| Traditional Roman Catholicism |
| The Supremacy Of The Popes |
The Church did not die with Peter. It was destined to continue till the end of time; consequently,
whatever official prerogatives were conferred on Peter were not to cease at his death, but were to be handed down
to his successors from generation to generation. The Church in all ages as much in need of a Supreme Ruler as it
was in the days of the Apostles, Nay, more; as the Church is now more widely diffused that it was then, and is ruler
by frailer men, it is more than ever in need of a central power to preserve its unity of faith and uniformity of discipline.
Whatever privileges, therefore, were conferred on Peter which may be considered essential to the government of the
Church are inherited by the Bishops of Rome, as successors of the Prince of Apostles; just as the constitutional
powers given to George Washington have devolved on the present incumbent of the Presidential chair.
Peter, it is true, besides the prerogatives inherent in his office, possessed also the gift of inspiration and the power of
working miracles. These two latter gifts are not claimed by the Pope, as they were personal to Peter and by no
means essential to the government of the Church. God acts toward His Church as we deal with a tender sapling.
When we first plant it we water it and soften the clay about its roots. But when it takes deep root we leave it to the
care of Nature's laws. In like manner, when Christ first planted Hie Church He nourished its infancy by miraculous
agency; but when it grew to be a tree of fair proportions He left it to be governed by the general laws of His
Providence.
From what I have said you can easily infer that the augments in favor of Peter's Primacy have equal weight in
demonstrating the supremacy of the Popes.
As the present question, however, is a subject of vast importance, I shall endeavor to show, from incontestable
historical evidence, that the Popes have always, from the days of the Apostles, continued to exercise supreme
jurisdiction not only in the Western Church till the Reformation, but also throughout the Eastern Church till the great
schism of the ninth century.
First-Take the question of appeals. An appeal is never made from a superior to an inferior court, not even from one
court to another of co-ordinate jurisdiction. We do not appeal from Washington to Richmond, but from Richmond to
Washington. Now, if we find the See of Rome from the foundation of Christianity entertaining and deciding cases of
appeal from the Oriental churches; if we find that her decision was final and irrevocable, we must conclude that the
supremacy of Rome over all the churches is an undeniable fact.
Let me give you a few illustrations:
To begin with Pope St. Clement, who was the third successor of St. Peter, and who is laudably mentioned by St.
Paul in one of his Epistles. Some dissension and scandal having occurred in the church in Corinth, the matter is
brought to the notice of Pope Clement. He at once exercises his supreme authority by writing letters of remonstrance
and admonition to the Corinthians. And so great was the reverence entertained for these Epistles by the faithful of
Corinth that, for a century later, it was customary to have them publicly read in their churches. Why did the
Corinthians appeal to Rome, far away in the West, and not so to Ephesus, so near to home in the East, where the
Apostle St. John still lived ? Evidently because the jurisdiction of Ephesus was local, while that of Rome was
universal.
About the year 190 the question regarding the proper day for celebrating Easter was agitated in the East, and
referred to pope St. Victor I. Th Eastern Church generally celebrated Easter on the day which the Jews kept the
Passover, while in the West it was observed then, as it is now, on the first Sunday after the full moon of the vernal
equinox. St. Victor directs the Eastern Churches, for the sake of uniformity, to conform to the practice of the West,
and his instructions are universally followed.
St. Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage, was martyred in 258. From his appeals to Pope St. Cornelius and to Pope St.
Stephen, especially on the subject of baptism, from his writings and correspondence, as well as from the whole tenor
of his administration, it is quite evident that Cyprian, as well as the African Episcopate, upheld the supremacy of the
Bishop of Rome.
Dionysius, Bishop of Rome, about the middle of the third century, having heard that the Patriarch of Alexandria,
erred on some points of faith, demands an explanation of the suspected Prelate, who, in obedience to his superior,
promptly vindicates his own orthodoxy.
St. Athanasius, the great Patriarch of Alexandria, appeals in the fourth century to Pope Julius I. from an unjust
decision rendered against him by the Oriental Bishops, and the Pope reverses the sentence of the Eastern Council.
St. Basil, Archbishop of Caesarea , in the same century has recourse in his afflictions to the protection of Pope
Damasus.
