What is an 
ECUMENICAL 

COUNCIL ? 

Codio s ^ jToÄe-öh S 
- 4,-f- I Ì» 3to ¿cuivten'iia)) 

At)M07ä3» 

By Rev. Joseph F. Collins 

f 4 

W i t h a f o r e w o r d b y His E m i n e n c e J o h n C a r d i n a l O ' H a r a . C S C . D . D . , A r c h b i s h o p o f P h i l a d e l p h i a 





(x)hai 9A 

AN ECUMENICAL 

COUNCIL? 

by 

REV. JOSEPH F. COLLINS 

25 cents per copy 

Nihil Obstat: 
REV. JAMES A. GRAHAM, D.D. 

Censor Librorum 
Philadelphia: September 15, 1959. 

Imprimatur: 
>J<JOHN CARDINAL O'HARA, C.S.C. 

Archbishop of Philadelphia 
Philadelphia: September 22, 1959. 

Copyright 1959 Rev. Joseph F. Collins 



FOREWORD 

It is the hope of Holy Mother Church that her faithful 
children will always be able to give a reasonable answer 
to the questions about the Catholic Faith which are pro-
posed to them by those in their own state of life — their 
neighbors, their friends, their fellow workmen, and the 
like. 

Thè Twenty-first Ecumenical Council, preparations 
for which have been announced by His Holiness Pope 
John XXIII, is an event of major importance. The 
Confraternity of Christian Doctrine and the Holy Name 
Society have collaborated in the presentation of this 
brochure, which gives you a background of information 
on the idea of a General Council and the particular 
twenty Councils that have been held in the past. 

May I suggest that this brochure be read aloud at 
home and discussed by all the members of the family 
who have reached the age of reason. While this will not 
make you an "expert" in the matter of General Councils, 
it will help you to answer the reasonable questions of 
those in your own state of life. 

Asking your prayers for the success of the Council and 
begging God's blessing on all of you, I am, 

Sincerely yours in Our Lord, 
I J J O H N CARDINAL O ' H A R A , C . S . C . 

Archbishop of Philadelphia 



WHAT IS AN ECUMENICAL COUNCIL? 
The term "Ecumenical Council" is going to be in the 

news for a long time. The proceedings conducted under 
that name and the decisions reached are going to make 
news. The results of the Council will definitely influence 
the whole world and everyone in the world. No one will 
escape the influence of the Council because even at this 
early date it is receiving world-wide news coverage. 
When it convenes, the news and views of the Council will 
be disseminated quickly and accurately by the most mod-
ern electronic equipment. The reactions to the Council 
will run the gamut from profound joy and hope through 
mere curiosity to the inevitable bigotry and disdain. No 
one will be able to remain indifferent. We Catholics will 
be asked many questions about the Council. It is the 
purpose of this pamphlet to help us give intelligent and 
honest answers. 

The Catholic Encyclopedia gives us the definition of 
a Council: "Councils are legally convened assemblies of 
ecclesiastical dignitaries and theological experts for the 
purpose of discussing and regulating matters of church 
doctrine and discipline." There are various kinds of 
Councils distinguished according to their territorial exten-
sion. A Provincial Council (Canon 283) brings together 
the suffragan bishops of the dioceses which constitute an 
ecclesiastical province under the Metropolitan (Arch-
bishop). For example, Harrisburg, Scran ton, Altoona, 

1 



etc., are suffragan Sees of Philadelphia. A Plenary Coun-
cil (Canon 281), (such as the Councils of Baltimore) is 
composed of the Ordinaries and those entitled to vote 
from several ecclesiastical provinces. A Papal Legate 
must preside (Canon 281). There are National or Patri-
archal Councils which decree for an entire nation or a 
whole patriarchate. There have been General Councils 
of the East or the West affecting only the Oriental Rite 
or the Roman Rite. There have also been "Mixed Coun-
cils" composed of both civil and church dignitaries to 
settle secular as well as ecclesiastical matters. The 
Diocesan Synod is not really a Council since the members 
of the synod, other than the Ordinary, have no decisive 
vote. A Diocesan Synod is presided over by the Ordi-
nary or Vicar-General and its decrees affect only that 
particular diocese. The annual meeting of the bishops 
at Washington, D. C., is not a Council but merely an 
assembly or meeting. 

The word "ecumenical" comes from the Greek lan-
guage and means "the whole world." An Ecumenical 
Council is one to which the bishops, and others entitled 
to vote, are convoked from the whole world under the 
presidency of the Pope or his legates, and the decrees of 
which, having received papal confirmation, bind all 
Christians. Unlike other councils, synods and assemblies 
the decisions and decrees concerning faith and morals 
arrived at in an Ecumenical Council are infallible. The 
results of the coming Ecumenical Council will proclaim 
infallible divine truth. 

2 



NECESSARY ELEMENTS OF A COUNCIL 
There are five constitutional elements or legal requi-

sites which are necessary for a Council. They are as 
follows: 

1. The Council must be legally convened. 
The one who arranges the assembly must have the 

legal authority to do so. The Council could not be con-
vened by an ordinary priest or by an ordinary layman. 
A Provincial Council must be convoked by the Metro-
politan. A Diocesan Synod must be convoked by the 
Ordinary or Vicar-General. There can be no Ecumenical 
Council unless it is convoked by the Roman Pontiff. 
(Canon 222.) For example, the Council of Constance 
had been in session for some time but only became legiti-
mate when Pope Gregory XII formally convoked it. It 
is true the first eight Ecumenical Councils were convoked 
by Christian Emperors but this was always done with 
the expressed, or at least presumed permission or sub-
sequent sanction of the Holy Father. The Emperor 
merely issued formal invitations. The practical reason 
for this was that the emperor had greater access to 
means of communication and transportation. The Sev-
enth Ecumenical Council was convoked by the Emperor 
Constantine and his mother, Irene, and was presided 
over by the legates of Pope Adrian I. The forthcoming 
Council will be legally convoked by Pope John XXIII . 

