CHAPTER III.

SUPREMACY.

FROM the dogma of Infallibility, we may pass to that claim of a Dominant Supremacy over the whole Catholic Church, which, on behalf of the Roman See, is strenuously put forth by every

zealous Latin.

According to those undeniable authorities, the Council of Trent and Pope Gregory VII and Pope Pius IV: The Church of Rome is the Mother and Mistress of all Churches; Patriarchs, Primates, Archbishops, Bishops, and all others, are bound to pledge and possess true obedience to the sovereign Roman Pontiff; the Pope is the Vicar of God upon earth, and possesses supreme authority delivered to him in the Universal Church; he alone can rightly bear the title of Universal Bishop; he alone can depose or reconcile Bishops; with those, who are excommunicated by him, we ought not so much as to remain in the same house; without his precept, no Council must be deemed a General Council; the person, who agrees not with the Roman Church, must not be esteemed a Catholic; ecclesiastical su

premacy is lodged with the Pope, because he is the successor of Peter the prince of the Apostles, and because he is the Vicar of Jesus Christ 1.

'Ecclesia Romana, quæ omnium Ecclesiarum mater est et magistra. Concil. Trident. sess. vii. de Baptism. can. iii. p. 87. Præcipit igitur sancta Synodus, Patriarchis, Primatibus, Archiepiscopis, Episcopis, et omnibus aliis, ut-veram obedientiam summo Romano Pontifici spondeant et profiteantur. Concil. Trident. sess. xxv. p. 573.

Ipsius Dei in terris vicarii. Concil. Trident. sess. vi. p. 61. Merito Pontifices Maximi, pro suprema potestate sibi in Ecclesia Universali tradita, causas aliquas criminum graviores suo potuerunt peculiari judicio reservare. Concil. Trident.

sess. xiv. p. 163.

Quod Romana Ecclesia a solo Domino sit fundata: quod solus Romanus Pontifex jure dicatur Universalis: quod ille solus possit deponere episcopos vel reconciliare: quod legatus ejus omnibus episcopis præsit in Concilio, etiam inferioris gradus, et adversus eos sententiam depositionis possit dare: quod absentes possit Papa deponere: quod cum excommunicatis ab illo, inter cætera, nec in eadem domo debemus manere: quod illi liceat Imperatores deponere: quod nulla Synodus absque præcepto ejus, debet Generalis vocari: quod sententia illius a nullo debeat retractari, et ipse omnium solus retractare possit: quod a nemine ipse judicari debeat: quod Romana Ecclesia nunquam erravit; nec in perpetuum, testante Scriptura, errabit: quod Romanus Pontifex, si canonice fuerit ordinatus, meritis beati Petri indubitanter efficitur sanctus : quod illius præcepto et licentia, subjectis liceat accusare: quod, absque synodali conventu, possit episcopos deponere et reconciliare: quod Catholicus non habeatur, qui non concordat Romanæ Ecclesiæ: quod a fidelitate iniquorum subjectos potest. absolvere. Dictat. Pap. Gregor. VII. in Epist. lib. ii. epist. 55. Labb. Concil. vol. x. p. 110, 111.

Sanctam Catholicam et Apostolicam Romanam Ecclesiam,

I. In support of this claim of Dominant Roman Supremacy by divine right, the doctors of the Latin Church adduce both the authority of Scripture and the testimony of certain Fathers of the three first centuries.

1. The authoritative passages, which they adduce from Holy Scripture, are the following.

(1.) He saith unto them: But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said: Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him: Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona; for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church: and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and, whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth, shall be bound in heaven; and, whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth, shall be loosed in heaven1.

(2.) And the Lord said: Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat but I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and, when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren2.

omnium Ecclesiarum matrem et magistram, agnosco: Romanoque Pontifici, beati Petri Apostolorum principis successori, ac Jesu Christi vicario, veram obedientiam spondeo ac juro. Prof. Fid. Trident. ex bull. Pap. Pii IV. Syllog. Confess. p. 5.

1 Matt. xvi. 15-19.

2 Luke xxii. 31, 32.

(3.) So, when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter: Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him: Yea, Lord; thou knowest, that I love thee. He saith unto him: Feed my lambs. He saith unto him, again the second time: Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him: Yea, Lord; thou knowest, that I love thee. He saith unto him: Feed my sheep. He saith unto him, the third time: Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved, because he said unto him the third time: Lovest thou me? And he said unto him: Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest, that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him: Feed my sheep'.

2. Such are the scriptural authorities, which serve as a basis for the mighty superstructure of Dominant Roman Supremacy: the Fathers of the three first centuries, adduced by the latin doctors in evidence of the actual primeval exercise of this Supremacy, are Irenèus, Tertullian, Origen, and Cyprian.

(1.) Ireneus wrote during the latter half of the second century or about the year 175.

The tradition of the Apostles, manifested throughout the whole world, may be seen in the Church by all who wish to hear the truth: and we can reckon up, both those who by the Apostles were appointed Bishops in the Churches, and the successors of those

1 John xxi. 15-17. Mr. Berington, with what object I know not, refers also to Mark i. 36. Luke ix. 32. Acts ii. 14. See Faith of Cathol. p. 156.

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Bishops down even to our own times-But, since in such a volume as this it would occupy too much space to enumerate the successions of all the Churches: we shall confound all those persons, who from whatever bad motive collect differently from what they ought to collect, by simply indicating that apostolic tradition and that declared faith of the greatest and most ancient and universally known Church founded at Rome by the two most glorious Apostles Peter and Paul, which has come down even to us through the successions of her Bishops. For to this Church, on account of the more potent principality, it is necessary that every Church should resort; that is to say, those faithful individuals who are on every side of it: in which Church, by those who are on every side of it, the tradition, which is from the Apostles, has always been preserved. The blessed Apostles, then, founding and building up that Church, delivered to Linus the episcopate of administering it-But to him succeeded Anacletus: and, after him, in the third place from the Apostles, Clement received the episcopate-The successor of Clement was Euaristus: and, of Euaristus, Alexander. Next to him, the sixth from the Apostles, Sixtus was appointed: after him, Telesphorus: next, Hyginus: then, Pius: and, then, Anicetus. But, when Soter had succeeded Anicetus, Eleutherius now holds the episcopate, in the twelfth place from the Apostles'.

Traditionem itaque Apostolorum, in toto mundo manifestatam, adest perspicere omnibus, qui vera velint audire et