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Page 18
CHAPTER VI.
THE POPE'S ORDINARY AUTHORITY.
1. When the Holy Father speaks _ex cathedr�_, and defines any doctrine
concerning Faith or Morals, we are bound to receive his teaching with
the assent of divine faith: and cannot refuse obedience, without being
guilty of heresy. By one such wilful act of disobedience we cease to
be members of the Church of God, and must be classed with heathens and
publicans: "Who will not hear the Church, let him be to thee as the
heathen and the publican" (Matt, xviii. 17).
But the Holy Father rarely exercises his prerogative of Infallibility,
and therefore the occasions of these special professions of faith
occur but seldom--not once, perhaps, during the course of many years.
2. What then, it may be asked, is the proper attitude of a Catholic
towards the Pope, at ordinary times?
For a proper understanding of the answer, it may be well to remind the
general reader, that the law of God enjoins obedience to all lawfully
constituted authority; whether ecclesiastical or civil, and whether
Infallible or not: further that the Pope, whether speaking _ex
cathedr�_ or not, is always our lawful superior in all matters
appertaining to religion, not only as regards faith and morals, but
also as regards ecclesiastical order and discipline. His jurisdiction,
or authority to command in these matters, is supreme and universal,
and carries with it a corresponding right to be obeyed. He is the
immediate and supreme representative of God upon earth; and has been
placed in that position by God Himself. And since the Primacy is
neither in whole, nor even in part of human derivation, but comes
directly and immediately from Christ, no man or number of men, whether
kings or princes or individual Bishops, nor even a whole Council of
Bishops, have any warranty or right to command him in religious or
ecclesiastical concerns.[9] The Council of Florence declares that: "To
him, in Blessed Peter, was delivered by Our Lord Jesus Christ the full
power of ruling and governing the Universal Church". Now this "full
power" accorded by Christ cannot be limited except by the authority of
Christ. Though the Pope is not the Sovereign of all the faithful in
the _temporal_ order, he is the Sovereign of all Christians in the
_spiritual_ order. If then--and this is admitted by all--we are bound
in conscience to obey our temporal sovereign and magistrates and
masters, and must submit to the laws of the country, so long as they
do not conflict with higher and superior laws, such as the Natural Law
and the Revealed Law, with still greater reason are we bound to obey
our spiritual Sovereign and the laws and regulations of the Church.
3. To object that the Pope may possibly make a mistake when not
speaking _ex cathedr�_ though true, is nothing to the point. For civil
governments are far more liable to fail in this respect, and as a
matter of fact, do frequently abuse their power and pass unjust laws,
and sometimes command what is sinful,[10] yet that fact does not
militate against the soundness of the _general_ proposition that
lawful superiors are to be obeyed. Nor does it diminish the force of
St. Peter's inspired words, in which he bids us be subject, for God's
sake, "whether it be to the king, as excelling, or to governors as
sent by him for the punishment of evil doers ... for such is the will
of God" (Peter ii.). Nor does it detract from the truth and validity
of St. Paul's still more emphatic words: "Let every soul be subject to
higher powers; for there is no power but from God: and those that are
ordained of God. Therefore he that resisteth the power, _resisteth the
ordinance of God. And they that resist purchase to themselves
damnation_" (Rom. xiii.). And again, when writing to Titus he says:
"Admonish them to be subject to princes and powers, and to obey" (Tit.
iii. 1).
If the Apostles themselves thus command obedience to the State, even
to a pagan Government, such as the Roman was at the time they wrote,
it will scarcely be denied by any Christian that obedience is due to
the Church, and to the ecclesiastical government, altogether apart
from any question of infallibility. In fact, though both the civil
government and the ecclesiastical government are from God, and though
each is supreme within its own sphere; yet the authority in the case
of the Church is directly and immediately from God, whereas in the
case of the State, it is from God only mediately. This is why the
form of government, in the case of the State, may vary. It may be at
one time monarchical, and at another republican, and then oligarchic,
and so forth, whereas the Church must ever be ruled by one Supreme
Pontiff, and be monarchical in its form. Further, it is generally held
that even when not speaking _ex cathedr�_, "the Vicar of Christ is
largely assisted by God in the fulfilment of his sublime office; that
he receives great light and strength to do well the great work
entrusted to him and imposed upon him, and that he is continually
guided from above in the government of the Catholic Church." [Words of
Father O'Reilly, S.J., quoted with approval by Cardinal Newman, p.
140.] And that supplies us with a special and an additional motive for
prompt obedience.
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