By
Robert Siscoe
(February 2020)
Steven Degele: “John of Saint Thomas said it is
infallibly certain that a Pope is a Pope if he was universally accepted. But universally accepted means he was
accepted by everyone except the Pope.
But only the Pope is infallible.
Hence, universal acceptance cannot impart infallibly. Therefore, John was wrong.”
TOFP: We
reviewed your piece and unfortunately it contains a number of serious errors -
most especially your conclusion that the doctrine "is
heretical". Here are a few
comments.
TO BEGIN WITH, the doctrine in question – i.e., that
the legitimacy of a Pope, whose election has been accepted by the entire
Church, is an infallible dogmatic fact - is not the doctrine of John of St.
Thomas. It is rather the common doctrine
of the Church. See, for example:
1) Fr. E. Sylvester Berry, The Church of Christ (1927), Eugene, Oregon: Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2009, pp. 288-290.
2) Cardinal, D. Ioannis Claudii Puteobonelli ... In primam (-tertiam) partem d. Thomæquæstiones selectæ: In primam secundae S. Thomae Quaestiones selectae, Volume 2, ex typographia Iosephi Pandulphi Malatestae, 1707, Quest V Art II
3) Monsignor G. Van Noort, Christ’s Church, Westminster, Maryland: Newman Press, 1957, p. 153 (emphasis added).
4) Louis Cardinal Billot, De Ecclesia Christi, (1909), "Tractatus de Ecclesia Christi", I, Editio quinta, apud aedes Universitatis Gregorianae, Romae, p. 623
5) Cardinal Journet, The Church of the Word Incarnate (1955), (London and New York: Sheed and Ward, 1955), pp. 481-482
6) Monsignor G Van Noort, Sources of Revelation (Westminster, Maryland: Newman Press, 1957), p. 265
7) Ludwig Van Ott, Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma, Fourth Edition, May 1960 (Rockford, Illinois: TAN Books and Publishers, 1974).
8) Tanquerey, Dogmatic Theology (1959) vol I, (New York; Tournai; Paris; Rome: Desclee Company, 1959), p. 146.
9) F. Dominico a SS.ma Trinitate Carmelita Discalc, Bibliotheca theologica: Septem Libris Distincta Prouincia, ROMAE; Typographia Philippi Matiz Mancini, 1668, lib III, Sectio IV, caput X
10) Abbot Guéranger, O.S.B., The Liturgical Year, Vol XII, pg. 188 1875
11) Rev. James Kavanagh, D.D., A Reply to Mr. Gladstone’s Vaticanism, Dublin, James Guffy, 1895, p. 54
12) Hervé, Hervé, Manuale Theologiae Dogmaticae, (1952) Berche et Pagis, Editores, Parisiis, 1952) Vol. I.500 (b), I.514.
13) Salaverri, Sacrae Theologiae Summa 1B (1955), On The Church of Christ, On Holy Scripture, 3rd ed., translated by Kenneth Bakker S.J., (Keep the Faith, Inc. 2015), bk II, ch. III, a. II., N. 812.
14) Rev. Louis Farris, Ferraris, PromptaBibliotheca Canonica. Iuridica Moralis Theologica, Romae: S. C. De Propaganda Fide, (1764)
15) Billuart, Rene’, Summa S. Thomae Hodiernis Academiarum Moribus Accommodata (Everardum Kints, Leodii, Liege), Tract: De Regulus Fidei, 1754, p. 99
16) Hurter, S.J. Theologiae Dogmaticae Compendium (1885)
17) Fr. Sydney Smith, S.J., The Tablet (1895)
18) American Ecclesiastical Review, Fr. O’Connor’ Q&A (December 1965)
19) Sixtus Cartechini S.J. On the Value of Theological Notes and the Criteria for Discerning Them (Rome, 1951)
20) John of St. Thomas CURSUS THEOLOGICUS, Tome 6. Questions 1-7 on Faith. Disputation 8. 1640 1 2 3 4 5
21) Dr. Boni, Professor of Canon Law at the University of Bologna, and Advisor of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts. “Beyond a Resignation. The Decision of Pope Benedict XVI and The Law,” Bologna, 2015.
