PUBLIC DOCUMENTS. 



051 



uii' p:i .t"i-.iH muneri ut satisfaoorent, Praedoccs- 

 \n,tii iii.h-r >,:iiu semper oporam doderunt, ut 

 n;ilut:iris Clui-ti d .rtrina apud oinnes terrae populos 

 propagarotur, puriquo cura vigiluruiit, ut, ubi r-'.-^u 

 -iin-i.-ra ct puru ooiiscrviin-tur. Quocirca totius 

 Antistites, nuno Biniruli, nuno in Synodi* con- 

 grogati, Ionium ecclesiarum oon.iuotudinoin ct unti- 

 quao regular t'nrmam soquentos, ea praesertim i-i^ri- 

 oula, quao in negotiis fldei cmcrgobant, ad 11:1110 

 i Apostolicam retulerunt, ut ibi potissimmn 

 iivMiiir duimia fldei, ubi flues nonpotest sentiro 

 defectum.* U .:n:mi imtem Pontiflcos, prout tem- 

 ]> "nun et rerum oonditio suadobat, nuno convocatis 

 n-nicis Concilii.s aut cxplorata Ecclesiao per 

 orK'ia dU|>ersao sententia, nuno per Synodos particu- 

 nunc nliia, quno divina auppeditabat provi- 

 dentia, adhibitis auxiliis, ea tonenda deflnivcrunt, 

 quae sacris Scripturis ot apostolicis -Traditionibus 

 consentanca. Deo adiutore, cognovcrant. Noque 

 i-n'mi IV'tri micoossoribus Spiritus Sanctus promUsm 

 : eo rovelanto novnin doctrinain patefacorent, 

 si-.l ut eo assistentc traditarn per Apostolos rcvela- 

 ti'viu'in soil fldei dopositutn sancte custodircnt et 

 fiddlier exponeront. Quorum quidom apostolicam 

 1 K'trinam omnes venembiles Put res amplexi et sancti 

 Doctores orthodox! venerati atque secuti aunt ; plo- 

 nissimo flcientes, hano sancti Pctri Sodem ab omni 

 semper erro re illibatatn permanen^ secundura Domini 

 Salvatoris nostri divinatn pollicitationem discipu- 

 lorum suoruni principi factam : Ego rogavi pro te, ut 

 nou deficiat fides tua, et tu aliquando convorsus con- 

 flnna fratres tuos. 



Hoc igitur veritatis et fidci humquam deficientis 

 ivuirisma Petroeiusquo in hac Cathedra sucoessoribus 

 dlvinitus collatum est, ut excelso suo munere in om- 

 nium salutem fungerentur, ut universus Christi grex 

 per cos ab erroris venenosa esca aversus, coelestis 

 doetrinae pabulo nutriretur, ut sublata schismatis 

 occasione Ecclesia tola una consoryaretur atque suo 

 fandamento innixa firma ad versus inferi portas con- 

 sisteret. 



At vcro cum hac ipsa aetate, qua salutifera Apos- 

 toliei muneris oflicacia vel maxime requiritar, non 

 pauci inveniantur, qui illius auctoritati obtrectant ; 

 nccessarium omnino esse censemus, praerogativam. 

 quara unigenitus Dei Filius cum suinmo pastorali 

 officio coniungere dignatus cst, solemniter asserere. 



Itaquo NOB traditioni a fldei Christianao exordio 

 perceptae fldeliter inhaerendo, ad Dei Salvatoria 

 nostn^loriam roligionis Catholicao exaltationem et 

 Christianorum populorum salutem, sacro approbante 

 Concilio, doccmus et divinitus revelatum dogma esse 

 deflnimus: Bomanum Pontiflccm, cum ex Cathedra 

 loquitur, id est, cum omnium Christianorum Pastoris 

 et Doctoris munere fungens, pro suprema sua Apos- 

 tolica auctoritate doctrmam de fide vel moribus ab 

 universa Ecclesia tenendam definit, per aasistentiam 

 diviiiam, ipsi in beato Petro promissam, ea infalli- 

 bilitute pollore, qua divinus Kedemptor Ecclesiam 

 suum in definienda doctrina de fldo vel moribus in- 

 Ptructam esse voluit; idcoquo eiusmodi Romani 

 Pontidcis deflnitiones ex sose, nonautem ex consensu 

 Ecclesiae, irreformabiles osse. 



