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Note: For information on the term 'church', click
here (Church Talk Section: "A Note Regarding the Term
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"When Jesus went into the region of Caesarea
Philippi he asked his disciples, 'Who do people say that the Son of Man
is?' They replied, 'Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the
prophets.' He said to them, 'But who do you say that I am?' Simon Peter said in reply,
'You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.' Jesus said to him in reply,
'Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father. And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church,
and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven.
Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in
heaven.'" (Mt. 16:13-19)
"...If
he refuses to listen to them, tell the church. If he refuses to
listen even to the church, then treat him as you would a Gentile
or a tax collector." (Our Lord Jesus Christ, Mt. 18:17)
"Some
people God has designated in the church to be, first, apostles;
second, prophets; third, teachers; then, mighty deeds; then, gifts
of healing, assistance, administration, and varieties of tongues."
(1 Cor. 12:28)
"Wives
should be subordinate to their husbands as to the Lord. For the
husband is head of his wife just as Christ is head of the church,
he himself the savior of the body. As the church is subordinate to
Christ, so wives should be subordinate to their husbands in
everything. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ loved the
church and handed himself over for her to sanctify her, cleansing
her by the bath of water with the word, that he might present to
himself the church in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any
such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. So (also)
husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves
his wife loves himself. For no one hates his own flesh but rather
nourishes and cherishes it, even as Christ does the church,
because we are members of his body. 'For this reason a man shall
leave (his) father and (his) mother and be joined to his wife, and
the two shall become one flesh.' This is a great mystery, but I
speak in reference to Christ and the church." (Eph. 5:22-32)
"But
if I should be delayed, you should know how to behave in the
household of God, which is the church of the living God, the
pillar and foundation of truth." (1 Tm. 3:15)
"[T]he
Catholic Church...is a kingdom, though not of this world, yet in
it." (Benson)
"Whosoever
departs from the Church wanders far from Christ." (Pope Leo
XIII)
"Christ
has founded His Church for the eternal salvation of mankind"
"O
holy Church! ... Though art dear to Him, for He bought thee at a
great price [His Precious Blood]!" (Dom Gueranger)
"The
Church is the Kingdom of God; for it is in and by her that God is
to reign upon the earth." (Dom Gueranger)
"The
Church owes its survival in a world of enemies to supernatural
assistance." {Lunn}
"He
cannot have God for his Father who has not the Church for his
mother." (St. Cyprian, 3rd century A.D.)
"[The Catholic
Church] is the entrance to life;
all the others are thieves and robbers." (St. Irenaeus of
Lyons)
"The
Church, the spotless Spouse of Jesus Christ the immaculate Lamb,
is by God's appointment free, and subject to no earthly
power." (Pope Pius VIII)
"[T]he
Church is of God, for He Himself built it with His blood."
(St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and "greatest
theologian in the history of the Church")
"The
essential beauty and comeliness of the Church ought greatly to
influence the minds of those who consider it." (Pope Leo XIII, "Satis Cognitum", 1896 A.D.)
"...I
believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Catholic Church, the
Communion of Saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of
the body, and life everlasting." (Apostles' Creed)
"[T]he
Catholic Church is infallible, and hence those who reject her
definitions lose the faith and become heretics." (Catechism of
Pope St. Pius X)
"The
Church shows the way and is the guide and guardian of men with
respect to their supernatural end." (Pope Pius XII, "Ad
Apostolorum Principis", 1958 A.D.)
"But
she [the Church] is Divine and has herself come down from heaven;
so she does not guess, or think, or hope - she knows." (Benson)
"Every
baptized person should consider that it is in the womb of the
Church where he is transformed from a child of Adam to a child of
God." (St. Vincent Ferrer)
"[The
Church] makes no difference between her children... members of all...
nations
are equal in the eyes of the Apostolic See." (Pope Benedict
XV)
"Supernatural
force has never during the flight of ages been found wanting in
the Church, nor have Christ's promises failed." (Pope St.
Pius X)
"[T]he
Catholic Church...[is] powerless in any way to abandon the duties
of her office or the defense of her authority" (Pope Leo
XIII, "Arcanum", 1880 A.D.)
"When
we are called Catholics, it is by this name that our people are
kept apart from any heretical name." (St. Pacianus of
Barcelona)
"[The
Church] alone has been given by God the mandate and the right to
teach with authority" (Pope Pius XI, "Ubi Arcano Dei
Consilio", 1922 A.D.)
"The Church,
for her part, founded on the love of the Redeemer, contributes
toward the right of justice and charity within the borders of a
nation and between nations." (Second Vatican Council)
"[T]he
Catholic Church...alone has been committed the charge of handing
down to all ages the benefits purchased for us by Jesus
Christ." (Pope Leo XIII, "Libertas Praestantissimum",
1888 A.D.)
Error CONDEMNED by Pope Pius
X in "Lamentabili": "The Church shows herself to be hostile to the advances of
the natural and theological sciences." (Pope St. Pius X, This proposition was condemned in
"Lamentabili", 1907 A.D.)
"The
Church can never be brought down. Indeed it grows under
persecution, and those who attack it are destroyed."
(St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and "greatest
theologian in the history of the Church")
"Did
not practically every one of the illustrious and sainted women who
hold a place of honor in the Old Testament prefigure the Church,
God's Spouse?" (Pope Benedict XV, "Spiritus Paraclitus",
1920 A.D.)
"All,
moreover, are bound to love the Church as their common mother, to
obey her laws, promote her honor, defend her rights, and to
endeavor to make her respected and loved." (Pope Leo XIII)
"[T]he
Catholic Church, to whom God has entrusted the defense of the
integrity and purity of morals, [stands] erect in the midst of the
moral ruin which surrounds her" (Pope Pius XI, "Casti
Connubii", 1930 A.D.)
"[The
Church's] special mission is to instruct mankind by the preaching
of truths which have been divinely revealed and to sanctify them
by means of the grace of God." (Pope Pius XI, "Rerum
Omnium Perturbationem", 1923 A.D.)
