Page:The True Story of the Vatican Council.djvu/133

Rh the head of the whole Church, the father and teacher of all Christians.'

The bishops of Italy and the Order of S. Francis sent in petitions of their own to the same effect.

14. On the 9th of February the Pontifical Commission of Postulates was summoned to decide whether this petition should be laid before the Pope. With hardly any dissent the decision was affirmative; and on the 7th of March an additional chapter was distributed to the Council, entitled: 'Chapter to be added to the Decree on the Primacy of the Roman Pontiff: That the Roman Pontiff, in defining matters of faith and morals, cannot err.'

Eighteen days were given to the bishops to study this schema, and to send in their amendments in writing before it would be proposed for discussion.

15. And here we will for a time leave the subject of the infallibility, and go back to examine the first Constitution on Catholic Faith, which, as we have seen, was unanimously passed by six hundred and sixty-seven fathers of the Council in the third Public Session. Thus far we have followed the historical narrative of events. We must now shortly examine the subject-matter of the first Constitution or Decree.

The following statement is a brief paraphrase of the first Constitution on Catholic Faith:—

It begins in its preface or introduction by enumerating