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Papal
Duties / Concerns
Also See:
The Pope (Topic Page)
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"The supreme pontiff ... is to lead mankind to
eternal life in accordance with revaluation" (Dante, 14th century
A.D.)
"[T]he supreme pontiff...should be the mirror and
standard of all sanctity and purity" (Council of Basel)
"Can. 1518 The Roman Pontiff is the supreme
administrator and dispenser of all ecclesiastical goods." (1917
Code of Canon Law)
"Can. 504 The erection, alteration, or
suppression of a cathedral chapter is reserved to the Apostolic
See." (1983 Code of Canon Law)
"He who wishes to discover something which does
not belong to thy charge, will have to go outside the world" (St.
Bernard of Clairvaux, Doctor of the Church)
"Can. 220 Matters of greater importance that are
reserved only to the Roman Pontiff either by their nature or by positive
law are called 'great cases'." (1917 Code of Canon Law)
"Can. 1273 By virtue of his primacy of
governance, the Roman Pontiff is the supreme administrator and steward
of all ecclesiastical goods." (1983 Code of Canon Law)
"Can. 431 §3 It is the exclusive prerogative of
the supreme authority in the Church, after consulting the Bishops
concerned, to establish, suppress or alter ecclesiastical
provinces." (1983 Code of Canon Law)
"We hold that the pope, as pope,
although he does not have any purely temporal power, yet has in order
for spiritual good supreme power to dispose of the temporal affairs of
all Christians." (St. Robert Bellarmine, Doctor of the Church)
"Other pastors each have their several flocks
assigned to them; to [the pope] all the flocks have been entrusted, one
flock under one shepherd. Do you ask for proof of that? It is the Lord's
word." (St. Bernard of Clairvaux, Doctor of the Church)
"Can. 1442 The Roman Pontiff is the supreme judge
for the entire Catholic world; he renders judicial decisions either
personally, or through the ordinary tribunals of the Apostolic See, or
through judges whom he has delegated." (1983 Code of Canon Law)
"The supreme pontiff for his part, as the common
father and pastor of all, should have investigations made everywhere not
only when requested to do so but also on his own initiative and he
should apply salutary medicines, as best he can, for all the illnesses
of his children." (Council of Basel)
"As
more serious ills threaten the Catholic Church from the heinous
contrivances of its enemies, the popes who have been placed in
the See of St. Peter should be so much the quicker in taking action to
repel them." (Pope Gregory XVI, "Quo Graviora", 1833)
"It is not so much custom as Our great love for
you which impels Us to address you by at least this letter. We could
have no sweeter nor so pleasant a task. The particular part of Our duty
which is expressed in the words, 'strengthen your brethren,' also urges
Us to do so." (Pope Pius VII, "Diu Satis", 1800 A.D.)
"Can. 1405 §1 It is solely the right of the
Roman Pontiff himself to judge in the cases mentioned in can. 1401: 1°
Heads of State; 2° Cardinals; 3° Legates of the Apostolic See and, in
penal cases, Bishops 4° other cases which he has reserved to
himself." (1983 Code of Canon Law)
"No one can, however, without risk to faith,
foster any doubt as to the Church alone having been invested with such
power of governing souls as to exclude altogether the civil authority.
In truth, it was not to Caesar but to Peter that Jesus Christ entrusted
the keys of the kingdom of Heaven. From this doctrine touching the
relations of politics and religion originate important consequences
which we cannot pass over in silence." (Pope Leo XIII, "Sapientiae
Christianae", 1890)
"Indeed the Holy See, whenever it inquires and
wishes to be informed about what is being taught in various seminaries,
colleges, universities, and institutions of higher learning, in those
fields which pertain to its jurisdiction, is led by no other motive than
the consciousness of Christ's mandate and the obligation by which She is
bound before God to safeguard and preserve without corruption or
adulteration sound doctrine. Moreover the exercise of this vigilance
aims also at protecting and upholding your right and office of feeding
with the genuine teaching of Christ and with His truth the flock
entrusted to your pastoral care." (Pope Pius XII to the Cardinals,
Archbishops & Bishops, "Si Diligis",
1954 A.D.)
"[Our] first safety is to guard the rule of the
right faith and to deviate in no wise from the ordinances of the
Fathers; because we cannot pass over the statement of our Lord Jesus
Christ who said: 'Thou art Peter and upon this rock I will build my
church' ... [Matt. 16:18]. These [words] which were spoken, are proved by
the effects of the deeds, because in the Apostolic See the Catholic
religion has always been preserved without stain. Desiring not to be
separated from this hope and faith and following the ordinances of the
Fathers, we anathematize all heresies" (Pope St. Hormisdas, 517
A.D.)