"The
Church is our Mother: a Mother who nourishes and reconciles.. We
cannot criticize our mother as if she were a stranger, for we love
the person who gave us life." (Pope John Paul II)
"Just
as God's creature, the sun, is one and the same the world over, so
also does the Church's preaching shine everywhere to enlighten all
men who want to come to the knowledge of truth." (St.
Irenaeus of Lyons)
"The
Church is not susceptible of being reformed in her doctrines. The
Church is the work of an Incarnate God. Like all God's works, it
is perfect. It is, therefore, incapable of reform." (Gibbons)
"[T]he
Catholic Church...alone is destined by God to enrich souls with
the light of virtue, without which one of necessity strays from
the right path and is driven headlong to imperiling his eternal
salvation." (Pope Pius XI, "Ad Salutem", 1930
A.D.)
"I
will go peaceably and firmly to the Catholic Church: for if Faith
is so important to our salvation, I will seek it where true Faith
first began, seek it among those who received it from God
Himself." (St. Elizabeth Ann Seton)
"As
she now is, the Church is the multitude, without distinction
between good and bad; but afterwards - that is, after the
resurrection - the good alone will compose the Church, and their
number will be for ever fixed." (Liturgical Year)
"The
Catholic Church herself is an historic fact. Like a great
mountain-range she bestrides the history of the past two thousand
years. Whatever may be the attitude adopted towards her, it is
impossible to escape her." (Pope Pius XII)
"The
Church, then, is God's only flock; it is like a standard lifted
high for the nations to see it: for it serves all mankind through
the Gospel of peace as it makes its pilgrim way in hope toward the
goal of the fatherland above." (Second Vatican Council)
"...whosoever,
therefore, knowing that the Catholic Church was made necessary by
God through Jesus Christ, would refuse to enter her or remain in
her could not be saved." (Second Vatican Council)
"That
the Church is a divine institution is most clearly proved by the
splendor and glory of those gifts and graces with which she is
adorned, and whose author and giver is the Holy Ghost." (Pope
Leo XIII, "Divinum Illud Munus", 1897 A.D.)
"[T]he
Church is the safe and sure guide to conscience, for to her
safe-keeping alone there has been confided the doctrines and the
promise of the assistance of Christ" (Pope Pius XI, "Ubi
Arcano Dei Consilio", 1922 A.D.)
"Hope,
which is the gaze of the Church turned toward the future, fills
her heart, and tells us how it is throbbing in new and
loving expectation. The Church is not old, she is ancient.. Time
does not subdue her; it rejuvenates her." (Pope
Paul VI)
"...Christ
and the Church are a necessity for the whole social fabric. If
they were not necessary, God would not have imposed them on the
world as the means of salvation. If they have a mission to the
nations incumbent upon them, the nations have a corresponding
obligation to have recourse to them." (Fahey)
"While
hanging on the tree of the cross, the God made Man brought her
forth from his own side, giving her the blood and water for her
dower. That thus was to be formed the holy Church, was prefigured
in the first of womankind, our mother Eve, produced from Adam's
side." (Sequence)
Error CONDEMNED by Pope Pius
X in "Lamentabili": "The organic constitution of the Church is not immutable;
but Christian society, just as human society, is subject to
perpetual evolution." (Pope St. Pius X, This proposition was condemned in
"Lamentabili", 1907 A.D.)
"[Like
our Lord, the Catholic Church is both divine and human:] Treat the
Catholic Church as Divine only and you will stumble over her
scandals, her failures, and her shortcomings. Treat her as Human
only and you will be silenced by her miracles, her sanctity, and
her eternal resurrections." (Benson)
"Although
there is one [Catholic] Church throughout the world, still each city has its
own church; the Church is one in all these, although they are
numerous because it is considered to be one in many." (St.
Hilary of Poitiers, Doctor of the Church, 4th century A.D.)
"He
who is a member of the Catholic Church and does not put her
teaching into practice is a dead member, and hence will not be
saved; for towards the salvation of an adult not only Baptism and
faith are required, but, furthermore, works in keeping with
faith." (Catechism of Pope St. Pius X)
"The
Church is...universal in time, and those are wrong who allow it a
limited span of time, for it began with Abel and will last even to
the end of the world."
(St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and "greatest
theologian in the history of the Church")
"The
Catholic Church is the Union or Congregation of all the baptized
who, still living on earth, profess the same Faith and the same
Law of Jesus Christ, participate in the same Sacraments, and obey
their lawful Pastors, particularly the Roman
Pontiff." (Catechism of Pope St. Pius X)
"That
He completed His work on the gibbet of the Cross is the unanimous
teaching of the holy Fathers who assert that the Church was born
from the side of our Savior on the Cross like a new Eve, mother of
all the living." (Pope Pius XII, "Mystici Corporis
Christi", 1943 A.D.)
"It
is the peculiar property of the Church that when she is buffeted,
she is triumphant; when she is assaulted with argument she proves
herself in the right; when she is deserted by her supporters, she
holds the field." (St. Hilary of Poitiers, Doctor of the
Church)
"[The
Church] is not an association of Christians brought together by
chance, but is a divinely established and admirably constituted
society, having for its direct and proximate purpose to lead the
world to peace and holiness." (Pope Leo XIII, "Sapientiae
Christianae", 1890 A.D.)
"In
the long run it will be found that either the Catholic religion is
verily and indeed the coming in of the unseen world into this, or
that there is nothing positive, nothing dogmatic, nothing real in
any of our notions as to whence we come and whither we are
going." (Cardinal Newman)
"There
is one God, and Christ is one, and there is one Church, and one
chair founded upon Peter by the word of the Lord. Another altar
cannot be constituted nor a new priesthood except the one altar
and the one priesthood." (St. Cyprian, 3rd century A.D.)
"For
such dignity and authority belong to the Church that she alone is
the center of truth and of Catholic unity. It is the Church in
which alone religion has been inviolably preserved and from which
all other Churches must receive the tradition of the Faith."
(Pope Pius IX, "Ineffabilis Deus", 1854 A.D.)
