The faith of our fathers - Carmel Apologetics

"146 THE FAITH OF OUR FATHERS.No Catholic, on the contrary, claims that thePope is inspired, or endowed with divine revelatioDproperly so called.For, the Holy Spirit was not promised to thesuccessors of Peter in order that they might spreadabroad new doctrine which He reveals, but that,under His assistance, they might guard inviolably,and with fidelity explain, the revelation or depositof faith handed down by the Apostles."l2d. Infallibility does not mean that the Pope isimpeccable, or specially exempt from liability tosin. The Popes have been indeed, with few exceptions, men of virtuous lives.Many of them arehonored as martyrs. Seventy-nine, out of thetwo hundred and fifty-nine that sat on the chairof Peter, are invoked upon our altars, as saints eminent for their holiness.The avowed enemies of the Church charge onlyfive or six Popes with immorality. Thus, even admitting the truth of the accusations brought againstthem, we have forty-three virtuous to one bad Pope,while there was a Judas Iscariot among the twelveApostles.But although a vast majority of the sovereignPontiffs should have been so unfortunate as to leadvicious lives, this circumstance would not of itselfimpair the validity of their prerogatives, which aregiven not for the preservation of their morals, butfor the guidance of their judgment for, there was;1 Cone. Vat. Const. Pastor J2ternu3, c 4.