3 



2. The participants are members of the hierarchy. 

Of necessity, the members of the hierarchy are the 
leaders of the Church in their double capacity of judges 
and teachers. They have the divine authority to admin-
ister and they are assisted in their deliberations by skilled 
theologians and experts on Church Law. Besides mem-
bers of the hierarchy (Cardinals, Archbishops, Primates, 
Bishops) Abbots and those designated by law may be 
invited, and if so, have decisive votes in the Council. 
Theologians and experts in Canon Law have only ad-
visory votes. (Canon 223.) Others may act as advisers, 
interpreters or observers but only those so legally con-
stituted have the right to vote. 

PARTICIPANTS 
The Law of the Church ( T H E CODE O F C A N O N 

LAW) names those who shall be called to the Council 
and have a decisive vote: 

(a) The Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church, even 
though they are not bishops; 

(b) The Patriarchs, Primates, Archbishops and Resi-
dential Bishops, even those not yet consecrated; 

(c) The Abbots or Prelates Nullius; 

(d) The Abbot Primate, abbots who are superiors of 
monastic congregations, the supreme heads of exempt 
organizations of religious clergy. The superiors general 

4 



of other religious bodies are not to be called, unless the 
bull of convocation explicitly states otherwise. 

If titular bishops are called to the Ecumenical Council, 
they also have a decisive vote, unless it is otherwise 
provided in the decree of convocation (Canon 223). 

If any of the above-mentioned clergy, who, according 
to the foregoing Canon must be summoned to the Coun-
cil, cannot come on account of some just impediment, he 
shall send a proxy and prove the impediment. If the 
proxy is one of the Fathers of the Council, he shall not 
have a double vote; if he is not, he shall be allowed to 
be present only at the public sessions, but without a vote. 
At the completion of the Council he is entitled to sub-
scribe his name to the acts of the Council (Canon 224). 

3. For the purpose of legislating on disciplinary and 
doctrinal matters. 

A conclave of bishops meeting either at regular times 
or under extraordinary circumstances for the purpose of 
deliberating current questions of administration or con-
certed action in social emergencies would not be a Council 
but merely an assembly or meeting. The purpose of the 
Council is to decree on matters of Church discipline and 
doctrine. For example, the First Council (Nicaea, 325) 
defined the true Divinity of the Son of God and also 
established the date for observing Easter. The Council 
of Trent condemned the errors of Luther and other Re-
formers and also improved the discipline of the Church. 

5 



4. By means of deliberation in common. 

Deliberation, with free discussion and ventilation of 
private views, is one of the essential components of a 
Council. This is called the "Sensus Ecclesiae" or the 
mind of the Church in action. There will be the contrast 
of conflicting opinions and the actual clash of one school 
of thought against another. These are necessary in shap-
ing dogmatic definitions and authoritative decrees. This 
is the element of the human battleground from which will 
emerge the final triumph of faith. 

5. The final definitions and decrees will have the author-
ity of the whole assembly. 

The Council's decisions will reflect the strength and 
weight of the combined action of the whole body. In an 
Ecumenical Council the final definitions and decrees 
touching upon faith and morals are infallible for two 
reasons: 

First, by virtue of the Infallibility of the Church. 
Shortly before His Ascension Our Divine Saviour sol-
emnly commissioned His Apostles; "All power is given 
to Me in heaven and in earth. Going therefore, teach ye 
all nations; baptizing them in the name of the Father, 
and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; teaching them 
to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: 
and behold I am with you all days even to the consum-

6 



mation of the world." (Matt. XXVIII 18-20). This is 
a promise of infallible guidance in doctrinal teaching 
made to the Apostolic College in the first instance and 
then to the hierarchical college that was to succeed it. 
It is a promise of a living voice speaking infallibly to 
every generation on any question that may arise affecting 
the substance of Christ's teaching. The Vatican Council 
teaches, "The doctrine of faith, which God has revealed, 
has not been proposed as a philosophical discovery to 
be improved upon by human talent, but has been com-
mitted as a Divine deposit to the spouse of Christ, to be 
faithfully guarded and infallibly interpreted by her." 

Residential Bishops in union with the Pope enjoy this 
prerogative of infallibility in the everyday exercise of 
their episcopal authority. When the Bishops are con-
vened in an Ecumenical Council the Infallibility of the 
Church becomes more apparent. If Christ promised to 
be present with even two or three of His disciples 
gathered together in His name (Matt. XVIII, 20) most 
assuredly will H e be present efficaciously in a represen-
tative assembly of His authorized teachers. St. Athana-
sius wrote, "What God has spoken through the Council 
of Nicaea endureth forever." 

Secondly, the decisions of an Ecumenical Council are 
infallible by reason of the Pope's presence as head of the 

7 



Church and Council. Our Lord, speaking directly to 
Simon, said, "Thou art Peter and upon this rock I will 
build My church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail 
against it." (Matt. XVI, 18). Again, speaking to Peter, 
Christ said, "Simon, Simon, behold Satan hath desired 
to have you, that he may sift you as wheat; But I have 
prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not; and thou, being 
once converted, confirm thy brethren." (Luke XXII, 
31-32). This special prayer was for St. Peter alone in 
his capacity as head of the Church. It follows that to 
St. Peter and his successors was personally committed 
the office of confirming the brethren — the other Bishops 
and then the faithful generally— in infallible doctrine. 
In the fourth session of the Vatican Council (July 18, 
1870) Pope Pius IX explained, "Whoever succeeds Peter 
in this chair, he according to the institution of Christ 
himself, holds the primacy of Peter over the whole 
Church." In John, XXI, 15-17 we have the record of 
Christ's thrice-repeated demand for a confession of 
Peter's love and the thrice-repeated commission to feed 
the Iambs and the sheep: "Simon, son of John, lovest 
thou Me more than these? Yea, Lord, thou knowest that 
I love Thee. Feed My lambs. Feed My sheep." Here the 
complete and supreme pastoral charge of the whole of 
Christ's flock — sheep as well as lambs — is given to St. 
Peter and his successors, and in this is undoubtedly 
comprised supreme doctrinal authority. 

