Paul IV’s Bull “Cum ex Apostolatus Officio”
and the Universal & Peaceful Acceptance
of a Pope
Reconciliation with the Dogmatic Fact
and the Infallibility of the Church
Table of Contents
I. Introduction
II. The Doctrine of the Universal and Peaceful Acceptance of a Pope
III. Paul IV’s Bull Cum ex Apostolatus Officio
- Nature and Object of the Bull
- Relevant Text and Interpretation
IV. Reconciliation between the Bull and the Universal and Peaceful Acceptance
V. Faithful Catholic Perspective
VI. Conclusion
List of Sources
I. Introduction
The question concerns the reconciliation between, on the one hand, the Universal and Peaceful Acceptance (UPA) of a pope by the entire Church, which constitutes an infallible dogmatic fact guaranteeing his legitimacy, and, on the other hand, the bull Cum ex Apostolatus Officio of Pope Paul IV (February 15, 1559), which seems to indicate that a heretic prior to his election cannot be pope, even if accepted by “all”. I propose a correct interpretation: the “all” refers to the cardinals mentioned previously, and a public heretic could not be accepted by the entire Church without implying an impossible failure of the infallible Church.
Let us examine this step by step, setting forth the certain teaching.
II. The Doctrine of the Universal and Peaceful Acceptance of a Pope
First, Catholic doctrine teaches that the universal and peaceful acceptance of a pope by the Church is an infallible dogmatic fact, proving that he is truly pope. This follows from the infallibility of the Church, which cannot adhere to a false pastor.
Saint Thomas Aquinas, in the Summa Theologica (IIa-IIae, q. 1, a. 10), explains that the Church, assisted by the Holy Ghost, cannot err in matters of faith, including in the recognition of its visible head.
“A similar unity (of the Church in faith) could not be preserved if a question of faith raised in a matter of faith could not be settled by him who presides over the whole Church, in such a way that the whole Church firmly observes his sentence.”
Pre-1963 theologians, such as Cardinal Billot in his Tractatus de Ecclesia Christi (1927), affirm that this acceptance is an infallible rule because the peaceful and universal acceptance of a pope by the Church is an infallible sign and effect of his legitimate election and true papacy.
Similarly, the theologian Van Noort, in Christ’s Church (1957), specifies that this is a certain teaching, founded on Christ’s promise to Peter (Mt 16, 18) and to the Church.
III. Paul IV’s Bull Cum ex Apostolatus Officio
- Nature and Object of the Bull
Secondly, the bull Cum ex Apostolatus Officio of Paul IV is a disciplinary and penal law, not an infallible dogmatic definition. It aims to protect the Church from heretics by declaring null the elevation of such a man.
2. Relevant Text and Interpretation
Here is the exact text of the pertinent paragraph (§6), in Latin followed by a faithful French translation:
Latin: “Addentes quod si aliquando prætensus Episcopus, Archiepiscopus, Patriarcha, aut Primas; aut Cardinalis Ecclesiæ Romanæ præfatus, etiam ut præmissum est Legatus, vel etiam Romanus Pontifex ante promotionem vel assumptionem in Cardinalem, vel Romanum Pontificem deviaverit a Fide Catholica, aut in hæresim aliquando inciderit, vel schisma incurrerit, aut suscitaverit, seu commiserit; promotio, seu assumptio de eo etiam in concordia, et de unanimi omnium Cardinalium assensu facta, nulla, irrita, et inanis existat.”
Translation: “Adding that if ever a pretended Bishop, Archbishop, Patriarch or Primate; or a aforesaid Cardinal of the Roman Church, even, as has been said, Legate, or even the Roman Pontiff, before his promotion or elevation to the cardinalate or to the Roman pontificate, has deviated from the Catholic faith, or has fallen into some heresy, or has incurred, stirred up or committed schism; his promotion or elevation, even carried out in concord and with the unanimous assent of all the cardinals, is null, void and without effect.”
It must be precisely noted that the “unanimi omnium Cardinalium assensu” (unanimous assent of all the cardinals) explicitly refers to the cardinals, as mentioned in the immediate context of the bull. This is not a reference to the entire Church. The bull deals with a cardinal election, not with the post-election acceptance by the universal ecclesiastical body.
The same paragraph §6 of the Bull uses the word “all” a second time. It should be understood in the context that it refers to the body of cardinals and the pope, and not to the whole Church, clergy and faithful in all corners of the world, and to any eventual heresy noted in a cardinal or a pope.
IV. Reconciliation between the Bull and the Universal and Peaceful Acceptance
Thirdly, the reconciliation is logical and certain: the UPA concerns acceptance by the entire Church (bishops, clergy and faithful), which is infallible and cannot adhere to a public heretic, as this would contradict the indefectibility of the Church (promised by Christ).
Saint Robert Bellarmine, in De Romano Pontifice (book II, chap. 30, pre-1963 edition), teaches that if a pope fell into public heresy after his election, he would lose the office ipso facto, but a notorious heretic before the election could not be peacefully accepted by the Church, because the Church cannot err in recognizing its pastor. Thus, the case of a public heretic accepted by all members of the Church is impossible in divine law, because the Church, assisted by the Holy Ghost, cannot be heretical. The bull of Paul IV, by targeting the cardinals, provides for a limited scenario where a flawed election could occur, but the infallible UPA prevents it from imposing itself on the entire Church.
V. Faithful Catholic Perspective
In a faithful Catholic perspective (and as it is certain that the See of Peter has been vacant since the public heresy of Paul VI in Lumen Gentium in 1964), this confirms that the post-1963 occupants are not true popes, because their “acceptance” is neither universal nor peaceful among true Catholics, and rests on prior or manifest heresies.
This explanation is founded on the certain teaching of the Church; if some aspect pertains to a probable theological opinion (such as the precise application to historical cases), it is presented as such, but the basic doctrine is certain.
VI. Conclusion
Catholic doctrine, set forth with certainty in this study, demonstrates that Paul IV’s bull, as a disciplinary measure aimed at the cardinals, does not contradict the infallibility of the dogmatic fact of the Universal and Peaceful Acceptance, which guarantees a pope’s legitimacy through the adherence of the entire Church. This reconciliation rests on Thomistic logic and the divine assistance promised to the Church, excluding any possibility of collective error in the recognition of its pastor. Thus, the certain teaching affirms the indefectibility of the Church in the face of heresy, confirming the vacancy of the Apostolic See since 1964.
List of Sources
– Saint Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, IIa-IIae, q. 1, a. 10 (pre-1963 edition).
– Cardinal Louis Billot, Tractatus de Ecclesia Christi, Rome, 1927.
– Gérard Van Noort, Christ’s Church, Westminster, Maryland, 1957.
– Pope Paul IV, Bull Cum ex Apostolatus Officio, February 15, 1559 (Latin text and faithful translation).
– Saint Robert Bellarmine, De Romano Pontifice, book II, chap. 30 (pre-1963 edition).
– Holy Scripture, Gospel according to Saint Matthew, 16, 18.