"[The
Church is the] ensemble of men united by the profession of the
same Christian Faith and the communion of the same sacraments,
under the government of the legitimate pastors and principally the
one Vicar of Christ on earth, the Roman Pontiff." (St. Robert
Bellarmine, Doctor of the Church)
"The
Church's aim is not the domination of peoples or the gaining of
temporal dominations; she is eager only to bring the supernatural
light of faith to all peoples, and to promote the interests of
civilization and culture, and fraternal concord among
nations." (Pope Pius XII)
"The
true Church is also to be known from her origin, which she derives
under the law of grace from the apostles; for her doctrines are
neither novel or of recent origin, but were delivered of old by
the apostles, and disseminated throughout the world."
(Catechism of the Council of Trent)
"And
so that it might walk more confidently to truth, the Truth itself,
God, the Son of God, having taken up humanity without destroying
His divinity, established and founded this same faith, so that
there might be a path for man to man's God through the God-man."
(St. Augustine, Doctor of the Church, c. 420 A.D.)
"Furthermore
the church which, together with its apostolic office of teaching,
has received the charge of preserving the deposit of faith, has by
divine appointment the right and duty of condemning what wrongly
passes for knowledge, lest anyone be led astray by philosophy and
empty deceit." (First Vatican Council)
"Inspired
by the Gospel, the Fathers of the Church from the earliest
centuries stressed that just as St. Joseph took loving care of
Mary and gladly dedicated himself to Jesus Christ's upbringing, he
likewise watches over and protects Christ's Mystical Body, that
is, the Church, of which the Virgin Mary is the exemplar and
model." (Pope John Paul II)
"[T]he
Catholic Church is a stranger to no people on earth, much less
hostile to any. With a mother's anxiety, she embraces all peoples
in impartial charity. She seeks no earthly advantage but employs
what powers she possesses to attract the souls of all men to seek
what is eternal." (Pope Pius XII, "Ad Apostolorum
Principis", 1958 A.D.)
"Let
us love our Lord God, let us love His Church: Him as a Father, her
as a Mother; Him as a Master, her as His Handmaid; for we are the
children of the Handmaid herself. But this marriage is held
together by a great love; no one offends the one and gains favor
with the other." (St. Augustine, Doctor of the Church, c. 5th century A.D.)
"The
Church, founded on these principles and mindful of her office, has
done nothing with greater zeal and endeavor than she has displayed
in guarding the integrity of the faith. Hence she regarded as
rebels and expelled from the ranks of her children all who held
beliefs on any point of doctrine different from her own."
(Pope Leo XIII, "Satis Cognitum", 1896 A.D.)
"But
the man who has embraced the Christian faith, as in duty bound, is
by that very fact a subject of the Church as one of the children
born of her, and becomes a member of that greatest and holiest
body, which it is the special charge of the Roman Pontiff to rule
with supreme power, under its invisible head, Jesus Christ."
(Pope Leo XIII, "Sapientiae Christianae", 1890 A.D.)
"This
[Catholic] Church was founded not by man, but by the immortal God
Himself, who built her upon a most solid rock. The Highest
himself, says the Prophet, hath founded her. Hence, she is called
the inheritance of God, the people of God. The power which she
possesses is not from man but from God." (Catechism of the
Council of Trent)
"Inquire
not simply where the Lord's house is, for the sects of the profane
also make an attempt to call their own dens the houses of the
Lord; nor inquire merely where the 'church' is, but where the
Catholic Church is. For this is the peculiar name of this Holy
Body, the mother of all, which is the Spouse of Our Lord Jesus
Christ." (St. Cyril of Jerusalem, Doctor of the Church)
"Coming
to you from the very time of the apostles, spreading out into all
lands, triumphing over a thousand revolutions, exhibiting so awful
a unity, glorifying in so mysterious a vitality; so majestic, so
imperturbable, so bold, so saintly, so sublime, so beautiful, O ye
sons of men can ye doubt that she is the divine messenger for whom
you seek?" (Cardinal Newman)
"God
has given to His Church a living teaching authority to elucidate
and explain what is contained in the deposit of faith only
obscurely and implicitly. This deposit of faith our divine
Redeemer has given for authentic interpretation not to each of the
faithful, not even to theologians, but only to the teaching
authority of the Church." (Pope Pius XII)
"Therefore,
in connection with the unicity and universality of the salvific
mediation of Jesus Christ, the unicity of the Church founded by
him must be firmly believed as a truth of Catholic faith. Just as
there is one Christ, so there exists a single body of Christ, a
single Bride of Christ: 'a single Catholic and apostolic Church"
(Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Ratified &
Approved by Pope John Paul II, 2000 A.D.)
"The
most important duty of the Church, and the one most peculiarly her
own, is to defend and to propagate throughout the world the
Kingdom of the Son of God, and to bring all men to salvation by
communicating to them the divine benefits, so much so that her
power and authority are chiefly exercised in this one work."
(Pope Leo XIII, "Tametsi Futura Prospicientibus", 1900
A.D.)
"[I]t
can never be that the Church committed to the care of Peter shall
succumb or in any wise fail. 'For the Church, as the edifice of
Christ who has wisely built 'His house upon a rock,' cannot be
conquered by the gates of Hell, which may prevail over any man who
shall be off the rock and outside the Church, but shall be
powerless against it'" (Pope Leo XIII, "Satis Cognitum",
1896 A.D.)
"God
at the beginning of time endowed man's body with most ample power
to subject all creatures to himself, and to increase and multiply
and fill the earth, so at the beginning of the Christian era, He
supplied the Church with the means necessary to overcome the
countless dangers and to fill not only the whole world but the
realms of heaven as well." (Pope Pius XII, "Mystici
Corporis Christi", 1943 A.D.)
"[N]o
gift of God either to individuals or to nations is greater than to
receive by His grace the Catholic faith, and having received it,
to keep it with perseverance. This gift contains an abundance of
other gifts by means of which individual persons receive both
eternal happiness in heaven and greatness and prosperity for their
state on earth." (Pope Leo XIII, "Quod Multum",
1886 A.D.)
"Christian
is my name, and Catholic my surname. The former qualifies me, the
latter manifests me for what I am. The later demonstrates what the
former signifies. And, if I finally must explain the word
'Catholic' and translate it from the Greek into the Roman idiom,
Catholic means 'one everywhere' or, as the more learned think,
'obedience to all the commandments of God.'" (St. Pacian of
Barcelona, 4th century A.D.)