8 



THE POPE AND THE COUNCIL 
Canon Law decrees that an Ecumenical Council must 

be convoked by the Roman Pontiff (Canon 222). This 
Canon also specifies the rights of the Holy Father re-
garding an Ecumenical Council as follows: 

1. The Pope presides over the Council as President 
either in person or through his Legates. 

The Vatican Council (December 8, 1869-October 20, 
1870) was presided over by Pope Pius IX in person. On 
the other hand, in the year 869, Pope Adrian II sent his 
legates (3) to the Fourth Council of Constantinople ex-
pressly declaring to the Emperor Basil, that they were to 
act as Presidents of the Council. In the Acts of the Coun-
cil their names were always placed first, and first place 
was always reserved for their signatures. For their final 
signatures they used the form, "presiding over this holy 
and universal synod." At the same time, Ignatius, Patri-
arch of Constantinople, wrote his signature with this 
formula, "receiving this holy and universal synod and 
agreeing with all it has judged and written, and defining 
I have signed." 

2. The Holy Father determines the matters to be dis-
cussed and their order of precedence. 

Pope John XXIII has appointed the Vatican Secretary 
of State, His Eminence Domenico Cardinal Tardini, to 
form a preparatory commission with ten other members 

9 



— POSTAGE WILL BE PAID BY — 

JEFFERIES AND MANZ Inc. 

2415 EAST YORK STREET 

PHILADELPHIA 25, PA. 



Gentlemen: 

Please, enter my order for: 

copies of " W H A T IS AN ECUMENICAL COUNCIL?" 

IMPRINT BACK COVER — YES • NO • 

Ordered By 

Name Of Church 

Street Addreu 

City Zone State 
Print Or Type Below Copy You Want Imprinted On Back Cover 



to draw up concrete proposals for the Council's agenda. 
The Commission receives the opinions and advice of 
the Bishops and others who will attend the council. The 
Roman Congregations (the Church's major administra-
tive agencies) are forming study commissions on the 
Council. Scholars from various nations and language 
groups are being consulted. The rectors of the Church's 
major institutions of higher learning will submit their 
suggestions. When all this data has been compiled and 
formulated the Holy Father will make final determina-
tion concerning the matters to be discussed and their 
proper order. 

3. The Pope has the right to transfer, suspend or dis-
solve the Council. 

Since the Holy Father alone has the right to convoke 
an Ecumenical Council it naturally follows that he alone 
has the right to transfer, suspend or dissolve it. In the 
event of a major catastrophe, such as an epidemic or 
world war, the Pope would transfer the locale of the 
Council to a more favorable site, suspend it for the dura-
tion of the emergency, or dissolve it completely. No 
member of the Council is permitted to leave before the 
Council is lawfully terminated unless the President ap-
proves of his reason for leaving and grants him the 
necessary permission (Canon 225). In the event of the 

10 



death of the Roman Pontiff during the progress of the 
Council, the Council is automatically suspended by law 
until the new Pontiff orders its resumption and contin-
uation (Canon 229). 

4. The Holy Father confirms and promulgates the 
decrees of the Council. 

The Pope is the visible head of the Church. Without 
the Pope's approval the Council would be a headless, 
soulless body unable to give its decisions the binding 
force of law for the whole Church. With papal approval, 
however, the Council's decrees represent the fullest 
effort of the teaching and ruling power of the Church, 
a "judicium plenissimum" beyond which no power can 
go. The Pope's approval is a personal act of the highest 
authority because the highest authority cannot be dele-
gated. Explicit and definitive approbation is always neces-
sary. The faithful would hesitate to accept as infallible 
guides of their faith documents which have not been 
authenticated by the seal of the Fisherman. The Pope's 
approbation is the authoritative factor for the binding 
force of the Council's decisions. Pope Leo II ratified the 
procedures of the Sixth General Council in these words, 
"Because this great and universal synod has most fully 
proclaimed the definition of the right faith, which the 
Apostolic See of St. Peter the Apostle, whose office we, 

11 



though unequal to it, are holding, also reverently re-
ceives: therefore we also, and through our office this 
Apostolic See, consent to, and confirm, by the authority 
of Blessed Peter, those things which have been defined 
as being finally set by the Lord Himself on the solid rock 
which is Christ." 

Because an Eumenical Council is composed of Bishops 
representing all parts of the world, the papal ratification 
formally promulgates its decrees as truths to be known 
and accepted by all the faithful. Some of the decrees 
may be articles of divine faith, the denial of which is 
heresy; others may be matters of ecclesiastical faith, the 
denial of which would be an error in ecclesiastical faith. 
Some may pertain directly to the deposit of divine 
revelation; others may refer to the secondary object of 
infallibility, e.g., disciplinary matters. Even those who 
refuse to recognize the pope's authority and his in-
fallibility in teaching faith and morals must be impressed 
by the salutary and healing effect his final approbation 
and promulgation has on the entire council. Personal, 
local and national aims (due to the defects and short-
comings of human nature) are forgotten in the final 
unanimous assent to the Council's transactions and con-
clusions. 

12 



RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN POPE AND BISHOPS 
The relationship between the Pope and the Bishops in 

an Ecumenical Council must be clearly understood to 
avoid any popular misconceptions. If we associate the 
phrase "the Council represents the Church," with our 
modern idea of representative assemblies we shall have 
a wrong conception of a basic element of the Council. 

The Church is the mystical body of Christ of which 
the Pope is the visible head and we are the members. 
To be a living body the head and members must be 
united. The Residential Bishops from all parts of the 
world convened in Council under the headship of the 
Pope represent the Church both physically and morally. 
They represent the peoples and cultures and customs 
throughout the entire world. This physical represen-
tation need not be complete for if, for example, some 
Bishops are restrained by their governments from at-
tending the Council, they and their flocks will still be 
represented by the Bishops who are present. The Bishops 
assembled morally represent the entire Church for they 
attest to the unity of doctrine and essential discipline. 

