Revolutions
• Two revolutions threatened Church
• Intellectual• Political
Church’s Response
• Pope Pius IX• Initially excited• After 1848 drastically changes• 1870-1929, Pope is a prisoner in
the Vatican • Dubbed “Most Afflicted Pontiff”
Imagine this is a Young Pope Pius IX
Now Imagine him a few Years Later
Guess what the tone of Vatican I Sounded Like
Two Major Catholic Responses
• Liberal response• Traditional response• Vatican I provided an
opportunity for the Church to officially decide where it stood
Liberal Response
• Believed Enlightenment and French Revolution contained some good ideas
• Argued ideas could improve the Church
• Félicité de Lamennais (1782-1854)
• Sought to “baptize” the principles of the Revolution
Ultramontane Response
• Believed that intellectual and political Revolutions were harmful
• Suspicious of changes• Protect Church’s message• Where do we find security and
identity as Catholics? • Look Over the Mountains (To
Rome)
Italian Alps
Vatican I (1869-1870)
• Looked to the Pope for direction• Pope called a council• Update definition of Catholicism
(last council was 300 years ago)• Define people’s roles (Pope,
Bishop, Priest, Laity)
Tone of First Vatican Council
• Pius IX affirms Ultramontane movement
• Tradition• Not all objectives were
accomplished• Vatican I focused on the Papacy
Papal Infallibility• Infallibility means without errors• God Alone is Infallible• The Church is given the gift of
infallibility• Certain events can exercise
infallibility (ex. Councils)• If points above are true, can the
Pope exercise infallibility?• Bishops want a strong Papacy voice
to combat secularism