St. John Chrysostom, Patriarch of Constantinople, appeals in the beginning of the fifth century to Pope Innocent I.
for a redress of grievances inflicted on him by several Eastern Prelates, and by the Empress Eudoxia of
Constantinopole.
St. Cyril appeals to pope Celestine against Nestorius; Nestorius, also, appeals to the same Pontiff, who takes the
side of Cyril.
In a Synod held in 444, St. Hilary, Archbishop of Arles, in Gaul, deposed Celidonius , Bishop of Besancon, on the
ground of an alleged canonical impediment to his consecration. The Bishop appealed to the Holy See, and both he
and the Metrpolitan personally repaired to Rome, to submit their cause to the judgment of Pope Leo the Great. After
a careful investigation, the pontiff declared the sentence of the Synod invalid, revoked te censure, and restored the
deposed Prelate to his See.
The same Pontiff also rebuked Hilary for having irregularly deposed Projectus from his See.
The judicial authority of the Pope is emphasized from the circumstance that Hilary was not an arrogant or a
rebellious churchman, but an edifying and a zealous Prelate. He is revered by the whole Church as a canonized
Saint, and after his death, Leo refers to him as Hilary of happy memory.
Theodoret, the illustrious historian and Bishop of Cyrrhus, is condemned by the pseudo-council of Ephesus in 449,
and appeals to Pope Leo in the following touching language: " I await the decision of your Apostolic See, and I
supplicate your Holiness to succor me, who invoke your righteous and just tribunal; and to order me to hasten to you,
and to explain to you my teaching, which follows the steps of the Apostles.... I beseech you not to scorn my
application. Do not sight my gray hairs.... Above all, I entreat you to teach me whether to put up with this unjust
deposition or not; for I await your sentence. If you bid me rest in what has been determined against me, I will rest, and
will trouble no man more. I will look for the righteous judgment of our God and Savior. To me, as Almighty God is my
Judge, honor and glory are no object, but only the scandal that has been caused; for many of the simpler sort,
especially those whom I have rescued from diverse heresies, considering the See which has condemned me,
suspect that perhaps I really am a heretic, being incapable themselves of distinguishing accuracy of doctrine."
( Epist, 113 ) Leo declared the deposition invalid and Theodoret was restored to his See.
John, Abbot of Constantinople, appeals from the decision of the Patriarch of that city to Pope Gregory I., who
reverses the sentence of the Patriarch.
In 859 Photius addressed a letter to Pope Nicholas I., asking the Pontiff to confirm his election to the Patriarchate of
Constantinople. In consequence of the Pope's conscientious refusal Photius broke off from the communion of the
Catholic Church and became the author of the Greek schism.
Here are a few examples taken at random from the Church History. We see prelates most eminent for their sanctity
and learning occupying the highest position in the Eastern Church, and consequently far removed from the local
influences of Rome, appealing in every period of the early Church from the decisions of their own Bishops and their
Councils to the supreme arbitration of the Holy See. If this does not constitute superior jurisdiction, I have yet to learn
what superior authority means.
Second-Christians of ever denomination admit the orthodoxy of the father of the first five centuries of the Church.
No one has ever called into question the faith of such men as Basil, Chrysostom, Cyprian, Augustine, Jerome,
Ambrose and Leo. They were the acknowledged guardians of pure doctrine, and the living representatives " of the
faith once delivered to the Saint." They were to the Church in their generation what Peter and Paul and James were
to the Church in its infancy. We instinctively consult them about the faith of those times; for, to whom shall we go for
the Words of eternal life, if not to them?
Now, the Fathers of the Church, with one voice, pay homage to the Bishops of Rome as their superiors. The limited
space I have allowed myself in this little volume will not permit me to give any extracts from their writings. The reader
who may be unacquainted with the original language of the Fathers, or who has not their writings at hand, is referred
to a work entitled, " Faith of Catholics," where he will find, in an English translation, copious extracts from their
wittings vindicating the Primacy of the Popes.
Third-Ecumenical Councils afford another eloquent vindication of Papal Supremacy. An Ecumenical or General
Council is an assemblage of Prelates representing the whole Catholic Church. A General Council is to the Church
what the Executive and Legislative bodies in Washington are to the United States.
