orbem 

 diffusae pertinent ; aut eum habere tantum potiores 

 partes, non vero totam plenitudinem huius supremae 

 potestatis ; aut hanc eius potestatem non esse ordina- 

 riarn et immediatam sivc in omnes ac singulas occle- 

 sias sive in omnes et singulos pastorca et fideles ; 

 anathema sit. 



power, maintaining that the things which arc decreed 

 by the apostolic see or under its authority for the 

 government of the Church, have no force or value 

 unless they are confirmed by the approval of the 

 secular power. And since, by the divine right of 

 apostolic primacy, the Eoman pontiff presides over 

 the universal churches, we also teach and declare 

 that he is the supreme judge of the faithful,* and 

 that in all causes calling for ecclesiastical trial, re- 

 course may be had to his judgment,-)- but the decision 

 of the apostolic see, above which there is no higher 

 authority, cannot be reconsidered by any one, nor is 

 it lawful to any one to sit in judgment on his judg- 

 ment. J 



Wherefore, they wander away from the right path 

 of truth who assert that it is lawful to appeal from 

 the judgments of the Eoman pontiffs to an oecumeni- 

 cal council, as if to an authority superior to the Eoman 

 pontiff. 



Therefore, if any one shall say that the Eoman 

 pontiff holds only the charge of inspection or direc- 

 tion, and not full and supreme power of jurisdiction 

 over the entire Church, not only in things which per- 

 tain to faith and morals, but also in those which 

 pertain to the discipline and government of the 

 Church spread throughout the whole world : or, that 

 he possesses only the chief part and not the entire 

 plenitude of this supreme power; or, that this his 

 power is not ordinary and immediate, both as regards 

 all and each of the churches, and all and each of the 

 pastors and faithful ; let him be anathema. 



CAPLTT IV. 



DE KOMANI PONTIFICI8 INFALLIBILI JIAGISTEr.IO. 



Ipso autem Apostolico primatu, quern Eomanus 

 Pontifex tamquam Petri pnncipis Apostoloruin suc- 

 cessor in universam Ecclesiam obtmet. supremam 

 quoque magisterii potestatem comprehend!, haec 

 Sancta Sedes semper tenuit, perpetuus Ecclesiae usus 

 comprobat, ipsaque oecumenica Concilia, etr imprimis, 

 in quibus Oriens cum occidente in fidei charitatisque 

 unionem conveniebat, declaraverunt. Patres ennu 

 Concilii Constantinopolitani quarti, maiorum vestigiis 

 inhaerentes, hanc solemnem ediderunt professionem : 

 Prima salus est, rectae fidei regulam custodire. Et 

 quia non potest Domini nostri "lesu Christi praeter- 

 mitti sententia dicentis : Tu es Petrus, et super hanc 

 petram aedificabo Ecclesiam meam, haec, quae dicta 

 sunt, rerum probantur effectibus, quia in Sede Apos- 

 tolica immaculata est semper catholica reservata 

 religio, et sancta celebrata doctrina. Ab huius ergo 

 fide et doctrina separari minime cupientes, speramus, 

 ut in una commumone, quam Sede Apostolica praedi- 

 cat, esse mereamur, in quu est Integra et vera Chris- 

 tianae religipnis soliditas. ApprobanteveroLugdu- 

 nenis Concilio secundo, Graeci profess! sunt : Sanctam 

 Eomanam Ecclesiam summum et plenum primatum 

 et principatum super universam Ecclcsiam catholicam 

 obtinere, quern se ab ipso Domino in beato Petro 

 Apostolorum principe sive vertice, cuius Eomanus 

 Pontifex est successor, cum potestatis plenitudino 

 recepisse veraciter et humiliter recognoscit ; et sicut 

 prae caeteris tcnetur fidei veritatem defendere, sic et, 

 si quae de fide subprtae fuerint quaestipnes, suo de- 

 bent iudicip definiri. Florentinum denique Concili- 

 \im definivit : Pontificem Eomanum, verum Christi 

 Vicarium, totiusque Ecclesiae caput et omnium 

 Christianorum patrem ac doctorem existere ; et ipsi 

 in beato Petro pascendi, reg_endi ac gubernandi uni- 

 versalem Ecclesiam a Domino nostro lesu Christo 

 plenam potestatem traditam esse. 



* Pii P. VI. Breve Super Soliditale, d. 28 3ov. 1786. 



t Concil. (Ecum. Lusrdun, II. 



$ Ep. Nicolai I. ad Michaelem Imperatorem. 



Ex formula S. Hormisdae Papae, prout ab Hadrinno 

 II. Patribus Concilii Oecumenici VIII., Constantino- 

 politani IV., proposita et ab iisdem subscripta est. 



CIIAPTEE IV. 



OF THE INFALLIBLE AUTHORITY OF THE EOMAN PON- 

 TIFF IN TEACHING. 



This holy see has ever held the unbroken custom 

 of the Church doth prove and the oecumenical coun- 

 cils, those especially in which the East joined with 

 the "West, in union of faith and of charity, have de- 

 clared that in this apostolic primacy, which the Eo- 

 man pontiff holds over the universal Church, as suc- 

 cessor of Peter the prince of the apostles, there is 

 also contained the supreme power of authoritative 

 teaching. Thus the fathers of the fourth Council of 

 Constantinople, following in the footsteps of their 

 predecessors, put forth this solemn profession : 



" The first law of salvation is to Keep the rule of 

 true faith. And whereas the words of our Lord 

 Jesus Christ cannot be passed by, who said : Thou 

 art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church 

 (Matt. xvi. 18), these words, which He spake, are 

 proved true by facts ; for in the apostolic see, the 

 Catholic religion has ever been preserved unspotted, 

 and the holy doctrine has been announced. |There- 

 fore. wishing never to be separated from the faith and 

 teaching of this see, we hope to be worthy to abide 

 in that one communion which the apostolic see 

 preaches, in which is the full and true firmness of the 

 Christian religion." 



So, too, the Greeks, with the approval of the second 

 council of Lyons, professed, that the holy Eoman 

 Church holds over the universal Catholic Church a 

 supreme and full primacy and headship, which she 

 truthfully and humbly acknowledges that she received 

 with fulness of power, from the Lord Himself in bless- 

 ed Peter, the prince or head of the apostles, of whom 

 the Eoman pontiff is the successor ; and as she,beyond 

 the others, is bound to defend the truth of the faith, so 

 if any questions arise concerning faith, they should 

 be decided by her judgment. And finally, the Council 

 of Florence defined that the Eoman pontiff is true 

 vicar of Christ, and the head of the whole Church, 



*Pius VI. Brief Super Soliditate. 



t Second Council ot Lyons. 



Nicholas I. Epist. ad Michaelnm Imperatorem. 



Formula of St. Hormisdas Pope, as proposed by 

 Hadrian II. to the fathers of the eighth general Council, 

 (Constantinop. IV.,) and subscribed by them. 