"Although
the Catholic faith uniformly and truly teaches that the good and
the bad belong to the Church, yet the same faith declares that the
condition of both is very different: the wicked are contained in
the Church, as the chaff is mingled with the grain on the
threshing floor, or as dead member sometimes remain attached to a
living body." (Catechism of the Council of Trent)
"For
as [the Church] has been given by God as a teacher and guide to
the human race, she can contribute assistance which is peculiarly
adapted to direct even the most radical transformations of time to
the common good, to solve the most complicated questions, and to
promote uprightness and justice, which are the most solid
foundations of the commonwealth." (Pope Leo XIII, "Praeclara
Gratulationis Publicae", 1894 A.D.)
"And
since the Church is founded on faith and the sacraments, the
ministers of the Church have no power to publish new articles of
faith, or to do away with those which are already published, or to
institute new sacraments, or to abolish those that are instituted,
for this belongs to the power of excellence, which belongs to
Christ alone, Who is the foundation of the Church." (St.
Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and "greatest theologian
in the history of the Church")
"Can.
1322 § 1 Christ the Lord entrusted the deposit of faith to the
Church, so that she, with the unfailing assistance of the Holy
Spirit, would maintain in a holy way revealed teaching and
faithful expound it. § 2 The Church has a right and duty,
independent of any civil power, of teaching all peoples
evangelical doctrine: and thus, by divine law, all are bound to
embrace the Church of God and rightly to heed her truth."
(1917 Code of Canon Law)
"The
Church's understanding of herself is the same as that of her
Founder and Head: to serve man in the light of God, who revealed
himself in Christ. The proper mission that Christ entrusted to his
Church is not of a political, economic and social nature but
exclusively religious. Nevertheless, from this religious mission
arises the commitment to contribute to building and strengthening
the community of man according to the divine law." (Pope John
Paul II)
"For
nothing more glorious, nothing nobler, nothing surely more
honorable can be imagined than to belong to the One, Holy
Catholic, Apostolic and Roman Church, in which we become members
of one Body as venerable as it is unique; are guided by one
supreme Head; are filled with one divine Spirit; are nourished
during our earthly exile by one doctrine and one heavenly Bread,
until at last we enter into the one, unending blessedness of
heaven." (Pope Pius XII, "Mystici Corporis
Christi", 1943 A.D.)
"Unlike
republics of human institution, or the conventicles of
heretics, [the Catholic Church] is not circumscribed within the
limits of any one kingdom, nor confided to the members of any one
society of men; but embraces within the amplitude of her love all
mankind... She is also called universal, because all who desire
eternal salvation must cling to and embrace her, like those who
entered the ark to escape perishing in the flood." (Catechism
of the Council of Trent)
Error
CONDEMNED by the Council of Constance: "It is not necessary for salvation to
believe that the Roman Church is supreme among other churches." (Council of Constance,
Condemned errors of John Wycliffe, c. 1418 A.D.)
[Note: The term 'churches' herein refers to various parts of
the Catholic Church. For more information on the term 'church', click
here (Church Talk Section: "A Note Regarding the Term
'Church''")]
"Let
me never for an instant forget that thou hast established on earth
a kingdom of Thy own, that the Church is Thy work, Thy
establishment, Thy instrument; that we are under Thy will, Thy
laws and Thy eye - that when the Church speaks Thou
dost speak. Let not familiarity with this wonderful truth lead me
to be insensitive to it - let not the weakness of Thy human
representations lead me to forget that it is Thou Who does speak
and act through them."
(Cardinal Newman)
"Now
the way to reach Christ is not hard to find: it is the Church.
Rightly does Chrysostom inculcate: 'The Church is thy hope, the
Church is thy salvation, the Church is thy refuge.' (Hom. de capto
Euthropio, n. 6.) It was for this that Christ founded it, gaining
it at the price of His blood, and made it the depositary of His
doctrine and His laws, bestowing upon it at the same time an
inexhaustible treasury of graces for the sanctification and
salvation of men." (Pope St. Pius X, "E Supremi",
1903 A.D.)
"[O]ur
Savior Himself sustains in a divine manner the society which He
founded... He so sustains the Church, and so in a certain sense
lives in the Church, that she is, as it were, another Christ. The
Doctor of the Gentiles, in his letter to the Corinthians, affirms
this when, without further qualification, he calls the Church
'Christ,' following no doubt the example of his Master who called
out to him from on high when he was attacking the Church: 'Saul,
Saul, why persecutest thou me?'" (Pope Pius XII, "Mystici
Corporis Christi", 1943 A.D.)
"There are many other things which rightly keep me in the
bosom of the Catholic Church. The unanimity of peoples and nations
keeps me, her authority keeps me, inaugurated by miracles,
nourished in hope, augmented by love, and confirmed by her age. The
succession of priest keeps me, from the very chair of the apostle
Peter, to whom the Lord after His resurrection gave charge to feed
His sheep, down to the present episcopate, keeps me here." (St. Augustine, Doctor
of the Church, 5th
century A.D.)
"The
true Church is also to be recognized from her origin, which can be
traced back under the law of grace to the Apostles; for her
doctrine is the truth not recently given, nor now first heard of,
but delivered of old by the Apostles, and disseminated throughout
the entire world. Hence no one can doubt that the impious opinions
which heresy invents, opposed as they are to the doctrines taught
by the Church from the days of the Apostles to the present time,
are very different from the faith of the true Church."
(Catechism of the Council of Trent)
"It
should not be deemed a matter of surprise that the Church,
although numbering amongst her children many sinners is called
holy; for as those who profess any art, although they should
depart from its rules, are called artists; so the faithful,
although offending in many things and violating the engagements to
the observance of which they had solemnly pledged themselves, are
called holy, because they are made the people of God, and are
consecrated to Christ by baptism and faith." (Catechism of
the Council of Trent)
"[T]he
Church is a Heavenly society come down from her above - heavenly
in her origin and her birth. She is the kingdom of God, first and
foremost, and exists for His glory solely and entirely. She seeks,
then, first the extension of His kingdom; and compared with this,
nothing is of any value in her eyes. Never, then, must she
sacrifice God to Mammon; never hesitate for one instant if the
choice lies between them. For she considers that eternity is
greater than time and the soul of man more value than his
body." (Benson)
"Certainly
the Church was not given the commission to guide men to an only
fleeting and perishable happiness but to that which is eternal.