Cf. St. Bern. Epist. 100. 



and the father and teacher of all Chrintiani, and that 

 t'> him, in the blessed Peter, was given by our !. r<l 

 Jesus Christ full power of feeding arid ruling and 

 governing the univental Church. (John xxi. 15-17.) 



In order to fulfil this pastoral charge, our pred- 

 ecessors have ever labored unweariodly to spread the 

 saving doctrine of Christ among all the nations of tho 

 earth, and with equal care have watched to preserve 

 it pure and unchanged where it had been received. 

 Wherefore the bishops of the whole world, some- 

 times singly, sometimes assembled in synods, fol- 

 lowing the long-entablinhed custom of the churches 

 (8. Cyril, Alex, ad 8. Coolest. Pap.), and the form of 

 ancient rule (St. Innocent I. to councils of Carthage 

 and Milovi), referred to this apostolic see those <!. 

 especially which arose in matters of faith, in order 

 that injuries to faith might best bo healed there 

 where the faith could never fail.* And the Roman 

 pontiffs, weighing the condition of times and circum- 

 stances, sometimes calling together general councils, 

 or asking the judgment or the Church sea 

 through the world, sometimes consulting particular 

 synods, sometimes using such other aids as Divino 

 Providence supplied, defined that those doctrines 

 should be held, which, by the aid of God, they knew 

 to be conformable to tho holy Scriptures, and the 

 apostolic traditions. For the Iloly Ghost is not 

 promised to the successors of Peter, that they may 

 make known a new doctrine revealed by him, but 

 that, through his assistance, they may sacredly guard 

 and faithfully set forth the revelation delivered by 

 the apostles, that is, the deposit of faith. And this 

 their apostolic teaching, all the venerable fathers 

 have embraced, and the noly orthodox doctors have 

 revered and followed, knowing most certainly that 

 this see of St. Peter ever remains free from all error, 

 according to the divine promise of our Lord and 

 Saviour made to the prince of the apostles : I have 

 prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not, and thou, be- 

 ing once converted, confirm thy brethren. (Conf. St. 

 Agatho, Ep. ad Imp. a Cone. (Ecum. VI. approbat.) 



Therefore, this gift of truth, and of faith which 

 fails not, was divinely bestowed on Peter and his 

 successors in this chair, that they should exercise 

 their high office for the salvation or all, that through 

 them tho universal flock of Christ should be turned 

 away from the poisonous food of error, and should 

 be nourished with the food of heavenly doctrine, and 

 that, the occasion of schism being removed, the en- 

 tiro Church should be preserved one, and, planted on 

 her foundation, should stand firm against tho gates 

 of hell. 



Nevertheless, since in this present age, when tho 

 saving efficacy of tho apostolic office is exceedinirly 

 needed, there are not a few who carp nt its authority*; 

 we judge it altogether necessary to solemnly de- 

 clare the prerogative, which the "only-begotten Son 

 of God has deigned to unite to the supreme pastoral 

 office. 



Wherefore, faithfully adhering to the tradition 

 handed down from the commencement of the Chris- 

 tian faith, for the glory of God -our Saviour, the exal- 

 tation of the Catholic religion, and the salvation of 

 Christian peoples, with the approbation of the sacred 

 council, we teach and define it to be a doctrino 

 divinely revealed: that when the Roman pontitf 

 speaks ex cathedra, that is, when in the exercise of 

 his office of pastor and teacher of all Christians, and 

 in virtue of his supreme apostolical authority, he de- 

 fines that a doctrine of faith or morals is to be held 

 by the universal Church, he possesses, through tho 

 divine assistance promised to him in the blessed 

 Peter, that infallibility with which the divine Re- 

 deemer willed His Church to be endowed, in defining 

 a doctrine of faith or morals ; and therefore that such 

 definitions of tho Roman pontiff are irreformable of 

 themselves, and not by force of the consent of tho 

 Church thereto. 



* St. Bernard, Ep. 190. 



