On this day, December 8th, 1869, the First Vatican Council began.
The council was convoked by Pope Pius IX in response to various challenges facing the Church, including the rise of rationalism, liberalism, and the unification of Italy, which was leading to the loss of the Papal States.
Some of the key doctrinal definitions that came out of the council were Papal Primacy and Papal Infallibility.
Papal Primacy established the formal definition of the Pope’s universal jurisdiction over the Church, affirming that the Pope has supreme, full, immediate, and universal power over the whole Church. Perhaps the most famous decree from Vatican I was the doctrine of papal infallibility. This doctrine states that the Pope is preserved from the possibility of error 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.
Legacy of the Council
The main legacy of the council is that it shaped the modern understanding of the role of the papacy within Catholicism, emphasizing the Pope’s role not only as a spiritual leader but also as the definitive interpreter of Catholic doctrine on matters of faith and morals.
Abrupt End
The council was abruptly suspended on October 20, 1870, due to the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian War and the subsequent capture of Rome by Italian forces. It was never formally closed until the convening of the Second Vatican Council in 1962.
Interesting Fact
For one final fact: 535 of the 744 bishops present at the council voted on the dogma of papal infallibility, with 533 voting in favor, one against (Bishop Edward Fitzgerald from Little Rock, Arkansas), and one abstaining. This showed a near-unanimous, yet not universal, acceptance of the doctrine among those who voted.