The Church as the mystical body of Christ has three 
distinct organs of Infallibility: 1. The Residential Bishops 
dispersed throughout the world in union with the Holy 
See. This is the common everyday teaching authority 
of the Church. 2. Ecumenical Councils under the head-
ship of the Pope. 3. The Pope himself, separately. The 

13 



second and third represent the solemn, definitive author-
ity of the Church. Should the majority of Bishops in a 
Council vote with the Pope the definitive decisions of 
the Council would be infallible. A majority vote of 
Conciliar Bishops apart from the Pope would not enjoy 
Conciliar infallibility. (It would be like a lifeless, soul-
less body without a head.) Should the Pope confirm the 
minority vote of the Council, that decision would be 
infallible by reason of the Pope's infallibility. The Pope 
would then be teaching "ex cathedra." 

In the modern democratic process the civil authorities 
are created by, and receive their power from the will of 
the people they represent. They are thereby bound to 
protect and promote the interests of their electors. Their 
authority and duties are prescribed by local, or at best, 
national welfare. On the contrary, the bishops in an Ecu-
menical Council hold no power, commission or delega-
tion from the people. Their power and jurisdiction come 
ultimately from God. The Bishops in Council represent 
the magisterium, i.e., the teaching and governing power 
of the Church. Their interests are to defend and protect 
the "Deposit of Faith," the revealed truths concerning 
faith and morals. The interests of the Bishops in Council 
are solely the interests of God. 

In modern governments the Congress or Parliament 
(or their counterparts) are very often commissioned to 
limit and control the power of the President or head of 

14 



State. This is not the function of the Bishops in an Ecu-
menical Council. The proper employment of their facul-
ties and powers is co-operation—the unified action of all 
the members with the head. The Bishops support and 
strengthen the authority of the Pope and present to the 
world a universal agreement with and acceptance of the 
decrees of the Sovereign Pontiff on matters of faith and 
morals. 

NEED FOR ECUMENICAL COUNCILS 
Although Canon Law provides that in each ecclesias-

tical Province a Provincial Council shall be held at least 
every twenty years (Canon 283), there is no such legis-
lation concerning an Ecumenical Council. Actually, Ecu-
menical Councils have no necessary part in the ordinary 
normal government of the Church. This is demonstrated 
by the fact that there have been only twenty such Councils 
in the nearly two thousand years of the Church's history. 
It is further confirmed by the fact that these Councils 
have not been held at regular intervals. The decree 
issued in the thirty-ninth session of the Council of Con-
stance (without papal authority, having no representative 
of the Pope presiding) that Ecumenical Councils should 
be convoked frequently and at regular intervals, has 
never been observed. 

Ecumenical Councils are convoked, therefore, only 
when, in the mind of the Sovereign Pontiff, they will be 

15 



necessary or useful in supporting papal authority, defin-
ing and strengthening doctrine and correcting laxity in 
discipline. Such emergencies could be occasioned by 
great schisms or widespread heresy. Another reason for 
convoking an Ecumenical Council would be to add new 
impetus and renewed vigor to the Church in her primary 
work for the salvation of souls. 

FORMER COUNCILS 
During the history of the Church there have been 

twenty Ecumenical Councils. The first was convened at 
Nicaea (Iznik, in Asia Minor) in the year 325 and lasted 
two months and twelve days. Hosius, Bishop of Cordova, 
assisted as legate of Pope Sylvester. The Emperor Con-
stantine attended. The Council gave us the Nicene Creed 
(the Creed used in Mass is from the First Council of 
Constantinople, 381). The twentieth, or Vatican Council, 
was convoked by Pius IX in 1869. It was adjourned 
October 20, 1870 but is still unfinished. It decreed the 
doctrine of the infallibility of the Pope. The Council 
of Trent lasted eighteen years under five popes (1545-
1563), from Paul III to Pius IV, and under two emperors, 
Charles V and Ferdinand. 

The first Council of the Church was the Council of 
Jerusalem. It was held during the lifetime of the Apostles 
and is related in the Bible in the fifteenth chapter of the 
Acts of the Apostles. It was convened to decide whether 

16 



or not converted Gentiles had to be circumcised. It was 
decided on the authority of Peter that circumcision was 
not necessary. "And when there had been much disput-
ing, Peter, rising up, said to them: Men, brethren, you 
know, that in former days God made choice among us, 
that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of 
the gospel and believe. And God, who knoweth the 
hearts, gave testimony, giving unto them the Holy Ghost, 
as well as to us and put no difference between us and 
them, purifying their hearts by faith." (Acts XV, 7-9.) 
"For it has seemed good to the Holy Ghost and to us, to 
lay no further burden upon you than these necessary 
things." (Acts XV, 28.) 

The Council of Jerusalem was not Ecumenical (world 
wide) but it did establish, through the verity of Sacred 
Scripture, the authority of the Pope (Peter) and the 
infallible guidance of the Holy Spirit. 

There were about 1300 participants at the Fourth 
Lateran Council under Pope Innocent III (1215). The 
Fourteenth Ecumenical Council (Lyons, 1274) was at-
tended by Pope Gregory X, the Patriarchs of Antioch 
and Constantinople, 15 Cardinals 500 Bishops and more 
than 1000 other dignitaries. About 803 members partici-
pated in the Vatican Council (1869-1870). It has not been 
disclosed how many will attend the present Council but 
the number could well be in the thousands. The language 
used will probably be the Latin of the Church (in con-
trast to the classical Latin of e.g., Cicero). 