Up to the present time nineteen Ecumenical Councils have been convened, including the Council of the Vatican.
The last eleven were held in the West, and the first eight in the East. I shall pass over the Western Councils, as no
one denies that they were subject to the authority of the Pope.
I shall speak briefly of the important influence which the Holy See exercised in the eight Oriental Councils.
The first General Council was held in Nicea, in 325; the second, in Constantinople, 381; the third, in Ephesus, in
431; the fourth, in Chalcedon, in 451; the fifth, in Constantinople in 553;
the sixth in the same city, in 680; the seventh, in Nicea, in 787, and the eighth, in Constantinople, in 869.
The Bishops of Rome convoked these assemblages, or at least consented to their convocation; they presided by
their legates over all of them, except the first and second Councils of Constantinople, and they confirmed all these
eight by their authority. Before becoming a law the Acts of the Councils required the Pope's signature, just as our
Congressional proceedings require the President's signature before they acquire the force of law.
Is not this a striking illustration of the Primacy ? The Pope convenes, rules and sanctions the Synods, not by
courtesy, but by right. A dignitary who calls an assembly together, who presides over its deliberations, whose
signature is essential for confirming its Acts has surely a higher authority than the other members.
Fourth-I shall refer to one more historical point in support of the Pope's jurisdiction over the whole Church. It is a
most remarkable fact that every nation hitherto converted from Paganism to Christianity since the days of the
Apostles, has received the light of faith from missionaries who were either especially commissioned by the See of
Rome, or sent by Bishops in open communion with that See. This historical fact admits of no exception. Let me
particularize.
Ireland's Apostle is St. Patrick. Who commissioned him ? Pope St. Celestine, in the fifth century.
St. Palladius is the Apostle of Scotland. Who sent him ? The same Pontiff, Celestine.
The Anglo-Saxons received the faith from St. Augustine, a Benedictine monk, as all historians, Catholics and
non-Catholic, testify. Who empowered Augustine to preach? Pope Gregory I., at the end of the sixth century.
St. Remigius established the faith in France, at the close of the fifth century. He was in active communion with the
See of Peter.
Flanders received the Gospel in the seventh century from St. Eligius, who acknowledged the supremacy of the
reigning Pope.
Germany and Bavaria venerate as their apostle St. Boniface, who is popularly known in his native England by his
baptismal name of Winfrid. He was commissioned by Pope Gregory II,. in the beginning of the eight century, and was
consecrated Bishop by the same Pontiff.
In the ninth century two saintly brothers, Cyril and Methodius, evangelized Russia, Sclavonia , Moravia and other
parts of Northern Europe. They recognized the supreme authority of Pope Nicholas I. and his successors, Adrian II.
and John VII.
In the eleventh century Norway was converted by missionaries introduced from England by the Norwegian King,
St. Olave.
The conversion of Sweden was consummated in the same century bu the British Apostles Saints Ulfrid and Eskill.
Both of these nations immediately after their conversion commenced to pay Romescot, or a small annual tribute to
the Holy see-a clear evidence that they were in communion with the Chair of Peter.
All the other nations of Europe, having been converted before the Reformation, received likewise the light of faith
from Roman Catholic Missionaries, because Europe then recognized only one Christian Chief.
Passing from Europe to Asia and America, it is undeniable that St. Francis Xavier and other Evangelists who, in
the sixteenth century, extended the Kingdom of Jesus Christ through India and Japan, were in communion with the
Holy See; and that those Apostles who, in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, converted the aboriginal tribes of
South America and Mexico received their commission from the Chair of Peter.
But you will say: The people of the United States profess to be a Christian nation. Do you also claim them? Most
certainly; for, even those American Christians who are unhappily severed from the Catholic Church are primarily
indebted for their knowledge of the Gospel to missionaries in communion with the Holy See.
The white races of North America are descended from England, Ireland, Scotland and the nations of Continental
Europe. Those European nations having been converted by missionaries in subjection to the Holy See, it follows
that, from whatever part of Europe you are descended, whatever may be your particular creed, you are indebted to
the Church of Rome for your knowledge of Christianity.