Indeed 'the Church holds that it is unlawful for her to mix
without cause in these temporal concerns'; however, she can in no
wise renounce the duty God entrusted to her to interpose her
authority, not of course in matters of technique for which she is
neither suitably equipped nor endowed by office, but in all things
that are connected with the moral law." (Pope Pius XI, "Quadragesimo
Anno", 1931 A.D.)
"There
was a wedding feast, and the mother of Jesus was there (Jn. 2:1).
Mystically the wedding feast means the Church: this is a great
sacrament, but I speak concerning Christ and the Church (Eph.
5:32). That marriage began in the Virgin's womb, where the Father
espoused the Son to human nature in unity of person... It was
solemnized when the Church was joined to Him by faith... It will be
consummated when the bride, that is, the Church, shall be brought
into the bridal chamber of heavenly glory."
(St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and "greatest
theologian in the history of the Church")
"It
is the grace of God, We say. For as He created us, so is He able,
through the treasures of His wisdom and power, to set aflame and
fill our hearts wholly with His love. Hence the Church, which from
the fountains of the Sacraments turns the stream of grace into our
souls, is rightly entitled holy. For by her tireless, ceaseless
influence she unites countless souls with God in the close bond of
a friendship, in which they abide. What is more, many of these
souls she guides and leads to an invincible fortitude, to perfect
sanctity of life, to deeds of heroism." (Pope Pius XI,
"Ad Salutem", 1930 A.D.)
"Can.
750 §1 A person must believe with divine and Catholic faith all
those things contained in the word of God, as it has been written
or handed down by tradition, that is, in the single deposit of
faith entrusted to the Church, and which are at the same time
proposed as divinely revealed either by the solemn magisterium of
the Church or by its ordinary and universal magisterium which is
manifested by the common adherence of Christ's faithful under the
guidance of the sacred magisterium. All are therefore bound to
avoid any doctrines whatsoever contrary to them." (1983 Code
of Canon Law)
"By
pointing out the tradition which that very great, oldest, and
well-known Church - founded and established at Rome by those two
most glorious apostles, Peter and Paul - received from the
apostles, I can put to shame all of those who in any way, either
through wicked self-conceit, or thorough vainglory, or through
blind and evil opinion, gather together in a way they should not.
For every Church must be in harmony with this Church because of
its outstanding pre-eminence, that is, the faithful from
everywhere, since the apostolic tradition is preserved in it by
those from everywhere." (St. Irenaeus of Lyons, c. 125 - c.
203 A.D.)
"But
how was this preaching fulfilled by the Apostles, since there are
many nations in which it has just begun, and others in which it
has not yet begun to be fulfilled? Truly then this precept was not
so laid upon the Apostles by our Lord, as though they alone to
whom He then spoke were to fulfill so great a charge; in the same
way as He says, Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of
the world, apparently to them alone; but who does not understand
that the promise is made to the Catholic Church, which though some
are dying, others are born, shall be here to the end of the
world?" (St. Augustine, Doctor of the Church)
"He
has said to her [the Church], 'Go and teach all nations...I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world.' These
words explain the intentions of Jesus Christ. The Divine Master
wants His Church to be in the world the instrument for the
salvation of souls. This is so much His desire that to the Church
alone, to the exclusion of all other organizations, He has
entrusted the care of guiding souls to their final supernatural
beatitude. It is certainly His will that His Church should fulfill
in the world the office of an organism necessary for the salvation
of the world." (Fahey)
"The
Church has ever proved indestructible. Her persecutors have failed
to destroy her; in fact, it was during times of persecution that
the Church grew more and more; while the persecutors themselves,
and those whom the Church would destroy, are the very ones who
came to nothing... Again, errors have assailed her; but in fact,
the greater number of errors that have arisen, the more has the
truth been made manifest... Nor has the Church failed before the
assaults of demons: for she is like a tower of refuge to all who
fight against the devil." (St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the
Church and "greatest theologian in the history of the
Church")
"One
in unity of doctrine as in unity of government and this Catholic,
such is the Church; and since God has established that its center
and foundation be in the Chair of Peter, it is rightly called
Roman; for 'where Peter is, there is the Church.' Therefore,
whoever wishes to be called by the name of Catholic, ought truly
to heed the words of Jerome to Pope Damasus: 'I who follow no one
as first except Christ, associate myself in communion with your
Beatitude, that is, with the Chair of Peter; upon that Rock, I
know the Church is built [Matt. 16:18]; ... whoever gathereth not
with thee scattereth' [Matt. 12:30]." (Pope Leo XIII, "Testem
Benevolentiae", 1899 A.D.)
"Amidst
all the aberrations of human thought, infatuated by a false
emancipation from every law and curb; and amidst the awful
corruptions of human malice, the Church rises up like a bright
lighthouse warning by the clearness of its beam every deviation to
right or left from the way of truth, and pointing out to one and
all the right course that they should follow. Woe if ever this
beacon should be - We do not say extinguished, for that is
impossible owing to the unfailing promises on which it is founded
- but if it should be hindered from shedding far and wide its
beneficent light!" (Pope Pius XI, "Ad Catholici
Sacerdotii",
1935 A.D.)
"[He]
has constituted the Church the guardian and the teacher of the
whole of the truth concerning religion and moral conduct; to her
therefore should the faithful show obedience and subject their
minds and hearts so as to be kept unharmed and free from error and
moral corruption, and so that they shall not deprive themselves of
that assistance given by God with such liberal bounty, they ought
to show this due obedience not only when the Church defines
something with solemn judgment, but also, in proper proportion,
when by the constitutions and decrees of the Holy See, opinions
are prescribed and condemned as dangerous or distorted."
(Pope Pius XI, "Casti Connubii", 1930 A.D.)
