Papal infallibility

Vatican I adopted two documents: Dei Filius, which was on faith and reason, and Pastor Aeternus, which was on papal infallibility. By approving of Dei Filius, the council affirmed the validity of the Revelation, the connection between faith and reason, and the Church’s spiritual authority in matters related to the faith. A short excerpt from a translation of Cardinal…

There are many influential leaders in Europe throughout the Transformation Period. The Transformation Period took place during the 1300’s through the 1600’s and consisted of four different periods including The Renaissance, which was a time for rebirth in Europe for new perspectives and ideas, culture and art, The Reformation, which was a time when people realized the church was not dominant over everything you believed and thought, The Scientific Revolution, which was a time when philosophers…

of the Magisterium are infallible because they are God’s chosen successors of St. Peter. Thus, this infallibility assumes that any decision made by the magistrate to protect the faithful should be adhered…

the ecumenical dialogue called the Church to discuss the main theological differences with other churches, such as the relation of Scripture to tradition, the role of Mary in man’s salvation, the true meaning of the Lord’s Supper, and papal primacy and infallibility. Though there are not many agreements on these topics, Lutherans and Catholics signed a joint declaration on the doctrine of Justification in…

In Galileo’s Daughter, Dava Sobel assembles an account of Galileo’s attempt to prove the heliocentric model of the universe in a world where mans’ logical reasoning is potent, yet second to his devotion to God, and by relation, the Catholic Church. Sobel writes about Galileo’s tendency to question the reasoning of those around him. Though it may not be apparent, Galileo was born into a world of great similarity to the modern day. In Galileo’s time, Science was seen as blasphemy and a tool to…

Luther acted when Dominican Johann Tetzel went through Germany to sell indulges, encouraging Christians to essentially buy forgiveness. Luther wrote ‘95 theses’ criticising aspects of the church including papal abuses, Church life, teaching and especially indulgences. It was nailed on the Wittenberg Castle church door for all passersby to see. When he was called by Pope Leo X to recant, he published an open letter apologising to the pope but continuing to…

In 1871, the Second German Empire was proclaimed in the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles. In this historical act the emperor, William I, was crowned emperor in front of, to name just a few, his soldiers, Moltke, Bismarck, the Chancellor of the new empire, and the Crown Prince Frederick. Others present included important personalities such as Anton von Werner, according to whom the proclamation was perceived as monumental and was met with deafening cheers from the audience. This proclamation marked…

Martin Luther was an influential leader during the Protestant Reformation. He confronted the Roman Catholic Church on their system of indulgences while everyone turned a blind eye. Constantly, Luther was called a liar, heretic, and an outlaw by the Catholic Church for his teachings that conflicted with the Roman Catholics’ religious orders and beliefs. However, he never stood down regardless of if he was to face death or excommunication. His theology would be the sole foundation of his teachings…

The reading over these past few weeks covered a pretty expansive timeline. Starting in 1534 with the founding of the Society of Jesus, the Jesuits, on to The Council of Trent in 1545, and through the issuance of both The Doctrine of Papal Infallibility, 1870, and The Doctrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary,1950, our readings covered a span of more than four hundred years of Church history. During this era, of which we now identify as the period of Counter-Reform of the Catholic…

INITIAL REACTIONS TO THE WORK My first impression of Hans Holbein the Younger’s painting, The Ambassadors, is an amazing, captivating piece of art from the Renaissance period. I was immediately drawn to the man on the left with his powerful stance and wealthy appearance. It gave me the impression that he was a scholar and possibly royalty by his attire. The representation of the male on the right is a religious or clergy type person, I assumed this by his clothing of a dark cloak with…