17 



REASON FOR TWENTY-FIRST COUNCIL 
Pope John XXIII has indicated in his first encyclical 

"Ad Petri Cathedram" (Near the Chair of Peter) the rea-
son for convoking the forthcoming Ecumenical Council: 

"It was Under the guidance of this comforting hope 
(Note: i.e., the granting of Christ's prayer for unity 
(John XVII, 21) which encouraged Us very much, that 
We publicly announced the plan to summon an ecumeni-
cal council, to which Bishops from every part of the 
world will come to discuss matters important to religion. 
The Council's chief business will concern the growth of 
the Catholic Faith and the renewal along right lines of 
the habits of Christian people, and the adapting of eccle-
siastical discipline to the needs and conditions of the 
present time. That event will surely be a wonderful 
manifestation of truth, unity and charity, a manifesta-
tion, indeed, which it is Our hope that those who behold 
it, but who are separated from this Apostolic See, will 
receive as a gentle invitation to seek and find that unity 
for which Jesus Christ prayed so ardently to His Heav-
enly Father." 

The Holy Father explains what must be understood 
by "unity" and how it must be achieved: "It is a unity 
which is distinguished and adorned by these three marks: 
unity of doctrine, of government, of religious practice," 
and later, "In essentials, unity: in doubtful matters, 
liberty: in all, charity." 

18 



THE COUNCIL & SEPARATED BODIES 

This Christlike invitation for unity is undoubtedly 
being heard by those great bodies who are separated 
from the Chair of Peter. It is the traditional invitation 
which the Church always gives — "to return to their 
Father's house." To these bodies the Councils of history 
have directed their attention and their instruction. While 
correcting errors and confirming ecclesiastical govern-
ment with authority, the Fathers of the Councils have 
taught the separated bodies with that true charity which 
bespeaks the Mother Church. 

The errors of the Oriental Dissidents were refuted and 
Catholic doctrine explained in the Second Council of 
Lyons, 1274 (fourteenth Ecumenical Council) under 
Pope Gregory X. "We believe also that the Holy Spirit 
is complete and perfect and true God, proceeding from 
the Father and the Son, coequal and consubstantial, co-
omnipotent, and co-eternal through all things with the 
Father and the Son. We believe that this holy Trinity 
is not three Gods but one God, omnipotent, eternal, 
invisible and unchangeable." 

Also this same Holy Roman Church holds the highest 
and complete primacy and spiritual power over the uni-
versal Catholic Church which she truly and humbly 
recognizes herself to have received with fullness of power 
from the Lord Himself in Blessed Peter, the chief or 

19 



head of the Apostles whose successor is the Roman 
Pontiff." 

The errors of the Protestants were refuted in the 
Council of Trent 1545-1563 (nineteenth Ecumenical 
Council): "But when the Apostle says that man is justi-
fied "by Faith" (Can. 9) and "freely" (Rom. I l l , 22-24), 
these words must be understood in that sense in which 
the uninterrupted consent of the Catholic Church has 
held and expressed, namely, that we are therefore said 
to be justified by faith, because "faith is the beginning 
of human salvation," "the foundation and root of all justi-
fication, without which it is impossible to please God" 
(Heb. XI, 6) and to come to the fellowship of His sons, 
and are, therefore, said to be justified gratuitously, be-
cause none of these things which precede justification, 
whether faith, or works merit the grace itself of justifi-
cation, for, "if it is a grace, it is not now by reason of 
works; otherwise (as the same Apostle says) grace is no 
more grace." (Rom. XI, 6.) 

The Papal Bull "Exsurge Domine" issued by Leo X 
on June 15, 1520 condemned forty-one of Luther's propo-
sitions and threatened excommunication unless he re-
tracted within sixty days. This, Luther refused to do. 

To the Jews and others who refused to recognize the 
divinity of Christ and the establishment of His Church, 
the early Councils bore infallible witness to the Creed of 
the Apostles, the divinity of Christ, the Most Blessed 

20 



Trinity, and the primacy of Peter. In the Council of 
Ephesus (431) we read, "No one doubts, but rather it 
has been known to all generations, that the holy and most 
blessed Peter, chief and head of the Apostles, the pillar 
of the faith, the foundation stone of the Catholic Church, 
received the keys of the kingdom from Our Lord Jesus 
Christ the Saviour and Redeemer of the human race, 
and that the power of binding and loosing sins was given 
to him, who up to this moment and always lives in his 
successors, and judges." 

In the fourth session of the Vatican Council (July 18, 
1870) when papal infallibility was defined, the Council 
proclaimed "that the Roman Pontiff, when he speaks 'ex 
cathedra,' that is, when carrying out the duty of the pastor 
and teacher of all Christians in accord with his supreme 
apostolic authority he explains a doctrine of faith or 
morals to be held by the universal Church, through the 
divine assistance promised him in blessed Peter, operates 
with that infallibility with which the divine Redeemer 
wished that His church be instructed in defining doctrine 
on faith and morals; and so such definitions of the 
Roman Pontiff of themselves, and not from the consensus 
of the Church, are unalterable." 

The forthcoming Ecumenical Council, under the guid-
ance of the Holy Spirit, will undoubtedly promote new 
and effective means for disseminating these salutary 
truths throughout the whole world. 

21 



NEED FOR PRAYER 
His Holiness, Pope John XXIII , recognizes the need 

for divine assistance when He invites everyone to pray 
for the success of the Council: 

"The outcome of the future Ecumenical Council de-
pends more, indeed, on all vying with each other in the 
ardor of their united prayers, than on human effort, in-
dustry and diligence. To take part in this prayerful 
appeal to God, We invite most lovingly those, also, who, 
though they are not of this fold, yet reverently worship 
God and with good will strive to keep His command-
ments." 

This invitation of Our Holy Father is primarily one 
of prayer—the prayers of all—that God will bless the 
forthcoming Ecumenical Council with fruit. That invi-
tation can surely be re-echoed by us if we call upon the 
intercessory power of the saints in heaven and seek their 
prayerful aid. We are aware of the fact that according 
to the teaching of our Holy Faith concerning the doctrine 
of the Communion of the Saints the blessed in heaven 
are not unmindful of the needs of the faithful on earth 
nor do they ever cease imploring divine assistance for 
the members of the Church Militant. Their knowledge 
of our conditions and our desire to serve God ever more 
perfectly will surely enlist for us the benign patronage of 
the blessed Apostles and all the saintly Doctors of the 
Church. 