22) Franciscus Xav. Wernz, Petrus Vidal, "Ius canonicum", II, "De personis", apud aedes Universitatis Gregorianae, Romae, 1943, pp. 520-521
23) St. Alphonsus Ligouri, Doctor of the Church, Verita Della Fede', Part III, Ch. VIII, p. 720. 1767
24) W. Wilmers, ‘A Handbook of the Christian Religion,’ 3rd ed., Benziger Bros., New York, New York. 1891, page 95
25) Pope Martin V, Council of Constance, 1418
27) Schmier, Benedict; Grimm, Georg; Merck, Aemilianus; Schmier, Benedict, Ecclesia Christi In Terris Militans: Seu Catholica Religio, Cum Fide, Spe Et Charitate Theolocica, Gratia Habituali, Iustificatione, Et Merito. Tractatus de Ecclesia Militante Questio XX, SALISBURGI: Typis Joannis Josephi Mayr, (1732)
28) Arbiol, Antonio O.F.M., Selectae disputationes scholasticae, et dogmaticae, Caesar-Augustae: Emm. Roman Univ, 1702, Disp II, Art XII.
29) A. Tanquerey – Synopsis theologiae dogmaticaefundamentalis: Ad mentem S. Thomae Aquinatis (1896)
30) Fr. Edmund O’Reilly, S.J., The Relations of the Church to Society (London, John Hodges, 1892, p. 308
31) Arnaldo De Salveria, L’Ordo Missae de Paul VI: Qu’en penser?, Paris, 1980, p. 72
32) Archbishop Lefebvre, The New Mass and the Pope, The Angelus, January 1980
33) Rev. Donald Sanborn (Sedevacantist Bishop), Explanation of The Thesis Of Bishop Guérard Des Lauriers, (2002)
34) Fr. Joseph Mariae de Turre , O.P., Institutionum ad verbi Dei scriptiintelligentiam Tractatus tertius, Typis Pauli Montii, (1711), Tract. III, Quaest V, App., q. 4., p. 176.
35) Fr. Francisco, Palanco Tractatus De Fide Theologica. In 2. 2. Div. Thom. Ad illustrissimum d. d., Tract De Fide, Disp. III, Quaest. XI, Ad hac proposition Innocent XII, (1701) pp. 313-329.
36) Fr. Antonio De Alvalate, Cursus Theologicus...juxta mentem Doct. Joanni Dunsii Scoti, Tract II de Vera Relig., Disp III, Quaest III. (1757)
37) Hunter, Outlinesof Dogmatic Theology, Volume I (New York, Cincinnati, Chicago, Benzinger Brothers, 1894) ch. VI, N. 211.
38) Thryso González de Santall, S.J. (general of the Jesuits) Deinfallibilitate Romani pontificis in definiendis fidei et morum controversiis (Rome: Felecis Caesaretti, 1689) Ch. XII, Disp I, Sect IX, XII. pp. 124-127
39) Cardinal Franzelin, Theses de ecclesia Christi (Romae : S.C. de Propaganda Fide, 1887), Thesis XIII, pp 232, 234.
40) Fr. Jourdain Hurtaud, 0. P., Professeur de Théologie Dogmatique, Savonarole. Aux Princes Chrétiens, Revue Thomiste, 1899, p. 660-661.
The legitimacy of a Pope who has been peaceful and universal acceptance is the common doctrine of the Church, and it has been taught by canonists, theologians, Saints, and doctors of the Church for centuries.
Van Noort qualifies the doctrine as
"theologically certain" (cf. Van Noort, Christ’s Church, p 112), and
Fr. Sixtus Cartechini S.J., in his book “On the Value of Theological Notes and
the Criteria for Discerning Them” (which was written for use by the auditors of
the Roman Congregation), explains that the effect of denying the doctrine is “a
mortal sin against faith.”
SECOND, the universal acceptance does not require a mathematical
unanimity (100%, or “by everyone” as you said), but only a moral (or practical)
unanimity, which represents the ‘one mind’ of the Church.
THIRD, your statement that “only the Pope is
infallible,” fails to account for the passive infallibility of the Church in
believing. The Pope, whether alone or
with the Bishops in a council, is infallible in teaching (i.e., defining), but
the entire Church – both the hierarchy and laity - is also infallible in BELIEVING
(which means the entire Church will never err in a matter of faith).
