Revolutions

• Two revolutions threatened Church

• Intellectual• Political

Church’s Response

• Pope Pius IX• Initially excited• After 1848 drastically changes• 1870-1929, Pope is a prisoner in

the Vatican • Dubbed “Most Afflicted Pontiff”

Imagine this is a Young Pope Pius IX

Now Imagine him a few Years Later

Guess what the tone of Vatican I Sounded Like

Two Major Catholic Responses

• Liberal response• Traditional response• Vatican I provided an

opportunity for the Church to officially decide where it stood

Liberal Response

• Believed Enlightenment and French Revolution contained some good ideas

• Argued ideas could improve the Church

• Félicité de Lamennais (1782-1854)

• Sought to “baptize” the principles of the Revolution

Ultramontane Response

• Believed that intellectual and political Revolutions were harmful

• Suspicious of changes• Protect Church’s message• Where do we find security and

identity as Catholics? • Look Over the Mountains (To

Rome)

Italian Alps

Vatican I (1869-1870)

• Looked to the Pope for direction• Pope called a council• Update definition of Catholicism

(last council was 300 years ago)• Define people’s roles (Pope,

Bishop, Priest, Laity)

Tone of First Vatican Council

• Pius IX affirms Ultramontane movement

• Tradition• Not all objectives were

accomplished• Vatican I focused on the Papacy

Papal Infallibility• Infallibility means without errors• God Alone is Infallible• The Church is given the gift of

infallibility• Certain events can exercise

infallibility (ex. Councils)• If points above are true, can the

Pope exercise infallibility?• Bishops want a strong Papacy voice

to combat secularism