22 



Were St. Peter and the other Apostles to be trans-
planted from their age on earth (the first century) to 
this Twentieth Century, devoid of knowledge of things 
temporal which they now have, almost everything would 
be entirely strange and foreign to their own personal 
experiences. They would be amazed at our mode of 
travel, jet planes, luxury liners, diesel propelled rail-
roads, automobiles and atomic submarines. They would 
be awe-stricken at our huge skyscrapers with their ele-
vators, our libraries, museums and comfortable homes. 
They would be tempted to disbelieve our methods of 
communication, telephone, radio and television. They 
would be keenly interested in our modern efficiency in 
catching, preserving, canning and selling fish. They 
would find delight (as do others) in our supermarkets. 
They would wonder at our immense farms and great 
herds of cattle. They would not be surprised at the 
rumbles of wars and the persecution of the Church 
because these things they, themselves, experienced. They 
would, however, be dismayed at those who call them-
selves Christians, who fail to love Christ sufficiently or 
reject His divine commands. They would be saddened 
at the lack of Christian charity and zeal. 

Were the Apostles to visit the Ecumenical Council, 
however, they would no longer be strangers. They would 
immediately recall the words of Christ, "For where there 
are two or three gathered together in my name, there 
am I in the midst of them." (Matthew XVIII, 20.) and 
"Behold I am with you all days, even to the consummation 

23 



of the world." (Matthew XXVIII, 20.) They would 
recognize the Pope as the faithful successor of Peter 
guarding and feeding the flock of Christ. They would 
rejoice in fraternal love with the modern Apostles, the 
Bishops from all over the world. They would unite in 
the prayers to the Blessed Virgin, remembering that 
it was she who besought the first miracle at Cana, prov-
ing the divinity of her Son. It was she, who (when they 
fled) remained steadfast at the Cross on Calvary inter-
ceding for the salvation of the human race. They would 
visualize again those days in the Cenacle at Jerusalem, 
when Mary prayed for them and with them for the com-
ing of the Holy Ghost (Acts I, 14). They would remem-
ber the first Pentecost when Peter went forth coura-
geously and spoke the Gospel of Christ to the strangers 
from the four corners of the earth. They would still 
marvel at the work of God on that birthday of the Church 
when three thousand were converted (Acts II, 41). 

They would heartily endorse the sentiments of the new 
Peter, John XXIII, speaking from the Eternal City, 
stretching forth his arms in all the humility and love of 
Christ-like charity, beseeching everyone, "Note, we beg 
of you, that when We lovingly invite you to the unity of 
the Church We are inviting you, not to the home of a 
stranger, but your own, to the Father's house which be-
longs to us all." (First Encyclical.) 

24 



BRIEF HISTORY OF ECUMENICAL COUNCILS 
1. First Council of Nicaea (325). Hosius, Bishop of 

Cordova presided as legate of Pope Sylvester I. Emperor 
Constantine and three hundred and eighteen Bishops 
were present. Refuted the Arian heresy concerning the 
divinity of Christ, proclaimed the Creed of Nicaea and 
established the method for calculating the date for ob-
serving Easter. 

2. First Council of Constantinople (381). Convoked 
by Pope Damasus and Emperor Theodosius I. One 
hundred and fifty Bishops attended. Condemned the 
heresy of the Macedonians concerning the divinity of 
the Holy Ghost and added the clause "qui simul 
adoretur" and the present ending to the Nicene Creed. 

3. Council of Ephesus (431). Presided over by St. 
Cyril of Alexandria as legate of Pope St. Celestine I. 
More than two hundred Bishops attended. Declared 
Mary to be the Mother of God against the heresy of 
the Nestorians and renewed the condemnation of the 
Pelagians. 

4. Council of Chalcedon (451). Pope St. Leo I, the 
Great and the Emperor Marcian. One hundred and fifty 
Bishops attended. Refuted the errors of the Monophysites 
and defined the two natures (divine and human) of 
Christ. 

25 



5. Second Council of Constantinople (553). Pope 
Vigilius and Emperor Justinian I. One hundred and 
sixty-five Bishops were present. Condemned the Three 
Chapters (Theodoret — Theodore of Mopsuestia and 
Ibas of Edessa) and confirmed the first four Councils. 

6. Third Council of Constantinople (680-681). Con-
voked by Pope St. Agatho and Emperor Constantine 
Pogonatus. The Patriarchs of Constantinople and Anti-
och with one hundred and seventy-four Bishops attended. 
Against the Monothelites and defined the two Wills of 
Christ. 

7. Second Council of Nicaea (787). Convoked by 
Emperor Constantine VI and his mother, Irene under 
Pope Adrian I. Papal legates presided over the (approxi-
mately) three hundred and fifty Bishops who attended. 
Against the Iconoclasts and regulated the veneration of 
sacred images. 

8. Fourth Council of Constantinople (869-870). Under 
Pope Adrian II and Emperor Basil. Three Papal Legates 
presided over four Patriarchs and one hundred and two 
Bishops. Condemned Photius who had illegally seized 
patriarchal dignity. The Photian Schism prevailed and 
no other General Council was held in the East. 

9. First Lateran Council (1123). First to be held in 
the Lateran at Rome. Pope Callistus II presided over 
nine hundred Bishops and Abbots. Issued decrees con-
cerning simony, celibacy and lay investiture. 

26 



10. Second Lateran Council (1139). Pope Innocent II 
presided over about one thousand Prelates. Emperor 
Conrad attended. Decreed against the pseudo-pontiffs. 

11. Third Lateran Council (1179). Pope Alexander 
III presided. Emperor was Frederick the First. Three 
hundred and two Bishops were present. Decreed against 
the Albigensians and Waldensians. 

12. Fouth Lateran Council (1215). Pope Innocent III 
presided. Present were the Patriarchs of Jerusalem and 
Constantinople, seventy-one Archbishops, four hundred 
and twelve Bishops, eight hundred Abbots, the Primate 
of the Maronites and St. Dominic. This was considered 
the most important council of the Middle Ages. Decreed 
against the errors of the Albigensians, Abbot Joachim 
and Waldensians and made many reforms. 