"Since all such opinions are openly
opposed to the teachings of Our predecessors, Leo XIII and Pius X, they
cannot be reconciled with the decrees of the [First] Vatican Council. Surely, it
would be superfluous to deplore these wanderings from the truth, if all,
even in philosophical matters, would accept with due reverence the
magisterium of the Church, whose duty it surely is not only to guard and
interpret the deposit of truth revealed by God, but also to watch over
these philosophical disciplines, lest Catholic dogma suffer any harm
from incorrect opinions." (Pope Pius XII, "Humani generis",
August 12, 1950 A.D.)
"Can. 1569 § 1 Because of the primacy of the
Roman Pontiff, it is fundamental to every member of the faithful
throughout the Catholic world that they have the right of sending any
case, criminal or contentious, in any level of trial and at any stage of
the proceeding, to the Holy See for adjudication and of introducing it
there. § 2 Recourse interposed to the Apostolic See, however, does not
suspend the exercise of jurisdiction by the judge who has already begun
to judge it, except in cases of appeal; therefore the [first] judge can
continue to pursue the case even to definitive sentence unless the
Apostolic See calls the case to itself." (1917 Code of Canon Law)
"Remember also that the government and
administration of the whole Church rests with the Roman Pontiff to whom,
in the words of the Fathers of the Council of Florence, 'the full power
of nourishing, ruling, and governing the universal Church was given by
Christ the Lord.' It is the duty of individual bishops to cling to the
See of Peter faithfully, to guard the faith piously and religiously, and
to feed their flock. It behooves priests to be subject to the bishops,
whom 'they are to look upon as the parents of their souls,' as Jerome
admonishes." (Pope Gregory XVI, "Mirari Vos", 1832)
"Can. 337 §1 The College of Bishops exercises
its power over the universal Church in solemn manner in an Ecumenical
Council. §2 It exercises this same power by the united action of the
Bishops dispersed throughout the world, when this action is as such
proclaimed or freely accepted by the Roman Pontiff, so that it becomes a
truly collegial act. §3 It belongs to the Roman Pontiff to select and
promote, according to the needs of the Church, ways in which the College
of Bishops can exercise its office in respect of the universal Church in
a collegial manner." (1983 Code of Canon Law)
"Now, faith, as a virtue, is a great boon of
divine grace and goodness; nevertheless, the objects themselves to which
faith is to be applied are scarcely known in any other way than through
the hearing. 'How shall they believe Him of whom they have not heard?
and how shall they hear without a preacher? Faith then cometh by
hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.' Since, then, faith is
necessary for salvation, it follows that the word of Christ must be
preached. The office, indeed, of preaching, that is, of teaching, lies
by divine right in the province of the pastors, namely, of the bishops
whom 'the Holy Spirit has placed to rule the Church of God.' It belongs,
above all, to the Roman Pontiff, vicar of Jesus Christ, established as
head of the universal Church, teacher of all that pertains to morals and
faith." (Pope Leo XIII, "Sapientiae Christianae", 1890)
"But this likewise must be reckoned amongst the
duties of Christians, that they allow themselves to be ruled and
directed by the authority and leadership of bishops, and, above all, of
the Apostolic See. And how fitting it is that this should be so any one
can easily perceive. For the things contained in the divine oracles have
reference to God in part, and in part to man, and to whatever is
necessary for the attainment of his eternal salvation. Now, both these,
that is to say, what we are bound to believe and what we are obliged to
do, are laid down, as we have stated, by the Church using her divine
right, and in the Church by the supreme Pontiff. Wherefore it belongs to
the Pope to judge authoritatively what things the sacred oracles
contain, as well as what doctrines are in harmony, and what in
disagreement, with them; and also, for the same reason, to show forth
what things are to be accepted as right, and what to be rejected as
worthless; what it is necessary to do and what to avoid doing, in order
to attain eternal salvation. For, otherwise, there would be no sure
interpreter of the commands of God, nor would there be any safe guide
showing man the way he should live." (Pope Leo XIII, "Sapientiae
Christianae", 1890 A.D.)
