“What are the signs that identify a doctrine taught infallibly by the ordinary and universal magisterium?” This is the first half of Vacant’s long Chapter IV, which considers again the different ways in which the Church’s ordinary magisterium teaches us, and the obligations corresponding to these ways. As we already noted, the author J.M.A. Vacant …
Category archives: Ecclesiology
On the immorality of labelling other Catholics as “radical traditionalists”
“A little historical awareness, humility, respect and basic human kindness would go a long way.” Image: David Gilbert Wright, ‘Queuing for Holy Communion at the top of the mountain.’ This article is an expanded excerpt from our essay What does Michael Lofton mean by “tradition”? In order to address this topic, we have to remember …
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The Apostolicity of the Church – Who are the Successors of the Apostles?
“We believe that the Church retains her hierarchy – because this is what we are required to believe.” Image: Ghirlandaio, Wiki Commons, Public Domain Is the Catholic Church still apostolic? Many Catholics today hold that Francis and his recent predecessors have not been true successors of St Peter – or at least have only doubtfully …
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Papal elections, including without the Cardinals – Journet & Cajetan
“In default of the Roman clergy the right will belong to the Church universal.” Image: Cardinal Journet, by Armand Niquille, Wiki Commons. Editor’s Notes Continuing the series on papal elections in the absence of the Cardinals, we are now publishing (in two parts) Charles Journet’s treatment of papal elections, and of the state of the …
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Papal elections without the cardinals? – St Robert Bellarmine
“In fact, similar situations have been considered by great theologians in history.” Image: Pope Martin V consecrating a church. Wiki Commons Editors’ Notes This is the first in a series of texts from theologians, which we are publishing on the topic of “Papal elections in extraordinary circumstances”, and the related topic of how the Church …
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What does Michael Lofton mean by “tradition”?
“It is absurd, and a detestable shame, that we should suffer those traditions to be changed which we have received from the fathers of old.” The Decretals, cited by St Thomas AquinasSumma Theologica, Ia-IIae, Q. 97 A. 2Photo by Thays Orrico on Unsplash In this piece…– What is tradition?– Can abandoned or forbidden practices be …
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The Church’s Unity of Faith – St Francis de Sales
“The true Church of God must be united, fastened and joined together in one same doctrine and belief”
Over the last months, we have made the visible unity of the Church’s faith a central theme of a number of essays.
In short, the Church is essentially united in her external profession of faith. This is an essential aspect of the property of unity itself. As one of the four notes of the Church recited in the Creed, this unity of faith is a “negative” property in the sense that the true Church of Christ can never lack it. Any society claiming to be the Church of Christ shows itself to be a false claimant if it lacks this unity of faith.
Should mistaken Catholics be called “material heretics”?
“The Church is visible by reason of the visibility of her members and her organisation. But the edges are very blurred.” Objection: Some Catholics profess heretical doctrines in good faith, and they are sometimes called “material heretics.” Therefore, the description of the Church’s “visible unity” is overly idealised, and arguments about heresy and membership based …
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Are we obliged to believe every person who calls himself a Catholic?
“A visible unity in ‘claims to be Catholic’ is no more remarkable than a unity of ‘claims to be Anglican.'” Photo by Sander Sammy on Unsplash Objection: “As long as someone claims to be a Catholic and professes submission to the Church’s magisterium, he cannot be considered to be more than an occult heretic – …
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What is the difference between an excommunicate and an open heretic?
“Such legalistic and positivist ideas are an implicit denial of the visible unity of the Church.” Image: Excommunication of Robert the Pious, Wiki Commons CC In previous parts, building on my review of the Tradivox Catechism series, we saw the following points across three theses: The nature and centrality of the Church’s visible unity of …
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