13. First Council of Lyons (1245). Pope Innocent IV 
presided. Present were the Patriarchs of Constantinople, 
Antioch and Venice with one hundred and forty Bishops. 
St. Louis, King of France and Emperor Baldwin II of 
the East attended. It deposed Emperor Frederick II, 
dealt with the Rites of the Greeks and organized a new 
Crusade against the infidels. 

14. Second Council of Lyons (1274). Pope Gregory X 
presided. Present were the Patriarchs of Constantinople 
and Antioch, fifteen Cardinals, five hundred Bishops and 
more than one thousand other dignitaries. It issued a 
declaration concerning the procession of the Holy Ghost 

27 



from the Father and the Son (filioque); caused a tempo-
rary reunion with the Greek Church and ruled con-
cerning papal elections. 

15. Council of Vienne (1311-1312). Convoked by Pope 
Clement V (the first of the Avignon Popes). Present 
were King Philip IV of France, King Edward II of 
England and King James II of Aragon. The Patriarchs 
of Antioch and Alexandria along with three hundred 
bishops completed the Council. Abolished the Knights 
Templars and decreed against the errors of the Beghards 
and Beguines. 

16. Council of Constance (1414-1418). Convoked by 
Emperor-elect Sigismund to end the great schism of the 
West. During the Council Martin V was elected Pope 
(1417). He confirmed the early decrees of the Council 
against the heresy of Wycliff and Hus. Pope Gregory 
XII formally convoked the Council making it legitimate 
and granting infallibility to the decrees of the last four 
sessions. (Note: Space does not permit the history of 
this period to be related here). 

17. Council of Florence (1438-1445). This Council 
first met at Basle (1431), was transferred to Ferrara 
(1438) and later transferred to Florence (1439). Pope 
Eugene IV was Pope and Sigismund was Emperor of 
the Holy Roman Empire. The Council endeavored to 
affect a re-union with the Greeks, Armenians and Jacob-
ites. The union was short-lived. 

28 



18. Fifth Council of the Lateran (1512-1517). While 
the Council was in session Julius II died and was suc-
ceeded by Pope Leo X. The Emperor was Maximilian I. 
Fifteen Cardinals and about eighty Archbishops and 
Bishops attended. The decrees issued were mostly dis-
ciplinary to effect reforms in the Church. During the 
latter part of the Council Germany began to suffer the 
first throes of the religious upheaval caused by Martin 
Luther. 

19. Council of Trent (1545-1563). The Popes were 
Paul III, Julius III, Marcellus II, Paul IV and Pius IV. 
The Emperors were Charles V and Ferdinand. The 
Council lasted eighteen years. Present were five 
Cardinal-Legates of the Holy See, three Patriarchs, 
thirty-three Archbishops, two hundred and thirty-five 
Bishops, seven Abbots, seven Superior Generals of 
monastic orders and one hundred and sixty Doctors of 
Divinity. It examined and condemned the errors of 
Luther and the other Reformers. It issued decrees on 
Sacred Tradition, the acceptance of the Vulgate edition 
of the Bible, the prescribed method for the proper in-
terpretation of Sacred Scriptures, Original Sin, Justifi-
cation, the seven Sacraments and many more doctrines 
of the Catholic Faith. It is considered the most beneficial 
of all the former Councils. 

20. Vatican Council (1869-1870). Convoked by Pope 
Pius IX. It met on December 8, 1869 and was adjourned 

29 



on October 20, 1870. It is still unfinished. Present were 
six Archbishops-Princes, forty-nine Cardinals, eleven 
Patriarchs, six hundred and eighty Archbishops and 
Bishops, twenty-eight Abbots and twenty-nine Generals 
of Orders. The Council made important decisions and 
decrees concerning the Faith and the constitution of the 
Church. It also decreed the infallibility of the Pope 
when speaking "ex cathedra." 

30 



GLOSSARY OF TERMS 
ABBOT — The regular superior of an abbey of Bene-

dictines, Cistercians or other monks, or Canons Reg-
ular. The father, ruler and teacher of a monastery. 

ABBOT PRIMATE — The representative head of the 
Benedictine Order who resides in Rome. 

ARCHBISHOP — The bishop of a diocese (archdio-
cese) who has certain defined authority over the 
bishops of a particular territory called a province. 

BISHOP — The supreme ecclesiastical ruler of a dio-
cese. A successor of the Apostles. 

BULL (PAPAL) — The most solemn and weighty form 
of a papal letter. Formerly was sealed with a lead seal 
(Latin: bulla, a bubble). 

CANON — Rule, law, decree or definition concerning 
Christian faith or discipline. The Code of Canon Law 
(1918) contains 2,414 canons. The Canons quoted in 
the text are from the Code. 

CARDINAL — A member of the Sacred College of 
Cardinals. Cardinals are counsellors and assistants 
to the Pope in governing the Church. A Prince of the 
Church. Since the Code he must be a priest. 

DIOCESE — The territory governed by a bishop. 

ECCLESIASTICAL — Of or pertaining to the church. 

31 



ECUMENICAL — (Pronounced: Ek-kew-MEN-i-cal). 
Of or pertaining to the Christian church throughout 
the whole world. Universal. 

HERESY — As a sin, it is the denial by a baptized 
person of any revealed truth of the Catholic Church. 
As a crime, it is the outward and contumacious per-
sistence in the sin. 

HIERARCHY — The organization of the ranks and 
orders of the clergy in successive grades: bishop, 
priest, deacon. 

INFALLIBILITY — The incapability of teaching what 
is false. 

LEGATE — An ecclesiastic representing the Holy See 
with certain delegated power or authority. 

METROPOLITAN — The archbishop who presides 
over a province and has suffragan sees under him. 

MONASTIC — Pertaining to a monastery or a com-
munity of monks. 

ORDINARY — A cleric with ordinary jurisdiction in a 
specified territory, as the bishop in his diocese. 