In the following quotation, Fr. Berry confirms the ‘second’
and ‘third’ points addressed above:
Fr. Berry, The Church of Christ: “DOGMATIC FACTS. A
dogmatic fact is one that has not been revealed, yet is so intimately connected
with a doctrine of faith that without certain knowledge of the fact there can
be no certain knowledge of the doctrine. For example (…) Was Pius IX a
legitimate pope? Was the election of Pius XI valid? Such questions must be
decided with certainty before decrees issued by any council or pope can be
accepted as infallibly true or binding on the Church. It is evident, then, that
the Church must be infallible in judging of such facts, and since the Church is
infallible in BELIEVING as well as in TEACHING, it follows that the PRACTICALLY
UNANIMOUS consent of the bishops and faithful in accepting a council as
ecumenical, or a Roman Pontiff as legitimately elected, gives absolute and INFALLIBLE
CERTAINTY of the fact."
Notice that the acceptance does not require a mathematical unanimity,
but only a practically unanimous consent of the bishops and faithful consenting
(believing), to provide “infallible certainty of the fact.”
In his book, “Outlines of Dogmatic Theology,” Fr. Hunter
consider the same issue, but only in relation to the ecclesia docens (teaching Church),
and explains that the Divine Constitution of the Church would be destroyed if
the entire hierarchy accepted as false Pope as the true Pope:
Hunter, Outlines of Dogmatic Theology, Volume: “Dogmatic
Facts: (…)“First, then, THE CHURCH IS INFALLIBLE WHEN SHE DECLARES WHAT PERSON
HOLDS THE OFFICE OF POPE; for if the person of the Pope were uncertain, it
would be uncertain what Bishops were in communion with the Pope; but according
to the Catholic faith, as will be proved hereafter, communion with the Pope is
a condition for the exercise of the function of teaching by the body of Bishops
(n. 208); if then the uncertainty could not be cleared up, the power of
teaching could not be exercised, and Christ's promise (St. Matt, xxviii. 20;
and n. 199, II.) would be falsified, which is impossible.
“This argument is in substance the same as applies to
other cases of dogmatic facts. Also, it
affords an answer to a much vaunted objection to the claims of the Catholic
Church, put forward by [Protestant] writers who think that they find proof in
history that the election of a certain Pope was simoniacal and invalid, and
that the successor was elected by Cardinals who owed their appointment to the
simoniacal intruder; from which it is gathered that the Papacy has been vacant
since that time [this was a common Protestant argument during the 19th
century]. A volume might be occupied if
we attempt to expose all the frailness of the argument which is supposed to
lead to this startling conclusion; but it is enough to say that if the bishops
agree in recognizing a certain man as pope, they are certainly right, for
otherwise the body of the bishops would be separated from their head, AND THE
DIVINE CONSTITUTION OF THE CHURCH WOULD BE RUINED.” (Hunter, Outlines of
Dogmatic Theology, Volume I (New York, Cincinnati, Chicago, Benzinger Brothers,
1894) ch. VI, N. 211.
As Fr. Hunter explained, the indefectibility of the
Church will not permit the entire hierarchy from accepting a false Pope as the
true Pope, and as Fr. Berry noted, the Church’s passive infallibility, in
believing, will prevent the entire Church – the hierarchy and the laity – from doing
the same.
FOURTH, in your piece you wrote, “the PROCESS of
universal acceptance is claimed to be infallible and thus binding upon
subsequent Popes” and a little later:
“John’s argument is that infallibility resides IN THE
VERY ACT of acceptance. This renders everything else independent, such as
election validity. Namely, if it is
infallibly true that A is Pope, it follows his election was valid (or it
doesn’t matter), and so forth. This
brings out the possible collision: Pope
C [e.g. John Paul II] defines the elections rules. Pope D [e.g., Francis] is then elected and
confirmed by universal acceptance. It is
subsequently learned the election was invalid.
Universal acceptance says tough cookies, we the people have spoken: Pope
C’s elections rules are moot.”
TOFP: The
universal acceptance is not an infallible PROCESS. This
touches on an important point, which many people have a difficulty grasping.
