Vatican I's Dogmatic Constitution

Pastor aeternus, on the Church of

Abridged

Chapter 1: On the institution of the apostolic primacy in blessed Peter

1. We teach and declare that, according to the gospel evidence, a primacy of jurisdiction over
the whole Church of God was immediately and directly promised to the blessed apostle Peter
and conferred on him by Christ the lord.

2. It was to Simon alone, to whom he had already said: "You shall be called Cephas" [42], that
the Lord, after his confession, "You are the Christ, the son of the living God," spoke these
words: "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jona. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but
my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my
Church, and the gates of the underworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of
the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and
whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven" [43].

3. And it was to Peter alone that Jesus, after his resurrection, confided the jurisdiction of
Supreme Pastor and ruler of his whole fold, saying: "Feed my lambs, feed my sheep" [44].

Chapter 2: On the permanence of the primacy of blessed Peter in the Roman pontiffs

1. That which our lord Jesus Christ, the prince of shepherds and great shepherd of the sheep,
established in the blessed apostle Peter, for the continual salvation and permanent benefit of
the Church, must of necessity remain for ever, by Christ's authority, in the Church which,
founded as it is upon a rock, will stand firm until the end of time [45].

2. For "no one can be in doubt, indeed it was known in every age that the holy and most
blessed Peter, prince and head of the apostles, the pillar of faith and the foundation of the
Catholic Church, received the keys of the kingdom from our lord Jesus Christ, the savior and
redeemer of the human race, and that to this day and for ever he lives" and presides and
"exercises judgment in his successors" the bishops of the Holy Roman See, which he founded
and consecrated with his blood [46].

3. Therefore whoever succeeds to the chair of Peter obtains by the institution of Christ
himself, the primacy of Peter over the whole Church. "So what the truth has ordained stands
firm, and blessed Peter perseveres in the rock-like strength he was granted, and does not
abandon that guidance of the Church which he once received" [47].

4. For this reason it has always been necessary "for every Church--that is to say the faithful
throughout the world--to be in agreement with [the Roman Church] because of its pre-
eminent authority." In consequence of being joined, as members to head, with that see, from
which "the rights of sacred communion" flow to all, they will grow together into the structure
of a single body [48].

Chapter 3: On the power and character of the primacy of the Roman Pontiff

1. And so, supported by the clear witness of Holy Scripture, and adhering to the manifest and
explicit decrees both of our predecessors the Roman Pontiffs and of general councils, we
promulgate anew the definition of the ecumenical Council of Florence [49], which must be
believed by all faithful Christians, namely that the "holy Apostolic See and the Roman Pontiff
hold a world-wide primacy, and that the Roman Pontiff is the successor of blessed Peter, the
prince of the apostles, true vicar of Christ, head of the whole Church and father and teacher
of all Christian people. To him, in blessed Peter, full power has been given by our lord Jesus
Christ to tend, rule and govern the universal Church. All this is to be found in the acts of the
ecumenical councils and the sacred canons."

2. Wherefore we teach and declare that, by divine ordinance, the Roman Church possesses a
pre-eminence of ordinary power over every other Church, and that this jurisdictional power
of the Roman Pontiff is both episcopal and immediate. Both clergy and faithful, of whatever
rite and dignity, both singly and collectively, are bound to submit to this power by the duty of
hierarchical subordination and true obedience, and this not only in matters concerning faith
and morals, but also in those which regard the discipline and government of the Church
throughout the world.

3. In this way, by unity with the Roman Pontiff in communion and in profession of the same
faith , the Church of Christ becomes one flock under one Supreme Shepherd [50].
4. This is the teaching of the Catholic truth, and no one can depart from it without
endangering his faith and salvation.

5. This power of the Supreme Pontiff by no means detracts from that ordinary and immediate
power of episcopal jurisdiction, by which bishops, who have succeeded to the place of the
apostles by appointment of the Holy Spirit, tend and govern individually the particular flocks
which have been assigned to them. On the contrary, this power of theirs is asserted,
supported and defended by the Supreme and Universal Pastor; for St. Gregory the Great
says: "My honor is the honor of the whole Church. My honor is the steadfast strength of my
brethren. Then do I receive true honor, when it is denied to none of those to whom honor is
due."[51]

6. Furthermore, it follows from that supreme power which the Roman Pontiff has in
governing the whole Church, that he has the right, in the performance of this office of his, to
communicate freely with the pastors and flocks of the entire Church, so that they may be
taught and guided by him in the way of salvation.

7. And therefore we condemn and reject the opinions of those who hold that this
communication of the Supreme Head with pastors and flocks may be lawfully obstructed; or
that it should be dependent on the civil power, which leads them to maintain that what is
determined by the Apostolic See or by its authority concerning the government of the Church,
has no force or effect unless it is confirmed by the agreement of the civil authority.

8. Since the Roman Pontiff, by the divine right of the apostolic primacy, governs the whole
Church, we likewise teach and declare that he is the supreme judge of the faithful [52] , and
that in all cases which fall under ecclesiastical jurisdiction recourse may be had to his
judgment [53] . The sentence of the Apostolic See (than which there is no higher authority) is
not subject to revision by anyone, nor may anyone lawfully pass judgment thereupon[54].
And so they stray from the genuine path of truth who maintain that it is lawful to appeal from
the judgments of the Roman pontiffs to an ecumenical council as if this were an authority
superior to the Roman Pontiff.

Chapter 4: On the infallible teaching authority of the Roman Pontiff

1. That apostolic primacy which the Roman Pontiff possesses as successor of Peter, the prince
of the apostles, includes also the supreme power of teaching. This Holy See has always
maintained this, the constant custom of the Church demonstrates it, and the ecumenical
councils, particularly those in which East and West met in the union of faith and charity, have
declared it.