"The
only-begotten Son of the Eternal Father, who came on earth to
bring salvation and the light of divine wisdom to men, conferred a
great and wonderful blessing on the world when, about to ascend
again into heaven, He commanded the Apostles to go and teach all
nations, and left the Church which He had founded to be the common
and supreme teacher of the peoples. For men whom the truth had set
free were to be preserved by the truth; nor would the fruits of
heavenly doctrines by which salvation comes to men have long
remained had not the Lord Christ appointed an unfailing teaching
authority to train the minds to faith." (Pope Leo XIII,
"Aeterni Patris", 1879 A.D.)
"It
is called Catholic then because it extends over all the world,
from one end of the earth to the other; and because it teaches
universally and completely one end and all the doctrines which
ought to come to men's knowledge, concerning things both invisible
and invisible, heavenly and earthly; and because it brings into
subjection to godliness the whole race of mankind, governors and
governed, learned and unlearned; and because it universally treats
and heals the whole class of sins, which are committed by soul and
body, and possesses in itself every form of virtue which is named,
both in deeds and words, and in every kind of spiritual
gifts." (St. Cyril of Jerusalem, Doctor of the Church, 4th century A.D.)
"Can.
747 §1 The Church, to which Christ the Lord has entrusted the
deposit of faith so that with the assistance of the Holy Spirit it
might protect the revealed truth reverently, examine it more
closely, and proclaim and expound it faithfully, has the duty and
innate right, independent of any human power whatsoever, to preach
the gospel to all peoples, also using the means of social
communication proper to it. §2 It belongs to the Church always
and everywhere to announce moral principles, even about the social
order, and to render judgment concerning any human affairs insofar
as the fundamental rights of the human person or the salvation of
souls requires it." (1983 Code of Canon Law)
"That
all, therefore, might know which was the Catholic Church, the
Fathers, guided by the Spirit of God, added to the Creed the word
Apostolic. For the Holy Ghost, who presides over the Church,
governs her by no other ministers than those of Apostolic
succession. This Spirit, first imparted to the Apostles, has by
the infinite goodness of God always continued in the Church. And
just as this one Church cannot err in faith or morals, since it is
guided by the Holy Ghost; so on the contrary, all other societies
abrogating to themselves the name of church, must necessarily
because guided by the spirit of the devil, be sunk in the most
pernicious errors, both doctrinal and moral." (Catechism of the
Council of Trent)
"For
the only-begotten Son of God established on earth a society which
is called the Church, and to it He handed over the exalted and
divine office which He had received from His Father, to be
continued through the ages to come. 'As the Father hath sent Me, I
also send you.' 'Behold I am with you all days, even to the
consummation of the world.' Consequently, as Jesus Christ came
into the world that men 'might have life and have it more
abundantly,' so also has the Church for its aim and end the
eternal salvation of souls, and hence it is so constituted as to
open wide its arms to all mankind, unhampered by any limit of
either time or place. 'Preach ye the Gospel to every creature.'" (Pope Leo XIII, "Immortale Dei",
1885 A.D.)
"You
must all follow the bishop as Jesus Christ follows the Father, and
the presbytery as you would the Apostles. Reverence the deacons as
you would the command of God. Let no one do anything of concern to
the Church without the bishop. Let that be considered a valid
Eucharist which is celebrated by the bishop, or by one whom he
appoints. Wherever the bishop appears, let the people be there;
just as wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church."
(St. Ignatius of Antioch, c. 110 A.D.) [Note: The above has
been considered the earliest known written use of the term
"Catholic Church". St. Ignatius was a hearer of the
Apostle St. John, and the third bishop of Antioch.]
"The
Catholic Church, that imperishable handiwork of our all-merciful
God, has for her immediate and natural purpose the saving of souls
and securing our happiness in heaven. Yet, in regard to things
temporal, she is the source of benefits as manifold and great as
if the chief end of her existence were to ensure the prospering of
our earthly life. And, indeed, wherever the Church has set her
foot she has straightway changed the face of things, and has
attempered the moral tone of the people with a new civilization
and with virtues before unknown. All nations which have yielded to
her sway have become eminent by their gentleness, their sense of
justice, and the glory of their high deeds." (Pope Leo XIII,
"Immortale Dei", 1885 A.D.)
"The
extent of the Church's mission in the field of education is such
as to embrace every nation, without exception, according to the
command of Christ: 'Teach ye all nations;' and there is no power
on earth that may lawfully oppose her or stand in her way. In the
first place, it extends over all the Faithful, of whom she has
anxious care as a tender mother. For these she has throughout the
centuries created and conducted an immense number of schools and
institutions in every branch of learning... All this the Church
has been able to do because her mission to educate extends equally
to those outside the Fold, seeing that all men are called to enter
the kingdom of God and reach eternal salvation." (Pope Pius
XI, "Divini Illius Magistri", 1929 A.D.)
"Nor
has [the Church] any desire for violent persecution. She knows
what persecution is, for she has suffered it in all times and in
all places. Centuries passed in bloodshed give her the right to
say with a holy boldness that she does not fear it, and that as
often as may be necessary she will be able to meet it. But
persecution is in itself an evil, for it is injustice and prevents
man from worshipping God in freedom. The Church then cannot desire
it, even with a view to the good which Providence in its infinite
wisdom ever draws out of it. Besides, persecution is not only
evil, it is also suffering, and there we have a fresh reason why
the Church, who is the best of mothers, will never seek it."
(Pope St. Pius X, "Une Fois Encore", 1907 A.D.)
"As
He hung on the Cross, Christ Jesus not only appeased the justice
of the Eternal Father which had been violated, but He also won for
us, His brethren, an ineffable flow of graces. It was possible for
Him of Himself to impart these graces to mankind directly; but He
willed to do so only through a visible Church made up of men, so
that through her all might cooperate with Him in dispensing the
graces of Redemption. As the Word of God willed to make use of our
nature, when in excruciating agony He would redeem mankind, so in
the same way throughout the centuries He makes use of the Church
that the work begun might endure." (Pope Pius XII, "Mystici
Corporis Christi", 1943 A.D.)
"This
is the work of Divine Providence, achieved through the prophecies
of the prophets, through the humanity and teaching of Christ,
through the journeys of the apostles, through the suffering, the
crosses, the blood and the death of the martyrs, through the
admirable lives of the saints, and in all these, at opportune
times, through miracles worthy of such great deeds and virtues.
