Fernando Furquim de Almeida 
On July 18, 1870, the Vatican Council approved Pastor Aeternus, the definition of Papal infalibility by a vote of 533 to 2. However, many of the Council fathers who opposed the definition were absent. The following day, the French invaded Prussia, which soon became the nucleus of the new German Empire. The … Read more
After the dogma of infallibility was proclaimed, most bishops withdrew from Rome with the Pope’s permission. The war between France and Prussia (Germany) required the presence of pastors in their dioceses. At the same time, the government of the Piedmont King Victor Emmanuel II stirred up political agitation in Rome. This turmoil … Read more
July 18, 1870 was a bellweather day for the entire Church. After all the discussions, debates and discords, it was time for the public session promulgating the dogma of infallibility. At nine o’clock, Cardinal Lorenzo Barilli celebrated the Mass of the Holy Spirit. At the end of the Holy Sacrifice, the pope, … Read more
Some bishops at the First Vatican Council refused to take a position on defining papal infallibility. A small group kept silent out of timidity. Others wished to establish a common ground to facilitate a unanimous decision. As the Council’s deliberations proceeded, the Council Fathers clarified the meaning of the schema. In addition, … Read more
Pius IX reversed the order of work so the First Vatican Council could address the question of infallibility without further delay. To that end, the Council Fathers began studying the draft constitution De Ecclesia Christi’s eleventh chapter, which dealt with the pope’s primacy. This chapter began with the words Pastor Aeternus. When … Read more
As the time for a decision on Papal Infallibility drew near, two sides formed amongst the Fathers who gathered for the First Vatican Council. Henry Cardinal Manning of Westminster led the majority—those in favor of the definition. The leader of the anti-infallibilist minority was Bishop Felix Dupanloup of Orléans in France. The … Read more
On March 14, 1870, the schema De Doctrina Catholica, which had caused the first clash between the majority and the minority at the First Vatican Council, returned to the floor. Given the previous debates on the issue, the Council created a commission tasked with reworking the schema. The commission presented a new … Read more
Before being approved unanimously in the April 24, 1870 session, the constitution De Fide (On Faith) was returned several times to the special commission to be modified according to the amendments presented and to receive its definitive wording. In the meantime, the Council Fathers decided to move on to disciplinary matters. They … Read more
As soon as they arrived in Rome, the Council Fathers received the schema “De Doctrina Catholica.” This preparatory document dealt with the multiple errors derived from modern rationalism. The general congregations would discuss these issues during the First Vatican Council’s initial work. This schema had been prepared by Father John Baptist Franzelin, … Read more
Council Fathers learned the names of the twenty-four members of the Postulata Commission, appointed by Pius IX; elected the five members of the Judices Querelarum commission; and heard the reading of a new Apostolic Constitution, which regulated the election of the Supreme Pontiff if the pope should die during the works. This … Read more