Do not these facts demonstrate the Primacy of the Pope ? The Apostles of Europe and of other countries received
their authority from Rome. It is not the power that sends an ambassador greater that he who is sent ?
Thus we see that the name of the Pope is indelibly marked on every page of ecclesiastical history. The Sovereign
Pontiff ever stands before us as commander in chief in the grand army of the Church. Do the bishops of the East feel
themselves aggrieved at home by their Patriarchs or civil Rulers ? They look for redress to Rome, as to the star of
their hope. Are the Fathers and Doctors of the early Church consulted ? With one voice they all pay homage to the
Bishop of Rome as to their spiritual Prince. Is an Ecumenical Council to be convened in the East of West? The pope
is its leading spirit. Are new nations to be converted to the faith? There is the Holy Father clothing the missionaries
with authority, and giving his blessing to the work. Are new errors to be condemned in any part of the globe? All eyes
turn toward the oracle of Rome to await his anathema, and his solemn judgment reverberates throughout the length
and breadth of the Christian world.
You might as well shut out the light of day and the air of heaven from your daily walks as exclude the Pope from
his legitimate sphere in the hierarchy of the Church. The history of the United States with the Presidents left out
would be more intelligible than the history of the Church to the exclusion of the Vicar of Christ. How, I ask, could such
authority endure so long if it were a usurpation?
But you will tell me: " The supremacy of the Pope has been disputed in many ages." So has the authority of God
been called in question-nay, His very existence has been denied; for, "the fool hath said in his heart there is no God."
Does this denial destroy the existence and dominion of God? Has not parental authority been impugned from the
beginning? But by whom? By unruly children. Was David no longer king because Absalom said so?
It is thus also with the Popes. Their parental sway has been opposed only by their undutiful sons who grew
impatient of the Gospel yoke. Photius, the leader of the Greek schism, was an obedient son of the Pope until
Nicholas refused to recognize his usurped authority. Henery VIII. was a stout defender of the Pope's supremacy until
Clement VII. refused to legalize his adultery. Luther professed a most abject submission to the Pope till Leo X.
condemned him.
You cannot, my dear reader, be a loyal citizen of the United States while you deny the constitutional authority of
the President. You have seen that the Bishop of Rome is appointed not by man, but by Jesus Christ, President of the
Christian commonwealth. You cannot, therefore, be a true citizen of the Republic of the Church so long as you spurn
the legitimate supremacy of its Divinely constituted Chief. " He that is not with Me is against Me," says the Lord, "and
he that gathereth not with Me scattereth." How can you be with Christ if you are against His Vicar?
The great evil of our times is the unhappy division existing among the professors of Christianity, and from
thousands of hearts a yearning cry goes forth for unity of faith and union of churches.
It was, no doubt, with this laudable view that the Evangelical Alliance assembled in New York in the fall of 1873.
The representatives of the different religious communions hoped to effect a reunion. But they signally and lamentably
failed. Indeed the only result which followed from the alliance was the creation of a new sect under the auspices of
Dr. Cummins. That reverend gentleman, with the characteristic modesty of all religious reformers, was determined to
have a hand in improving the work of Jesus Christ; and like the other reformers, he said, with those who build the
tower of Babel: " Let us make our name famous before our dust is scattered to the wind.
The Alliance failed, because its members had no common platform to stand on. There was no voice in that
assembly that could say with authority: " Thus saith the Lord.
I heartily join in this prayer for Christian unity, and gladly would surrender my life for such a consummation. But I
tell you that Jesus Christ has pointed out that only means by which this unity can be maintained, viz. : the recognition
of Peter and his successors as the Head of the Church. Build upon this foundation and you will not erect a tower of
Babel, not build upon sand. If all Christian sects were united with the centre of unity, then the scattered hosts of
Christendom would form an army which atheism and infidelity could not long withstand. Then, indeed, all could
exclaim with Balaam : " How beautiful are thy tabernacles, O Jacob, and thy tents, O Isreal !