"[A] new edition of the symbol becomes necessary in
order to set aside the errors that may arise. Consequently to publish a
new edition of the symbol belongs to that authority which is empowered
to decide matters of faith finally, so that they may be held by all with
unshaken faith. Now this belongs to the authority of the Sovereign
Pontiff, 'to whom the more important and more difficult questions that
arise in the Church are referred,' as stated in the Decretals
(distinction 17, canon 5). Hence our Lord said to Peter whom he made
Sovereign Pontiff (Luke 22:32): 'I have prayed for thee,' Peter, 'that
thy faith fail not, and thou, being once converted, confirm thy
brethren.' The reason of this is that there should be but one faith of
the whole Church, according to 1 Corinthians 1:10: 'That you all speak
the same thing, and that there be no schisms among you': and this could
not be secured unless any question of faith that may arise be decided by
him who presides over the whole Church, so that the whole Church may
hold firmly to his decision. Consequently it belongs to the sole
authority of the Sovereign Pontiff to publish a new edition of the
symbol, as do all other matters which concern the whole Church, such as
to convoke a general council and so forth." (St. Thomas Aquinas,
Doctor of the Church and 'greatest theologian in the history of the
Church')
"[The pope] should also instruct the people of
Rome, which is his own parish, and direct them in the way of salvation.
He should bid the cardinals to visit and reform their titular churches
and parishes as befits their office. He should appoint some prelate of
great learning and of proven and exemplary life as his vicar in the
city, to take his place in the episcopal care of the clergy and people,
and he should often inquire about whether he is fulfilling his task.
Next, let him reflect carefully with the same brethren on the good and
wholesome administration of the temporalities of the Roman church and
let him ensure that the provinces, cities, towns, castles and lands
subject to the Roman church are justly and peacefully ruled with such
moderation that the difference between government by ecclesiastics and
by secular princes is like that between a father and a master. He should
not aim at gain, but cherishing all with paternal charity he should
esteem them not as subjects but as sons and daughters. Since he has
charge of their spiritual and temporal well-being, he must watch to get
rid of all factions and seditious groups...which breed destruction to both
souls and bodies. He must strive, employing spiritual and temporal
penalties of all possible kinds, to remove all causes of dissension and
to keep people united for the defense of the church." (Council of
Basel)
"The supreme pontiff calls himself the servant of
the servants of God; let him prove it in deeds. As long as people from
all parts have recourse to him as to a common father, he should give
them all easy access. Let him set aside at least one day in the week for
a public audience, when he shall listen with patience and kindness to
all, especially the poor and oppressed, and shall grant their prayers as
much as he can with God's help, and shall assist all with kind advice
and help as each one has need and as a father does for his children. If
he is prevented by some bodily need, he shall entrust this task to some
cardinal or other noteworthy person who will report everything to him,
and he shall order all officials of the curia, especially the
vice-chancellor, the penitentiary and the chamberlain, to expedite
business for the poor with speed and free of charge, bearing in mind the
apostolic charity of Peter and Paul, who pledged themselves to remember
the poor . He should attend a public mass on Sundays and feast-days, and
after it for a while he should give audience to the needy. He should
hold a public consistory each week, or at least twice a month, to treat
of the business of cathedral churches, monasteries, princes and
universities and other important affairs. But he should refer lawsuits
and lesser matters to the vice-chancellor. He should keep himself free
of lawsuits and lesser business as far as he can, so as to be freer to
attend to major issues. Since the cardinals of the holy Roman church are
considered to be part of the body of the Roman pontiff, it is extremely
expedient for the common good that, following ancient custom, serious
and difficult questions should hereafter be settled on their advice and
direction after mature deliberation, especially the following: decisions
on matters of faith; canonizations of saints, erections, suppressions,
divisions, subjections or unions of cathedral churches and monasteries;
promotions of cardinals; confirmations and provisions relating to
cathedral churches and monasteries; deprivations and translations of
abbots, bishops and superiors; laws and constitutions; legations a
latere or commissions or envoys and nuncios functioning with the
authority of legates a latere; foundations of new religious orders; new
exemptions for churches, monasteries and chapels, or the revocation of
those already granted without prejudice to the decree of the holy
council of Constance about not transferring prelates against their
will." (Council of Basel) Also
See: Papal
Primacy / Supremacy | Papal
Solicitude | Popes
as Preservers of Tradition / Against New Doctrines | Preservation
of Truth / Unity | Vatican
Facts
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