2. So the fathers of the fourth Council of Constantinople, following the footsteps of their
predecessors, published this solemn profession of faith: "The first condition of salvation is to
maintain the rule of the true faith. And since that saying of our lord Jesus Christ, You are
Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church,[55] cannot fail of its effect, the words spoken
are confirmed by their consequences. For in the Apostolic See the Catholic religion has always
been preserved unblemished, and sacred doctrine been held in honor. Since it is our earnest
desire to be in no way separated from this faith and doctrine, we hope that we may deserve
to remain in that one communion which the Apostolic See preaches, for in it is the whole and
true strength of the christian religion."[56]

What is more, with the approval of the second Council of Lyons, the Greeks made the
following profession: "The Holy Roman Church possesses the supreme and full primacy and
principality over the whole Catholic Church. She truly and humbly acknowledges that she
received this from the Lord himself in blessed Peter, the prince and chief of the apostles,
whose successor the Roman Pontiff is, together with the fullness of power. And since before
all others she has the duty of defending the truth of the faith, so if any questions arise
concerning the faith, it is by her judgment that they must be settled."[57]

Then there is the definition of the Council of Florence: "The Roman Pontiff is the true vicar of
Christ, the head of the whole Church and the father and teacher of all Christians; and to him
was committed in blessed Peter, by our lord Jesus Christ, the full power of tending, ruling and
governing the whole Church."[58]

3. To satisfy this pastoral office, our predecessors strove unwearyingly that the saving
teaching of Christ should be spread among all the peoples of the world; and with equal care
they made sure that it should be kept pure and uncontaminated wherever it was received.

4. It was for this reason that the bishops of the whole world, sometimes individually,
sometimes gathered in synods, according to the long established custom of the Churches and
the pattern of ancient usage referred to this Apostolic See those dangers especially which
arose in matters concerning the faith. This was to ensure that any damage suffered by the
faith should be repaired in that place above all where the faith can know no failing [59] .

5. The Roman pontiffs, too, as the circumstances of the time or the state of affairs suggested,
sometimes by summoning ecumenical councils or consulting the opinion of the Churches
scattered throughout the world, sometimes by special synods, sometimes by taking
advantage of other useful means afforded by divine providence, defined as doctrines to be
held those things which, by God's help, they knew to be in keeping with Sacred Scripture and
the apostolic traditions.

6. For the Holy Spirit was promised to the successors of Peter not so that they might, by his
revelation, make known some new doctrine, but that, by his assistance, they might religiously
guard and faithfully expound the revelation or deposit of faith transmitted by the apostles.
Indeed, their apostolic teaching was embraced by all the venerable fathers and reverenced
and followed by all the holy orthodox doctors, for they knew very well that this See of St.
Peter always remains unblemished by any error, in accordance with the divine promise of our
Lord and Savior to the prince of his disciples: "I have prayed for you that your faith may not
fail; and when you have turned again, strengthen your brethren."[60]

7. This gift of truth and never-failing faith was therefore divinely conferred on Peter and his
successors in this See so that they might discharge their exalted office for the salvation of all,
and so that the whole flock of Christ might be kept away by them from the poisonous food of
error and be nourished with the sustenance of heavenly doctrine. Thus the tendency to
schism is removed and the whole Church is preserved in unity, and, resting on its foundation,
can stand firm against the gates of hell.

8. But since in this very age when the salutary effectiveness of the apostolic office is most
especially needed, not a few are to be found who disparage its authority, we judge it
absolutely necessary to affirm solemnly the prerogative which the only-begotten Son of God
was pleased to attach to the supreme pastoral office.

9. Therefore, faithfully adhering to the tradition received from the beginning of the christian
faith, to the glory of God our savior, for the exaltation of the Catholic religion and for the
salvation of the christian people, with the approval of the Sacred Council, 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.
Endnotes

42 Jn 1, 42.
43 Mt 16, 16 19.
44 Jn 21, 15-17.
45 See Mt 7, 25; Lk 6, 48.
46 From the speech of Philip, the Roman legate, at the 3rd session of the Council of Ephesus
(D no. 112).
47 Leo I, Serm. (Sermons) 3 (elsewhere 2), ch. 3 (PL 54, 146).
48 Irenaeus, Adv. haeres. (Against Heresies) 1113 (PG 7, 849), Council of Aquilea (381), to be
found among: Ambrose, Epistolae (Letters), 11 (PL 16, 946).
49 Council of Florence, session 6 (see above p. 528).
50 See Jn 10, 16.
51 Ep. ad Eulog. Alexandrin. (Letter to Eulogius of Alexandria), VIII 29 (30) (MGH, Ep. 2, 31 28-
30, PL 77, 933).
52 Pius VI, Letter Super soliditate dated 28 Nov. 1786.
53 From Michael Palaeologus's profession of faith which was read out at the second Council
of Lyons (D no. 466).
54 Nicholas I, Ep. ad Michaelem imp. (Letter to the emperor Michael) (PL 119, 954).
55 Mt 16, 18.
56 From Pope Hormisdas's formula of the year 517 (D no. 171), see above p. 157 n. 1.
57 From Michael Palaeologus's profession of faith which was read out at the second Council
of Lyons (D no. 466).
58 Council of Florence, session 6 (see above p. 528). S Bernard, Ep. (Letters) 190 (PL 182,
1053).
59 Bernard, Ep. (Letters) 190 (PL 182, 1053).
60 Lk 22, 32.

Abridged from Vatican Council I, Dogmatic Constitution Pastor aeternus on the the Church of
Christ, 18 July 1870.