Let us pray that the day may be hastened when religious dissensions will cease; when all Christians will
advance with united front, under one common leader, to plant the cross in every region and win new kingdoms to
Jesus Christ.
whatever official prerogatives were conferred on Peter were not to cease at his death, but were to be handed down
to his successors from generation to generation. The Church in all ages as much in need of a Supreme Ruler as it
was in the days of the Apostles, Nay, more; as the Church is now more widely diffused that it was then, and is ruler
by frailer men, it is more than ever in need of a central power to preserve its unity of faith and uniformity of discipline.
Whatever privileges, therefore, were conferred on Peter which may be considered essential to the government of the
Church are inherited by the Bishops of Rome, as successors of the Prince of Apostles; just as the constitutional
powers given to George Washington have devolved on the present incumbent of the Presidential chair.
Peter, it is true, besides the prerogatives inherent in his office, possessed also the gift of inspiration and the power of
working miracles. These two latter gifts are not claimed by the Pope, as they were personal to Peter and by no
means essential to the government of the Church. God acts toward His Church as we deal with a tender sapling.
When we first plant it we water it and soften the clay about its roots. But when it takes deep root we leave it to the
care of Nature's laws. In like manner, when Christ first planted Hie Church He nourished its infancy by miraculous
agency; but when it grew to be a tree of fair proportions He left it to be governed by the general laws of His
Providence.
From what I have said you can easily infer that the augments in favor of Peter's Primacy have equal weight in
demonstrating the supremacy of the Popes.
As the present question, however, is a subject of vast importance, I shall endeavor to show, from incontestable
historical evidence, that the Popes have always, from the days of the Apostles, continued to exercise supreme
jurisdiction not only in the Western Church till the Reformation, but also throughout the Eastern Church till the great
schism of the ninth century.
First-Take the question of appeals. An appeal is never made from a superior to an inferior court, not even from one
court to another of co-ordinate jurisdiction. We do not appeal from Washington to Richmond, but from Richmond to
Washington. Now, if we find the See of Rome from the foundation of Christianity entertaining and deciding cases of
appeal from the Oriental churches; if we find that her decision was final and irrevocable, we must conclude that the
supremacy of Rome over all the churches is an undeniable fact.
Let me give you a few illustrations:
To begin with Pope St. Clement, who was the third successor of St. Peter, and who is laudably mentioned by St.
Paul in one of his Epistles. Some dissension and scandal having occurred in the church in Corinth, the matter is
brought to the notice of Pope Clement. He at once exercises his supreme authority by writing letters of remonstrance
and admonition to the Corinthians. And so great was the reverence entertained for these Epistles by the faithful of
Corinth that, for a century later, it was customary to have them publicly read in their churches. Why did the
Corinthians appeal to Rome, far away in the West, and not so to Ephesus, so near to home in the East, where the
Apostle St. John still lived ? Evidently because the jurisdiction of Ephesus was local, while that of Rome was
universal.
About the year 190 the question regarding the proper day for celebrating Easter was agitated in the East, and
referred to pope St. Victor I. Th Eastern Church generally celebrated Easter on the day which the Jews kept the
Passover, while in the West it was observed then, as it is now, on the first Sunday after the full moon of the vernal
equinox. St. Victor directs the Eastern Churches, for the sake of uniformity, to conform to the practice of the West,
and his instructions are universally followed.
St. Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage, was martyred in 258. From his appeals to Pope St. Cornelius and to Pope St.
Stephen, especially on the subject of baptism, from his writings and correspondence, as well as from the whole tenor
of his administration, it is quite evident that Cyprian, as well as the African Episcopate, upheld the supremacy of the
Bishop of Rome.
Dionysius, Bishop of Rome, about the middle of the third century, having heard that the Patriarch of Alexandria,
erred on some points of faith, demands an explanation of the suspected Prelate, who, in obedience to his superior,
promptly vindicates his own orthodoxy.
St. Athanasius, the great Patriarch of Alexandria, appeals in the fourth century to Pope Julius I. from an unjust
decision rendered against him by the Oriental Bishops, and the Pope reverses the sentence of the Eastern Council.
St. Basil, Archbishop of Caesarea , in the same century has recourse in his afflictions to the protection of Pope
Damasus.