When, then, we see so much help on God's part, so much progress
and such fruit, shall we hesitate to bury ourselves in the bosom
of the Church? For starting from the apostolic chair down through
successions of bishops, even unto the open confession of all
mankind, it has possessed the crown of authority." (St.
Augustine, Doctor of the Church)
"Ignatius,
also called Theophorus, to the Church endowed with mercy through
the Majesty of the Most High Father and of Jesus Christ His only
Son, to the Church beloved and enlightened by the will of Him who
as willed all things that have being in accordance with the faith
and love we bear towards Jesus Christ our God; the same Church
that holds its presidency in the territory of the Romans, worthy
of God, worthy of dignity, worthy of every blessing, worthy of
praise, worthy of credit, honored for purity, whose presidency is
one of love, fulfilling the law of Christ and bearing the Father's
name. This Church do I salute in the name of Jesus Christ, Son of
the Father." (St. Ignatius of Antioch, 107 A.D.)
"Christ
Jesus...has provided and strengthened His Church with a superb, an
immortal constitution which so many [variations] of time and
fortune, so many tribulations during the twenty centuries that
have passed have been unable to shake, and will never cause to
totter even to the day of doom. Why, then, do the rulers, who have
at heart the good and welfare of their citizens, hamper the action
of the Church? Ought they not rather give her their support, as
far as circumstances permit? The State need not fear that the
Church will trench on the domain of its aims and its rights.
Indeed Christ's followers, obedient to Him who gave them their
name, have from the beginning held State rights in loyal
reverence" (Pope Pius XI, "Ad Salutem", 1930 A.D.)
"Certainly
this teaching authority of the Church, not by any merely human
effort but under the protection of the Spirit of Truth, and
therefore absolutely without error, carries out the commission
entrusted to it, that of preserving the revealed truths pure and
entire throughout every age, in such a way that it presents them
undefiled, adding nothing to them and taking nothing away from
them. For, as the [First] Vatican Council teaches, 'the Holy
Spirit was not promised to the successors of Peter in such a way
that, by his revelation, they might manifest new doctrine, but so
that, by his assistance, they might guard as sacred and might
faithfully propose the revelation delivered through the apostles,
or the deposit of faith.'" (Pope Pius XII, "Munificentissimus
Deus", 1950 A.D.)
"It
is the will of Jesus Christ that the whole body of the Church, no
less than the individual members, should resemble Him. And we see
this realized when, following in the footsteps of her Founder, the
Church teaches, governs, and offers the divine Sacrifice. When she
embraces the evangelical counsels she reflects the Redeemer's
poverty, obedience and virginal purity. Adorned with institutes of
many different kinds as with so many precious jewels, she
represents Christ deep in prayer on the mountain, or preaching to
the people, or healing the sick and wounded and bringing sinners
back to the path of virtue - in a word, doing good to all. What
wonder then, if, while on this earth she, like Christ, suffer
persecutions, insults and sorrows." (Pope Pius XII, "Mystici
Corporis Christi", 1943 A.D.)
"We
cannot refrain from again and again exhorting all to love holy
Mother Church with a devoted and active love. If we have really at
heart the salvation of the whole human family, purchased by the
precious Blood, we must offer every day to the Eternal Father our
prayers, works and sufferings, for her safety and for her
continued and ever more fruitful increase. And while the skies are
heavy with storm clouds, and exceeding great dangers threaten the
whole of human Society and the Church herself, let us commit
ourselves and all that we have to the Father of Mercies, crying
out: 'Look down, we beseech Thee, Lord, on this Thy family, for
which our Lord Jesus Christ did not hesitate to be betrayed into
the hands of evil men and to undergo the torment of the
Cross.'" (Pope Pius XII, "Mystici Corporis
Christi", 1943 A.D.)
"[T]he
rights of the family and of the State, even the rights of
individuals regarding a just liberty in the pursuit of science, of
methods of science and all sorts of profane culture, not only are
not opposed to this pre-eminence of the Church, but are in
complete harmony with it. The fundamental reason for this harmony
is that the supernatural order, to which the Church owes her
rights, not only does not in the least destroy the natural order,
to which pertain the other rights mentioned, but elevates the
natural and perfects it, each affording mutual aid to the other,
and completing it in a manner proportioned to its respective
nature and dignity. The reason is because both come from God, who
cannot contradict Himself: 'The works of God are perfect and all
His ways are judgments.'" (Pope Pius XI, "Divini Illius
Magistri", 1929 A.D.)
"He
is the Head of the Church. The Body belonging to this Head is the
Church: not the local Church here, but both the local Church and
the Church throughout The world; not the Church which belongs to
the present time, but that which exists from the time of Abel
himself even to all those who will ever be born, even
to the end, and who will believe in Christ, the whole population
of the saints who belong to but one city, which city is the Body
of Christ, and of which Body Christ is the Head. There the angels
too are our fellow citizens; but because we are yet on
pilgrimage, we labor: they, however, away our arrival in that
city. And from that city to which we journey, letters come to us:
those letters are the Scriptures which exhort us to live properly." (St. Augustine,
Doctor of the Church, c. 5th century A.D.)
"Christ
our Lord instituted His Church as a perfect society, external of
its nature and perceptible to the senses, which should carry on in
the future the work of the salvation of the human race, under the
leadership of one head, with an authority teaching by word of
mouth, and by the ministry of the sacraments, the founts of
heavenly grace; for which reason He attested by comparison the
similarity of the Church to a kingdom, to a house, to a sheepfold,
and to a flock. This Church, after being so wonderfully
instituted, could not, on the removal by death of its Founder and
of the Apostles who were the pioneers in propagating it, be
entirely extinguished and cease to be, for to it was given the
commandment to lead all men, without distinction of time or place,
to eternal salvation: 'Going therefore, teach ye all
nations.'" (Pope Pius XI, "Mortalium Animos", 1928
A.D.)
"God
has put into the Church's heart those two deepest and strongest
affections which He has created: the tenderness of a mother and
the fervent love of a bride. Imagine, then, how great must be hear
zeal, and how intense her desire, to win over the whole world to
her Jesus, and teach them how to attain union with Him! Like St.
