The-papacy-its-history-dogmas-genius-and-prospects-wylie

CLAIM OP INFALLIBILITY. 243fallible. Romanists do not bold tbat all persons and pastorsin their Church are infallible, but only tbat the " Church"is infallible. To this extent Romanists are agreed on thequestion of infallibility, but no farther. The seat or localityof that infallibility remains to this hour undecided. TheJesuits and the Italian bishops hold that this infallibilityresides in the Pope, as the head of the Church, and theorgan through which she makes known her mind ; theFrench bishops place it in general councils ; while a thirdparty exists which holds that neither popes nor councilsseparately are infallible, but that both conjointly are so.The Roman Catholics of England used anciently to sidewith the Italians on this question, but latterly they havegone over to the opinions of the French.*Those who placeinfallibility in the Pope do not maintain that he is infallibleeither in his personal conduct or in his private opinions, butonly when excathedra he pronounces on points of faith anddecides controversies. Then he speaks infallibly, and everyRoman Catholic is bound, at his peril, to receive and obeythe decision. The compendious creed of the Romanist, ac-:— cording to Challoner, is as follows " I believe in all things,according as the Holy Catholic Church believes \''-\'and he" promises and swears true obedience to the Roman bishop,the successor of St Peter, the prince of the apostles, andvicar of Jesus Christ ; and professes and undoubtedly receivesall things delivered, defined, and declared, by thesacred canons and general councils, and particularly by theholy Council of Trent ; and condemns, rejects, and anathematizesall things contrary thereto, and all heresies whatsoevercondemned and anathematized by the Church.";): " 'Ageneral council, rightly congregated,' says Alphonsus deCastro, ' cannot err in the faith."'Councils,' says Ecciusand Tapperus, ' represent the Catholic Church, which cannoterr, and therefore they cannot err.' Costerus says,* Rrornings among the Jesuits at Rome, p. 96.+ Garden of the Soul, p. 35. J Pope Pius IV.'s Creed.