St. John Chrysostom, Patriarch of Constantinople, appeals in the beginning of the fifth century to Pope Innocent I.
for a redress of grievances inflicted on him by several Eastern Prelates, and by the Empress Eudoxia of
Constantinopole.
St. Cyril appeals to pope Celestine against Nestorius; Nestorius, also, appeals to the same Pontiff, who takes the
side of Cyril.
In a Synod held in 444, St. Hilary, Archbishop of Arles, in Gaul, deposed Celidonius , Bishop of Besancon, on the
ground of an alleged canonical impediment to his consecration. The Bishop appealed to the Holy See, and both he
and the Metrpolitan personally repaired to Rome, to submit their cause to the judgment of Pope Leo the Great. After
a careful investigation, the pontiff declared the sentence of the Synod invalid, revoked te censure, and restored the
deposed Prelate to his See.
The same Pontiff also rebuked Hilary for having irregularly deposed Projectus from his See.
The judicial authority of the Pope is emphasized from the circumstance that Hilary was not an arrogant or a
rebellious churchman, but an edifying and a zealous Prelate. He is revered by the whole Church as a canonized
Saint, and after his death, Leo refers to him as Hilary of happy memory.
Theodoret, the illustrious historian and Bishop of Cyrrhus, is condemned by the pseudo-council of Ephesus in 449,
and appeals to Pope Leo in the following touching language: " I await the decision of your Apostolic See, and I
supplicate your Holiness to succor me, who invoke your righteous and just tribunal; and to order me to hasten to you,
and to explain to you my teaching, which follows the steps of the Apostles.... I beseech you not to scorn my
application. Do not sight my gray hairs.... Above all, I entreat you to teach me whether to put up with this unjust
deposition or not; for I await your sentence. If you bid me rest in what has been determined against me, I will rest, and
will trouble no man more. I will look for the righteous judgment of our God and Savior. To me, as Almighty God is my
Judge, honor and glory are no object, but only the scandal that has been caused; for many of the simpler sort,
especially those whom I have rescued from diverse heresies, considering the See which has condemned me,
suspect that perhaps I really am a heretic, being incapable themselves of distinguishing accuracy of doctrine."
( Epist, 113 ) Leo declared the deposition invalid and Theodoret was restored to his See.
John, Abbot of Constantinople, appeals from the decision of the Patriarch of that city to Pope Gregory I., who
reverses the sentence of the Patriarch.
In 859 Photius addressed a letter to Pope Nicholas I., asking the Pontiff to confirm his election to the Patriarchate of
Constantinople. In consequence of the Pope's conscientious refusal Photius broke off from the communion of the
Catholic Church and became the author of the Greek schism.
Here are a few examples taken at random from the Church History. We see prelates most eminent for their sanctity
and learning occupying the highest position in the Eastern Church, and consequently far removed from the local
influences of Rome, appealing in every period of the early Church from the decisions of their own Bishops and their
Councils to the supreme arbitration of the Holy See. If this does not constitute superior jurisdiction, I have yet to learn
what superior authority means.
Second-Christians of ever denomination admit the orthodoxy of the father of the first five centuries of the Church.
No one has ever called into question the faith of such men as Basil, Chrysostom, Cyprian, Augustine, Jerome,
Ambrose and Leo. They were the acknowledged guardians of pure doctrine, and the living representatives " of the
faith once delivered to the Saint." They were to the Church in their generation what Peter and Paul and James were
to the Church in its infancy. We instinctively consult them about the faith of those times; for, to whom shall we go for
the Words of eternal life, if not to them?
Now, the Fathers of the Church, with one voice, pay homage to the Bishops of Rome as their superiors. The limited
space I have allowed myself in this little volume will not permit me to give any extracts from their writings. The reader
who may be unacquainted with the original language of the Fathers, or who has not their writings at hand, is referred
to a work entitled, " Faith of Catholics," where he will find, in an English translation, copious extracts from their
wittings vindicating the Primacy of the Popes.
Third-Ecumenical Councils afford another eloquent vindication of Papal Supremacy. An Ecumenical or General
Council is an assemblage of Prelates representing the whole Catholic Church. A General Council is to the Church
what the Executive and Legislative bodies in Washington are to the United States.