PATRIARCHt-A bishop who holds the highest rank, 
after the Pope, in the hierarchy of jurisdiction. 

PRELATE-NULL1US — One having independent jur-
isdiction over a district not under the authority of a 
diocesan bishop. 

32 



PRIMATE — A bishop who, without the rank of patri-
arch, exercises jurisdiction over all the metropolitans 
and bishops of a given district or country. 

PROVINCE — The territory over which an archbishop 
exercises metropolitan jurisdiction: for example, his 
own archdiocese and at least one suffragan diocese. 

SCHISM — The refusal to submit to the authority of 
the Pope. 

SUFFRAGAN — The diocesan bishop and his see sub-
ject to an archbishop as metropolitan in a province. 

SUPERIOR GENERAL — The ecclesiastical authority 
over all the members of a particular Religious Order. 

SYNOD — An ecclesiastical council. Particularly a 
meeting of diocesan clergy presided over by the Ordi-
nary or Vicar-General for the consideration of 
diocesan regulations. 

THEOLOGY — The science which treats of God and 
the things of God. 

TITULAR BISHOP —A bishop consecrated for a see 
which for some reason no longer exists; an auxiliary 
bishop. 

VICAR GENERAL—A deputy appointed by a bishop 
to assist him in the government of his diocese. 

33 



QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION 

1. What is a council ? A Provincial council ? A Plenary 
council? National or Patriarchal council? General 
councils of the East or West? A mixed-council? A 
diocesan synod? PAGES 1 and 2. 

2. What does the word "ecumenical" mean? How do 
the decrees of an ecumenical council differ from the 
decrees of other councils? PAGE 2. 

3. What are the legal requisites necessary for an 
ecumenical Council? PAGE 3. 

4. Who must convene an ecumenical council? A pro-
vincial council? A diocesan synod? PAGE 3. 

5. Who convoked the first eight ecumenical councils? 
Why was this done? PAGE 3. 

6. Who may participate in an ecumenical council? 
Who have the right to vote? PAGE 4. 

7. What is the purpose of an ecumenical council? 
PAGE 5. 

8. How does an ecumenical council function? PAGE 6. 

9. What authority do the final decisions and decrees of 
an ecumenical council enjoy? Why? PAGE 6. 

34 



10. Who presides over an ecumenical council ? PAGE 9. 

11. Who determines the matters to be discussed in an 
ecumenical council? PAGE 9. 

12. Who may transfer, suspend or dissolve a council? 
Why would this be done? What happens in the 
event of the Pope's death? PAGE 10. 

13. Who grants final approval to the decrees of an 
ecumenical council? Is this necessary? How does 
an ecumenical council affect the whole world? 
PAGE 11. 

14. What is the relationship between Pope and Bishops 
in an ecumenical council? How does this differ from 
Congress and Parliament? PAGE 13. 

15. Are ecumenical councils necessary? PAGE 15. 

16. Why are they convoked? PAGE 15. 

17. Where was the first council of the Church held? 
Who presided? What did it prove? PAGE 16. 

18. Have many ecumenical councils been held? How 
many? How long did the first council last? How 
long did the Council of Trent last? PAGE 16. 

19. What language has been used in ecumenical coun-
cils? PAGE 17. 

35 



20. Where do we find the list of those called to partici-
pate in an ecumenical council P Name a few. PAGE 4. 

21. Why is Pope John XXIII convoking an ecumenical 
council? P A G E 18. 

22. What must be understood by "unity?" PAGE 18. 

23. What are the errors of the Oriental Dissidents? 
How were they refuted? PAGE 19. 

24. What were some fundamental errors of Luther? 
What council refuted these errors? PAGE 20. 

25. What is needed most for the success of the forth-
coming ecumenical council? PAGE 22. 

36 



A MESSAGE TO ALL THE MEMBERS OF THE 
CONFRATERNITY OF CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE 

AND THE HOLY NAME SOCIETIES 

An enormous interest in the subject of Ecumenical 
Councils has been stirred by Pope John XXIII. His 
call for prayer and scholarship has been resounding in 
all corners of the world and is being heeded. Every, 
where there is talk of the preparation. Many are striving 
to interpret the announcements and plans. 

Some hindsight will help us to see how the Church 
has implemented some of the teachings of the Councils 
of history. It is one thing to declare discipline and define 
truths. Something else is it to promulgate these facts 
and make the Council articles living ideas. Knowledge 
left to merely objective speculation is sterile. Brought 
to the productivity of the will it quickens the whole 
spirit and informs the world. 

The Holy Name Society and the Confraternity of 
Christian Doctrine came into existence as adjuncts to 
the teachings of the Council of Lyons (1274) and the 
Council of Trent (1536). These organizations are prac-
tical conclusions — reverence for the Sacred Name of 
Jesus promotes a respect for the authority of God and 
the divinity of Christ; apostolic, enthusiastic and spirit-
ually formed catechists are a bulwark of truth in a 
world beset with error. 

37 



Since it has been an evident practice of Holy Mother 
Church to call Her children to assist in the education 
of the world through the instructions of Divine Truths, 
it is an obvious conclusion that She has a right to expect 
those children to be prepared and equipped to help. 
The loving child anticipates the needs of the mother. 

Idle curiosity in the Ecumenical Council called by 
Pope John XXIII would hardly bespeak the attitude of 
a devoted member of the Mystical Body of Christ. The 
Holy Father asks for prayer. That prayer plus an en-
thusiastic effort to learn about the Council will be a 
solace to His Holiness and a pledge to the Holy See 
of preparedness on the part of the faithful to carry out 
the directions of the Council. 

To this end is a careful reading and discussion of this 
pamphlet recommended to all. It would seem to be, 
because of membership, a duty for all those enrolled 
in the Holy Name Society and the Confraternity of 
Christian Doctrine. 

R I G H T REVEREND MONSIGNOR CHARLES B . M Y N A U G H 

Archdiocesan Director 
Confraternity of Christian Doctrine and 

Holy Name Societies 

38