The universal acceptance is “the sign and infallible
effect of a valid election.” (Ius Canonicum II, Gregorianae, Romae, 1943,
520-521). The effect proceeds from the
cause, and will not be present if the cause is not present. Hence,
if the effect (universal acceptance) is present, it provides infallible
certainty that the cause (legitimate Pope) is also present.
The universal acceptance also logically provides
infallible certitude that all the prerequisite conditions for him to have
become Pope were satisfied, such as the condition that the papal see was vacant
at the time, and the condition that his election was valid. In other words, the universal acceptance
precludes the possibility that the “collision” you are speaking of will ever
occur, since it not only provides infallible certitude that he is the
legitimate Pope, but the same degree of certitude that the conditions required
for him to have become pope were satisfied.
FIFTH, you wrote:
“According to John, it is dogmatic fact the man
elected is Pope. Since this is
infallible, it follows the election was valid and thus any conflicting evidence
to the contrary is false.”
That is correct (for the reason given above), but I
would add this qualification: The infallible certitude that the man elected is
the true Pope does not preclude the possibility that there were irregularities
in the election (or even a conspiracies), which will later be discovered. All it guarantees is that any irregularities
or conspiracies did not suffice to invalidate the election. This brings up an important point.
If an election law is violated, it does not
necessarily follow that the election will be invalid. For example, according to Roman canonists who
have addressed the matter, violations of that which is forbidden in chapter VI
of Universi Dominici Gregis (“Matters To Be
Observed Or Avoided In The Election Of The Roman Pontiff”) would not have
invalidated the election.
The esteemed canonist, Dr.
Boni, professor of Canon Law at the University of Bologna, and Advisor of the
Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts, published a scholarly study in
November of 2015 that examined the election violations alleged in Antonio
Socci’s book, and concluded that, even if true, they would not have sufficed to
render the election null. It is also worth noting that the esteemed canonist appealed
to the doctrine of the peaceful and universal acceptance to further prove the
legitimacy of Francis election. The
following is an excerpt from the study:
Dr. Boni: “even if what has been reported had happened
[i.e., if the alleged irregularities in that Socci presented were true], the
procedure that followed, as I have demonstrated, would have been entirely ‘ad
normam iuris’ (as provided by law): the election of Pope Francis, having
reached the expected majority in the fifth ballot (the first, I remember,
occurred on May 12), would be valid, there would be nothing to heal, there
would be no doubt, much less a ‘positive’ and ‘insoluble’ doubt (as the law
postulates) of the validity. Give the
complete lack of legal foundation for these suppositions, even if one wanted to
give credit to the information on which these claims are based, the rashly
agitated claim of a ‘doubtful’ Pope actually seated on the chair of Peter
vanishes. And anyway the canonists have constantly taught that the peaceful
universal adhesion of the Church is a sign and infallible effect of a valid
election of a legitimate Pope: and the adhesion of the people of God to Pope
Francis cannot be placed in any doubt.”
The fact that a canonists of Dr. Boni’s weight appealed
to the peaceful and universal acceptance to prove the legitimacy of Francis
election, should suffice to end the absurd claim that John Paul II (in Universi
Dominici Gregis) forbade anyone to appeal to the doctrine to confirm the legitimacy
of an election.
SIXTH, you wrote:
“Papal elections are legislative in nature. Namely, the Cardinal electors are mandated to
ensure the conditions for a canonic election are fulfilled. For the last conclave, the conditions are
defined by UDG.”
TOFP: Have you noticed that Cardinal electors – those
mandated (and qualified) to ensure that the conditions of the election were
fulfilled – are not the ones questioning if the conditions were fulfilled, or
raising doubts about the validity of Francis election? It has been more than six years since the
election. Every cardinal who participated
in the election recognizes Francis as Pope, and none have publicly raised
doubts about the validity of his election. This fact alone should suffice to
prove that all the requisite conditions of the election were satisfied.
Additionally, the universal acceptance (effect)
confirms that the requisite conditions were satisfied, since the “infallible
effect” doesn’t only provides infallible certitude of the legitimacy of the
Pope (cause), but also provides infallible certitude that the conditions
required for him to have become pope were satisfied.