Up to the present time nineteen Ecumenical Councils have been convened, including the Council of the Vatican.
The last eleven were held in the West, and the first eight in the East. I shall pass over the Western Councils, as no
one denies that they were subject to the authority of the Pope.
I shall speak briefly of the important influence which the Holy See exercised in the eight Oriental Councils.
The first General Council was held in Nicea, in 325; the second, in Constantinople, 381; the third, in Ephesus, in
431; the fourth, in Chalcedon, in 451; the fifth, in Constantinople in 553;
the sixth in the same city, in 680; the seventh, in Nicea, in 787, and the eighth, in Constantinople, in 869.
The Bishops of Rome convoked these assemblages, or at least consented to their convocation; they presided by
their legates over all of them, except the first and second Councils of Constantinople, and they confirmed all these
eight by their authority. Before becoming a law the Acts of the Councils required the Pope's signature, just as our
Congressional proceedings require the President's signature before they acquire the force of law.
Is not this a striking illustration of the Primacy ? The Pope convenes, rules and sanctions the Synods, not by
courtesy, but by right. A dignitary who calls an assembly together, who presides over its deliberations, whose
signature is essential for confirming its Acts has surely a higher authority than the other members.
Fourth-I shall refer to one more historical point in support of the Pope's jurisdiction over the whole Church. It is a
most remarkable fact that every nation hitherto converted from Paganism to Christianity since the days of the
Apostles, has received the light of faith from missionaries who were either especially commissioned by the See of
Rome, or sent by Bishops in open communion with that See. This historical fact admits of no exception. Let me
particularize.
Ireland's Apostle is St. Patrick. Who commissioned him ? Pope St. Celestine, in the fifth century.
St. Palladius is the Apostle of Scotland. Who sent him ? The same Pontiff, Celestine.
The Anglo-Saxons received the faith from St. Augustine, a Benedictine monk, as all historians, Catholics and
non-Catholic, testify. Who empowered Augustine to preach? Pope Gregory I., at the end of the sixth century.
St. Remigius established the faith in France, at the close of the fifth century. He was in active communion with the
See of Peter.
Flanders received the Gospel in the seventh century from St. Eligius, who acknowledged the supremacy of the
reigning Pope.
Germany and Bavaria venerate as their apostle St. Boniface, who is popularly known in his native England by his
baptismal name of Winfrid. He was commissioned by Pope Gregory II,. in the beginning of the eight century, and was
consecrated Bishop by the same Pontiff.
In the ninth century two saintly brothers, Cyril and Methodius, evangelized Russia, Sclavonia , Moravia and other
parts of Northern Europe. They recognized the supreme authority of Pope Nicholas I. and his successors, Adrian II.
and John VII.
In the eleventh century Norway was converted by missionaries introduced from England by the Norwegian King,
St. Olave.
The conversion of Sweden was consummated in the same century bu the British Apostles Saints Ulfrid and Eskill.
Both of these nations immediately after their conversion commenced to pay Romescot, or a small annual tribute to
the Holy see-a clear evidence that they were in communion with the Chair of Peter.
All the other nations of Europe, having been converted before the Reformation, received likewise the light of faith
from Roman Catholic Missionaries, because Europe then recognized only one Christian Chief.
Passing from Europe to Asia and America, it is undeniable that St. Francis Xavier and other Evangelists who, in
the sixteenth century, extended the Kingdom of Jesus Christ through India and Japan, were in communion with the
Holy See; and that those Apostles who, in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, converted the aboriginal tribes of
South America and Mexico received their commission from the Chair of Peter.
But you will say: The people of the United States profess to be a Christian nation. Do you also claim them? Most
certainly; for, even those American Christians who are unhappily severed from the Catholic Church are primarily
indebted for their knowledge of the Gospel to missionaries in communion with the Holy See.
The white races of North America are descended from England, Ireland, Scotland and the nations of Continental
Europe. Those European nations having been converted by missionaries in subjection to the Holy See, it follows
that, from whatever part of Europe you are descended, whatever may be your particular creed, you are indebted to
the Church of Rome for your knowledge of Christianity.