Paul, she is jealous with divine jealousy, as she thinks of all
those millions of Christians who undervalue the sublime vocation
to which they are all created; those children of hers whom she
cannot induce to rise above earthly goods; and yet these
Christians are her own members by Baptism! She grieves at seeing
how her Jesus is treated by the indifference or the half-hearted
love of these sluggish members, who yet make up some part of that
Body, which she was told to 'present as a chaste virgin to
Christ.'" (Liturgical Year)
"[M]en
should realize that all attempts to overthrow the 'House of God'
are in vain. For this is the Church founded on Peter, 'Rock,' not
merely in name but in truth. Against this 'the gates of hell will
not prevail', 'for it is founded on a rock.' There has never been
an enemy of the Christian religion who was not simultaneously at
wicked war with the See of Peter, since while this See remained
strong the survival of the Christian religion was assured. As St.
Irenaeus proclaims openly to all, 'by the order and succession of
the Roman pontiffs the tradition from the Apostles in the Church
and the proclamation of the truth has come down to us. And this is
the fullest demonstration that it is the one and the same
life-giving faith which has been preserved in the Church until now
since the time of the Apostles and has been handed on in
truth.'" (Pope Pius VII, "Diu Satis", 1800 A.D.)
"In
like manner, reason declares that the doctrine of the Gospel has
even from its very beginning been made manifest by certain
wonderful signs, the established proofs, as it were, of unshaken
truth; and that all, therefore, who set faith in the Gospel do not
believe rashly as though following cunningly devised fables, but,
by a most reasonable consent, subject their intelligence and
judgment to an authority which is divine. And of no less
importance is it that reason most clearly sets forth that the
Church instituted by Christ (as laid down in the [First] Vatican
Council), on account of its wonderful spread, its marvelous
sanctity, and its inexhaustible fecundity in all places, as well
as of its Catholic unity and unshaken stability, is in itself a
great and perpetual motive of belief and an irrefragable testimony
of its own divine mission." (Pope Leo XIII, "Aeterni
Patris", 1879 A.D.)
"Christ
reigns where the position in society which He Himself has assigned
to His Church is recognized, for He bestowed on the Church the
status and the constitution of a society which, by reason of the
perfect ends which it is called upon to attain, must be held to be
supreme in its own sphere; He also made her the depository and
interpreter of His divine teachings, and, by consequence, the
teacher and guide of every other society whatsoever, not of course
in the sense that she should abstract in the least from their
authority, each in its own sphere supreme, but that she should
really perfect their authority, just as divine grace perfects
human nature, and should give to them the assistance necessary for
men to attain their true final end, eternal happiness, and by that
very fact make them the more deserving and certain promoters of
their happiness here below." (Pope Pius XI, "Ubi Arcano
Dei Consilio", 1922 A.D.)
"The
world goes on its laborious way, proud of its riches, of its
power, of its arms, of its genius; the Church goes onward along
the course of ages with an even step, trusting in God only, to
Whom, day and night, she lifts her eyes and her suppliant hands.
Even though in her prudence she neglects not the human aid which
Providence and the times afford her, not in these does she put her
trust, which rests in prayer, in supplication, in the invocation
of God. Thus it is that she renews her vital breath; the diligence
of her prayer has caused her, in her aloofness from worldly things
and in her continual union with the Divine will, to live the
tranquil and peaceful life of Our very Lord Jesus Christ; being
herself the image of Christ, Whose happy and perpetual joy was
hardly marred by the horror of the torments He endured for us.
This important doctrine of Christian wisdom has been ever believed
and practiced by Christians worthy of the name." (Pope Leo
XIII, "Octobri Mense", 1891 A.D.)
"The
Church which He founded by His Blood, He strengthened on the day
of Pentecost by a special power, given from heaven. For, having
solemnly installed in his exalted office him whom He had already
nominated as His Vicar, He had ascended into Heaven; and sitting
now at the right hand of the Father He wished to make known and
proclaim His Spouse through the visible coming of the Holy Spirit
with the sound of a mighty wind and tongues of fire. For just as
He Himself when He began to preach was made known by His Eternal
Father through the Holy Spirit descending and remaining on Him in
the form of a dove, so likewise, as the Apostles were about to
enter upon their ministry of preaching, Christ our Lord sent the
Holy Spirit down from Heaven, to touch them with tongues of fire
and to point out, as by the finger of God, the supernatural
mission and office of the Church." (Pope Pius XII, "Mystici
Corporis Christi", 1943 A.D.)
"The
whole object of Christian doctrine and morality is that 'we being
dead to sin, should live to justice' (1 Peter ii., 24) - that is, to
virtue and holiness. In this consists the moral life, with the
certain hope of a happy eternity. This justice, in order to be
advantageous to salvation, is nourished by Christian faith. 'The
just man liveth by faith' (Galatians iii., II). 'Without faith it
is impossible to please God' (Hebrews xi., 6). Consequently Jesus
Christ, the creator and preserver of faith, also preserves and
nourishes our moral life. This He does chiefly by the ministry of
His Church. To Her, in His wise and merciful counsel, He has
entrusted certain agencies which engender the supernatural life,
protect it, and revive it if it should fail. This generative and
conservative power of the virtues that make for salvation is
therefore lost, whenever morality is dissociated from divine
faith." (Pope Leo XIII, "Tametsi Futura Prospicientibus",
1900 A.D.)
"And
with no less deceit certainly, Venerable Brothers, those enemies
of divine revelation, exalting human progress with the highest
praise, with a rash and sacrilegious daring would wish to
introduce it into the Catholic religion, just as if religion
itself were not the work of God but of men, or were some
philosophical discovery which can be perfected by human means.
Against such unhappily raving men applies very conveniently,
indeed, what Tertullian deservedly made a matter of reproach to
the philosophers of his own time: 'Who have produced a stoic and
platonic and dialectic Christianity.' And since, indeed, our most
holy religion has not been invented by human reason but has been
mercifully disclosed to men by God, thus everyone easily
understands that religion itself acquires all its force from the
authority of the same God speaking, and cannot ever be drawn from
or be perfected by human reason." (Bl. Pope Pius IX,
"Qui pluribus", 1846 A.D.)
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