Four Anathemas Regarding the Papacy

The Catholic Church, at the First Vatican Council in 1870, issued FOUR anathemas regarding heretical opinions regarding the Roman Papacy.

  1. The first anathema regards Papal primacy.
  2. The second anathema regards that the Peter will have perpetual successors until the end of time and that these successor are the Bishop of Rome. (Incidentally, this is the BEST argument against sedevacantists who allege that the Holy See has been vacant since Pope Pius XII. While we’re on the topic, here’s a great homily against the heresy of sedevacantism.)
  3. The third anathema regards the “full and supreme power of jurisdiction” of the Pope over faith, morals, discipline, and government.
  4. The fourth anathema regards the infallibility of the Pope whenever he speaks ex cathedra on faith and morals.

Here is the text of these four anathemas in an outline format so that you can better follow the argument. Remember, the anathema applies to those who affirm the incorrect doctrine on any of the four anathemas below. Incidentally, these canons show that Rome will never back down to the demands of the Russian and Greek Churches who officially believe these errors.

First Anathema

  • Therefore if anyone says that
    • blessed Peter the apostle was not appointed by Christ the lord as prince of all the apostles and visible head of the whole church militant; or that
    • it was a primacy of honour only and not one of true and proper jurisdiction that he directly and immediately received from our lord Jesus Christ himself:
  • let him be anathema.

Second Anathema

  • if anyone says that
    • it is not by the institution of Christ the lord himself (that is to say, by divine law) that blessed Peter should have perpetual successors in the primacy over the whole church; or that
    • the Roman pontiff is not the successor of blessed Peter in this primacy:
  • let him be anathema.

Third Anathema

  • if anyone says that
    • the Roman pontiff has merely an office of supervision and guidance, and
    • not the full and supreme power of jurisdiction over the whole church, and this
    • not only in matters of
      • faith and morals, but also in those which concern the
      • discipline and government of the church dispersed throughout the whole world; or that
  • he has only the principal part, but not the absolute fullness, of this supreme power; or that
  • this power of his is not ordinary and immediate both over all and each of the churches and over all and each of thepastors and faithful:
  • let him be anathema.

Fourth Anathema

  • we teach and define as a divinely revealed dogma that when the Roman pontiff speaks EX CATHEDRA, that is, when,
  • in the exercise of his office as shepherd and teacher of all Christians,
  • in virtue of his supreme apostolic authority,
    • he defines a doctrine concerning faith or morals to be held by the whole church,
    • he possesses, by the divine assistance promised to him in blessed Peter, that infallibility which the divine Redeemer willed his church to enjoy in defining doctrine concerning faith or morals.
  • Therefore, such definitions of the Roman pontiff are of themselves, and not by the consent of the church, irreformable. So then, should anyone, which God forbid, have the temerity to reject this definition of ours: 
  • let him be anathema.

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