Page:Delineation of Roman Catholicism.djvu/466

 q60 OlDEIS. t'BoII. successFit], art& at last the council terminated without any authoritative declaration on this point. The following canon, sent by the ,l,pe to the legates, but not passed by the council, was expressed thus: Vao- ever shall a/Rrm that blessed Peter was not appointed by Christ the chief of the apostles, and his vicar on earth, or, that it is not necessary that there should be in the church one Pontiff, the successor of Peter, and equal to him in the Power of government; or that his lawful suc- cessors in the Roman see, from that time to the present, have not pus* 8essed the primacy of the church, and were not the fathers, pastors, and teachers of all Christians, and that full Power to feed, rule, and govern the universal church was not committed to them by our Lord Jesus Christ, let him be accursed.'.*' Since the day's of the council, the common opinion among Romaaim, except the French, is, that the bishops receive their jurisdiction imme- diately from the pope. They mosdy maintain, however, in connectio with this sentiment, that bishops are, by divine right, 8.uporior to pres- byters as to jurisdiction.' Because, though they recetve jurisdiction from the Pope, nevertheless they say the pope is obl/ged to confer this upon them as from the appointment of Christ. These two sentiments are held to be distinct, viz., to have jurisdiction by d/vine right, and to have it immerllately from God.t To the power of jurisdiction belongs the right to approve or appoint confessors, to excommunicate, to grant indulgences. 4. TA'r lrorogatives. We will state these in the words of B,illy: "l,Vhat is the power and jurisdiction of bishops in ecclesiastical mat- ters ? Answer. 1. They, and they alone, by divine right, are judges' of controversies. 2. They, or the greater part of the, in those things which belong to faith, cannot teach error. 3. They do not obtain their authority and jurisdiction in ecclesiastical matters from secular princes, from the consent of the presbyters, nor fwm the pope, but immediately fwm Christ himself. 4. They have immediate jurisdiction, as well over the people subjected to them as over the clergy."$ 5. Tlo .fnc//o or offices of/,/slops. The Pontifical sets these down at seven, v/z., to judge, to inierIoret, to codecrate, altars, chalices, temples, virgins, &c., to ordain, lo offer, to baptize, to confirm. 6. The grades of bishops are seven. T] pope, who, by divine right, has the primacy of honour and jurisdiction over the whole church. The lvatriarcA, who presides over the primates and metropolitans/n his dominions. The primal, or ea,'cA, who presides over many provinces. The meo'oivol/tm, or arc/.]u, who manages the concerns of a pro- vince. And the simple bishop, who governs one diocess and-the parishes embraced in it. 7. Tie e/et/on of b/s/us. They acknowledge, that in the primitive church this was done by the people and clergy. In after times they were mostly elected by magistrates and princes. In li115 the Lateran Council deprived entirely the people, bishops, and clergy in general of the right of election, and conferred it on the canons. The pragmatic sanction placed the election of bishops with' the canons, and the elec- tion of abbots with the monasteries. Almost endless changes have See Cramp, p. 97, ad the authorities quoted thee. See Dens, le Ord/ne, No. 5, vol. vii, p. 65. i quinnare sit episcopomm, &c.--/ 0rg, tom. v, p. 1

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