The faith of our fathers - Carmel Apologetics

148 THE FAITH OF OUR FATHERS.XIV., were to write a treatise on Canon Law, hisbook would be as much open to criticism as thai ofany doctor of the Church.4th. Finally, the inerrability of the Popes, beingrestricted to questions of faith and morals, does notextend to the natural sciences, such as astronomy orgeology, unless where error is presented under thefalse name of science, and arrays itself against revealed truth. 1It does not, therefore, concern itselfabout the nature and motions of the planets. Nordoes itregard purely political questions, such as theform of government a nation ought to adopt, orwhat candidates we ought to vote for.Consequently, the Pope s Infallibility does not inany way trespass on the civil authority. For, thePope s jurisdiction belongs to spiritual matters;while the duty of the state is to provide for the temporal welfare of its subjects.What, then, is the real doctrine of Infallibility ?as successor of St.It simply means that the Pope,Peter, Prince of the Apostles, by virtue of the promises of Jesus Christ, ispreserved from error of judgment when he promulgates to the Church a decisionon faith or morals.The Pope, therefore, be it known, is not the makerof the divine law ;he is only its expounder. He isnot the author of revelation, but only its interpreter.AJ1 revelation came from God alone through Hisinspired ministers, and was complete in the begin-1 Cone. Vat. Const. Dei, Fttiua, cap. 4 ;Coloss. ii. &.