Do not these facts demonstrate the Primacy of the Pope ? The Apostles of Europe and of other countries received
their authority from Rome. It is not the power that sends an ambassador greater that he who is sent ?
Thus we see that the name of the Pope is indelibly marked on every page of ecclesiastical history. The Sovereign
Pontiff ever stands before us as commander in chief in the grand army of the Church. Do the bishops of the East feel
themselves aggrieved at home by their Patriarchs or civil Rulers ? They look for redress to Rome, as to the star of
their hope. Are the Fathers and Doctors of the early Church consulted ? With one voice they all pay homage to the
Bishop of Rome as to their spiritual Prince. Is an Ecumenical Council to be convened in the East of West? The pope
is its leading spirit. Are new nations to be converted to the faith? There is the Holy Father clothing the missionaries
with authority, and giving his blessing to the work. Are new errors to be condemned in any part of the globe? All eyes
turn toward the oracle of Rome to await his anathema, and his solemn judgment reverberates throughout the length
and breadth of the Christian world.
You might as well shut out the light of day and the air of heaven from your daily walks as exclude the Pope from
his legitimate sphere in the hierarchy of the Church. The history of the United States with the Presidents left out
would be more intelligible than the history of the Church to the exclusion of the Vicar of Christ. How, I ask, could such
authority endure so long if it were a usurpation?
But you will tell me: " The supremacy of the Pope has been disputed in many ages." So has the authority of God
been called in question-nay, His very existence has been denied; for, "the fool hath said in his heart there is no God."
Does this denial destroy the existence and dominion of God? Has not parental authority been impugned from the
beginning? But by whom? By unruly children. Was David no longer king because Absalom said so?
It is thus also with the Popes. Their parental sway has been opposed only by their undutiful sons who grew
impatient of the Gospel yoke. Photius, the leader of the Greek schism, was an obedient son of the Pope until
Nicholas refused to recognize his usurped authority. Henery VIII. was a stout defender of the Pope's supremacy until
Clement VII. refused to legalize his adultery. Luther professed a most abject submission to the Pope till Leo X.
condemned him.
You cannot, my dear reader, be a loyal citizen of the United States while you deny the constitutional authority of
the President. You have seen that the Bishop of Rome is appointed not by man, but by Jesus Christ, President of the
Christian commonwealth. You cannot, therefore, be a true citizen of the Republic of the Church so long as you spurn
the legitimate supremacy of its Divinely constituted Chief. " He that is not with Me is against Me," says the Lord, "and
he that gathereth not with Me scattereth." How can you be with Christ if you are against His Vicar?
The great evil of our times is the unhappy division existing among the professors of Christianity, and from
thousands of hearts a yearning cry goes forth for unity of faith and union of churches.
It was, no doubt, with this laudable view that the Evangelical Alliance assembled in New York in the fall of 1873.
The representatives of the different religious communions hoped to effect a reunion. But they signally and lamentably
failed. Indeed the only result which followed from the alliance was the creation of a new sect under the auspices of
Dr. Cummins. That reverend gentleman, with the characteristic modesty of all religious reformers, was determined to
have a hand in improving the work of Jesus Christ; and like the other reformers, he said, with those who build the
tower of Babel: " Let us make our name famous before our dust is scattered to the wind.
The Alliance failed, because its members had no common platform to stand on. There was no voice in that
assembly that could say with authority: " Thus saith the Lord.
I heartily join in this prayer for Christian unity, and gladly would surrender my life for such a consummation. But I
tell you that Jesus Christ has pointed out that only means by which this unity can be maintained, viz. : the recognition
of Peter and his successors as the Head of the Church. Build upon this foundation and you will not erect a tower of
Babel, not build upon sand. If all Christian sects were united with the centre of unity, then the scattered hosts of
Christendom would form an army which atheism and infidelity could not long withstand. Then, indeed, all could
exclaim with Balaam : " How beautiful are thy tabernacles, O Jacob, and thy tents, O Isreal !
Let us pray that the day may be hastened when religious dissensions will cease; when all Christians will
advance with united front, under one common leader, to plant the cross in every region and win new kingdoms to
Jesus Christ.
"Faith of Our Fathers" by James Cardinal Gibbons