This is explained at lengthy by Cardinal Billot, the
former professor at the Gregorian University.
Billot is recognized as one of the greatest Thomists of the first half
of the 20th century and served as the main drafter of Pius X’s encyclical
Pascendi (against the Modernists). The
following is taken from his celebrated book, De Ecclesia Christi, which was one
of the primary manuals used to train priests in Catholic seminaries prior to
the Second Vatican Council:
Cardinal Billot: “one point must be considered
absolutely incontrovertible and placed firmly above any doubt whatever: THE
ADHESION OF THE UNIVERSAL CHURCH WILL BE ALWAYS, IN ITSELF, AN INFALLIBLE SIGN
OF THE LEGITIMACY OF A DETERMINED PONTIFF, AND THEREFORE ALSO OF THE EXISTENCE
OF ALL THE CONDITIONS REQUIRED FOR LEGITIMACY ITSELF. It is not necessary to
look far for the proof of this, but we find it immediately in the promise and
the infallible providence of Christ: ‘The gates of hell shall not prevail
against it,’ and ‘Behold I shall be with you all days.’ For the adhesion of the
Church to a false Pontiff would be the same as its adhesion to a false rule of
faith, seeing that the Pope is the living rule of faith which the Church must
follow and which in fact she always follows. As will become even more clear by
what we shall say later, God can permit that at times a vacancy in the
Apostolic See be prolonged for a long time. He can also permit that doubt arise
about the legitimacy of this or that election. He cannot however permit that
the whole Church accept as Pontiff him who is not so truly and legitimately.
Therefore, FROM THE MOMENT IN WHICH THE POPE IS ACCEPTED BY THE CHURCH and
united to her as the head to the body, IT IS NO LONGER PERMITTED TO RAISE
DOUBTS ABOUT A POSSIBLE VICE OF ELECTION or a possible lack of any CONDITION whatsoever
necessary for legitimacy. For the aforementioned adhesion of the Church heals
in the root all fault in the election and proves infallibly the existence of
all the required conditions.”
LASTLY, you wrote:
“Pope John Paul II abolished the ancient election
forms of acclamation and delegation, removing them from Universi Dominici
Gregis (see UDG 62).”
TOFP: The doctrine of the peaceful and universal
acceptance has nothing to do with the ancient form of election by public
acclamation. This was done away with
many centuries ago. The form of papal
election by 2/3rd vote of the Cardinals was established in the 12th century,
and has been the practice of the Church ever since. Since all the authorities I cited wrote in
the past three centuries, it should be evident that the doctrine of the
peaceful and universal acceptance applies to elections by the cardinals. It is what provides infallible certainty that
the one elected is, in fact, the legitimate Pope.
If this doctrine were not true the Church would have
no way of knowing, for sure, that a particular pope was a true and legitimate
Pope. Hence, we would have no way of
knowing of a doctrine had been defined, or the definitive decrees of a council,
had been ratified by a true Pope or a false Pope. Consequently, the object of the Faith itself
(the dogmas that must be believed) would be uncertain, and the determination of
which dogmas were defined by true Popes, and which were not, would be left to
the private judgment of individual Catholics to decide. Those who denied
various dogmas would only have to cast doubt upon the Popes who defined them in
order to justify their incredulity. With fallen human nature as it is, such
uncertainly would end I chaos. This explains
why the Church must have infallible certainty that the one she recognizes as
Pope is, in fact, the true Pope. And such infallible certainty is manifest by
the universal acceptance of the Pope.
To deny that is just as much a mortal sin against
faith today as it was in 1951, when Cartechini published On the Value of
Theological Notes and the Criteria for Discerning Them, for use by the Roman
Congregation. In fact, according to the
clarification on the 1989 Profession of Faith, signed by Cardinal Ratzinger,
“the legitimacy of the election of the Supreme Pontiff” must be accepted
definitively, and the assent owed to it is equal, as to the “full and
irrevocable character”, as that which is owed to a defined dogma. The document further states that anyone that
would reject the legitimacy of a Papal election, would “no longer be in full
communion with the Catholic Church.”
For more on this last point, and the other questions
you raised, see this article:
http://www.trueorfalsepope.com/p/robert-siscoes-reply-tosmiths-friendly.html
