Papacy, Bishops
and Priests
In the section, “Dogmatic
Constitution on the Church” chapter III, “The Hierarchical Structure of the
Church, With Special Reference to the Episcopate”:
Page
38: “And all this teaching about the institution,
the perpetuity, the force and reason for the sacred primacy of the Roman
Pontiff and of his infallible teaching authority, this sacred Synod again
proposes to be firmly believed by all the faithful.”
“Continuing
in the same task of clarification begun by Vatican I, this Council has decided
to declare and proclaim before all men its teaching concerning bishops, the
successors of the apostles, who together with the successor of Peter, the Vicar
of Christ and the visible Head of the whole Church, govern the house of the
living God.”
Page
40: “Just as the role that the Lord
gave individually to Peter, the first among the apostles, is permanent and was
meant to be transmitted to his successors, so also the apostle’s office of
nurturing the Church is permanent, and was meant to be exercised without
interruption by the sacred order of bishops.
Therefore, this sacred Synod teaches that by divine institution bishops
have succeeded to the place of the apostles as shepherds of the Church, and
that he who hears them, hears Christ, while he who rejects them, rejects Christ
and Him who sent Christ.”
Page
43: “But the college or body of bishops
has no authority unless it is simultaneously conceived of in terms of its head,
the Roman Pontiff, Peter’s successor, and without any lessening of his power of
primacy over all, pastors as well as the general faithful. For in virtue of his office that is, as
Vicar of Christ and pastor of the whole Church, the Roman Pontiff has full,
supreme, and universal power over the Church.
And he can always exercise this power freely.”
“Together
with its head, the Roman Pontiff, and never without its head, the episcopal
order is the subject of supreme and full power over the universal Church. But this power can be exercised only with
the consent of the Roman Pontiff.”
Page
48-49: “Although the individual bishops
do not enjoy the prerogative of infallibility, they can nevertheless proclaim
Christ’s doctrine infallibly. This is
so, even when they are dispersed around the world, provided that while
maintaining the bond of unity among themselves and with Peter’s successor, and
while teaching authentically on a matter of faith or morals, they concur in a
single viewpoint as the one which must be held conclusively. This authority is even more clearly verified
when, gathered together in an ecumenical council, they are teachers and judges
of faith and morals for the universal Church.
Their definitions must then be adhered to with the submission of faith.”
“This
infallibility with which the divine Redeemer willed His Church to be endowed in
defining a doctrine of faith and morals extends as far as extends the deposit
of divine revelation, which must be religiously guarded and faithfully
expounded. This is the infallibility which
the Roman Pontiff, the head of the college of bishops, enjoys in virtue of his
office, when, as the supreme shepherd and teacher of all the faithful, who
confirms his brethren in their faith (cf. Lk. 22:32), he proclaims by a
definitive act some doctrine of faith and morals. Therefore his definitions, of themselves, and not from the
consent of the Church, are justly styled irreformable, for they are pronounced
with the assistance of the Holy Spirit, an assistance promised to him in
blessed Peter. Therefore they need no
approval of others, nor do they allow an appeal to any other judgment. For then the Roman Pontiff is not
pronouncing judgment as a private person.
Rather, as the supreme teacher of the universal Church, as one in whom
the charism of the infallibility of the Church herself is individually present,
he is expounding or defending a doctrine of Catholic faith.”
“The
infallibility promised to the Church resides also in the body of bishops when
that body exercises supreme teaching authority with the successor of Peter.”
“But
when either the Roman Pontiff or the body of bishops together with him
formulates a definition, they do so in accord with revelation itself. All are obliged to maintain and be ruled by
this revelation…”
“Under
the guiding light of the Spirit of truth, revelation is thus religiously
preserved and faithfully expounded in the Church.”
In the section, “Decree on
Ecumenism” chapter I, “Catholic Principles on Ecumenism”:
Page
344: “Among their number He chose
Peter. After Peter’s profession of
faith, He decreed that on him He would build His Church…”
In the section, “Decree on
the Bishops’ Pastoral Office in the Church” Preface, Point #2:
Page
397: “2. In this Church of Christ the Roman Pontiff is the successor of
Peter, to whom Christ entrusted the feeding of His sheep and lambs.”
“He
holds, therefore, a primacy of ordinary power over all the churches.”
“For
their part, the bishops too have been appointed by the Holy Spirit, and are
successors of the apostles as pastors of souls. Together with the supreme Pontiff and under his authority…”
Preface, Point #3:
“…in
communion with and under the authority of the Supreme Pontiff.”
Page
535: “Through the ministry of priests,
the spiritual sacrifice of the faithful is made perfect in union with the
sacrifice of Christ, the sole Mediator.
Through the hands of priests and in the name of the whole Church, the
Lord’s sacrifice is offered in the Eucharist in an unbloody and sacramental
manner until He Himself returns.”
“The
ministry of priests is directed toward this work and is perfected in it. For their ministry, which takes its start
from the gospel message, derives its power and force from the scrifice of
Christ.”
Chapter III, “The Life of Priests”:
Page
560: “Priests fulfill their chief duty
in the mystery of the Eucharistic Sacrifice.
In it the work of our redemption continues to be carried out.”
Page
566: “For these reasons, which are
based on the mystery of the Church and her mission, celibacy was at first
recommended to priests. Then, in the
Latin Church, it was imposed by law on all who were to be promoted to sacred
orders. This legislation, to the extent
that it concerns those who are destined for the priesthood, this most holy
Synod again approves and confirms.”