Letters

Vatican II infallible?

Frank Mobbs

Contents - Aug 2007 - Buy a copy now Editorial: Census 2006: 'No religion' up, Christians down Lex orandi: Benedict XVI's liturgical armistice: 'Summorum Pontificum' - Fr Glen Tattersall Events: LATIN MASS CELEBRATIONS - Melbourne and Sydney University: Australian Catholic students' conference: 'an inspiring experience' - Br Barry Coldrey News: The Church Around the World World Congress of Families: grass roots ecumenism at work - Babette Francis Society: Defending faith and reason in public life - Eamonn Keane Catholics and the pornography epidemic - Bishop Robert Finn Why Catholic parents choose home-schooling - Leslie Sammut Obituary: Death of distinguished Australian philosopher John Ziegler - John Young Catholic students' joyful encounter with the Church's sacred music treasury - Gabrielle Walsh Letters: Vatican II infallible? - Frank Mobbs Letters: Stem cell 'debate' - Chris Hilder Letters: Breath of hope - Terry and Rosemary McDonnell Letters: Catholic politicians - Patricia Halligan Letters: Truth and courage - Errol P. Duke Letters: 'Staunch' Catholics? - Frank Bellet Letters: Study leave - Eamonn Keane Poetry: Shrapnel - Bruce Dawe Letters: Combating AIDS - Franklin J. Wood Letters: Education campaign - Henry Erftemeyer Letters: Fixing the schools - G. Brian Bibby DOES YOUR PARISH STOCK AD2000? Books: Jesus of Nazareth: Baptism to Transfiguration, by Joseph Ratzinger/Benedict XVI - Tim Cannon (reviewer) Books: The World's First Love, by Fulton J. Sheen - Michael Daniel (reviewer) Books: Mother Angelica's Little Book of Life Lessons and Everyday Spirituality - Michael E. Daniel (reviewer) Books: AD2000 Books Reflection: The Assumption: how the Christian arts honour the Virgin Mary

Did Vatican II teach infallibly? Briefly I argued that the Council did not (April AD2000).

Francis Vrijmoed recently criticised my argument for reasons that are unclear (June AD2000).

Referring to Dei Verbum(Constitution on Divine Revelation), he writes: 'Here it is clear that the Constitution did not want to give a new definition of faith.' Thus he answered the question accurately. Despite this, he concludes ' ... there cannot be any doubt that this constitution ... has to be regarded as infallible teaching of the living Magisterium of the Catholic Church who, in this case, spoke through the ecumenical council of Vatican II'.

A Council teaches infallibly by defining (Latin definitive) a doctrine (Lumen Gentium, 25). As Mr Vrijmoed says, the Council did not define anything. His conclusion contradicts this.

Vatican II cited doctrines which had already been defined by the magisterium. They are infallible teaching, but not in virtue of any decision made by the Council. Alas, I do not teach infallibly when I teach that the Lord Jesus is of the same substance as the Father, a doctrine infallibly defined by the Council of Nicea in 325 AD.

FRANK MOBBS (DR)
Gosford NSW

Reprinted from AD2000 Vol 20 No 7 (August 2007), p. 14