The Pontifical teachings will ever resound, in the ears of the sheep chosen by the Lord, as the voice of the authentic Shepherd.
Newsroom (10/03/2024 08:30, Gaudium Press) It is a centuries-old and venerable custom to commemorate the Chair of Peter, exalted by the Fathers of the Church in their writings. The city of Antioch pioneered this feast in memory of its first bishop, Peter, the Prince of the Apostles himself. Later, Rome also began to celebrate it, later extending it to the universal Church.
When we refer to the Chair, we mean the stable seat from which the Bishop teaches words of salvation to his faithful. In the case of the Chair of Peter, we are referring to the infallible teaching of the Pope, the universal pastor of the Church, from whose lips the flock of Christ must receive the pure and holy food of divine truth.
In this sense, the First Vatican Council consecrated an ancient ecclesial tradition by declaring: “The Roman Pontiff, when he speaks ex cathedra – that is, when in the performance of the office of pastor and doctor of all Christians, he defines with his supreme apostolic authority that a certain doctrine concerning faith or morals is to be held by the whole Church – by virtue of the divine assistance promised to him in the person of the Blessed Peter, enjoys that infallibility with which the Divine Redeemer willed His Church to be furnished when it must define some doctrine concerning faith and morals; and that, therefore, such declarations of the Roman Pontiff are, in themselves, and not only by virtue of the consensus of the Church, irreformable”.
However, the doctrinal authority of the Vicar of Christ is neither independent nor absolute. The same council clearly explains its subordination to Divine Revelation: “The Holy Spirit was not promised to the Successors of Peter so that, by His revelation, they might manifest a new doctrine, but so that, with His assistance, they might sanctimoniously preserve and faithfully expound the revelation handed down by the Apostles; that is, the deposit of the Faith.”
Therefore, through the Petrine office, the Pope possesses a power delegated by Christ to certify Catholics of the fundamental truths, so that by knowing and loving God with certainty they can sanctify themselves and, at the end of their earthly journey, have access to the eternal mansions. It was Jesus Himself, in the region of Caesarea Philippi, who wanted to establish His Church on the rock of St. Peter’s confession of faith. This is a gift of inestimable value, for which we are grateful to God.
However, throughout history there has been no shortage of unfortunate events that have highlighted the fragility of some Popes and the misuse of their magisterium. Out of fear of prevailing opinion, the Faith has been shamefully jeopardized in various circumstances. It is enough to remember – in addition to the cases of Vigilius and Liberius – the defection of Honorius, condemned for heresy by the Third Council of Constantinople, with the subsequent confirmation of Pope St. Leo II. Here is the Pontiff’s solemn judgement:
“We anathematize (condemn) […] Honorius, who did not enlighten this Apostolic Church [of Rome] with the doctrine of the Apostolic Tradition, but allowed the Immaculate Church to be stained by impious treachery.”
Added to this is the long list of antipopes who have sown confusion in the Church for years on end, either through the illegitimacy of their appointment or through the doctrinal and disciplinary confusions that have spread under their auspices.
Do these scandals jeopardize the veracity of the Chair of Peter? No, because in none of them – nor in similar ones over the centuries – did the Pontiffs make use of infallibility. Such episodes only show the weakness inherited from original sin and, at the same time, the indestructible strength of the Chair that even its occupants, however weak or perverse they may have been, could not destroy.
In contrast, in the annals of history there are abundant examples of holy and intrepid Popes, capable of declaring the truth in a definitive and binding way without fear of the sometimes dramatic consequences for themselves. Some even paid with their lives for their fidelity to the gift of faith, consolidating with their blood the chair entrusted to them by the Divine Master.
Thus, the Catholic Faith can be tested in certain circumstances by the pandemonium caused by false doctrines spread by agents of the evil one in the Church, but they will invariably encounter the obstacle of the infallible Chair of Peter, which remains imperturbable and immutable in its fidelity to the Truth of Christ. It will also be a sure criterion for distinguishing the voice of authentic pastors from the pernicious plots of wolves disguised as ministers.
Therefore, even in times of crisis and disorientation, let us flee from any discouragement, certain that men pass away with their fallacies and deceptions, but the truth remains. Our Lord Jesus Christ, who founded the Church on Peter and built it as an impregnable fortress, continues to watch over and guide His Church. Victory will go to those who trust in Him!
By Mgr João Scognamiglio Clá Dias, EP.
Text taken, with adaptations, from the magazine Heralds of the Gospel no. 266, February 2024.
Compiled by Sandra Chishiolm
