Doctrine of the Indefectibility
of the Catholic Church
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Definition of Indefectibility
- Scriptural and Traditional Foundations
3.1 Scriptural Foundations
3.2 Traditional Foundations
- Aspects of Indefectibility
- Continuity of Ecclesiastical Authority in Times of Crisis
5.1 Principle of Devolution, Supplied Jurisdiction and Role of Faithful Bishops
5.2 Survival of Jurisdiction in Times of Sedevacance
5.3 Survival of the Right and of the Possibility to Elect a Pope until the End of Time
- Continuity of the Magisterium of the Church
6.1 Infallibility and Universal Acceptance
6.2 Survival of Infallibility in Prolonged Times of Sedevacance
6.3 Limitations and Means Available in Times of Prolonged Sedevacance
6.4 Survival of the Ordinary Magisterium in Times of Sedevacance
6.5. Some historical examples of prolonged vacancy of the papal see
- The End of Time and the Disappearance of the Church
- Refutation of Errors
- Conclusion
- Introduction
The doctrine of the indefectibility of the Catholic Church is a truth of divine and Catholic faith, founded on divine Revelation and affirmed by the constant magisterium of the Church before 1963. It guarantees that the Church, instituted by Our Lord Jesus Christ, perseveres until the end of time without ever failing in its essential properties: its visibility, its unity, its holiness, its catholicity, its apostolicity, its infallibility and its Magisterium.
In effect, the perpetuity of the New Law, according to Saint Thomas Aquinas, confirms the indefectibility of the Church as a visible society until the end of time. In the Summa Theologica (I-II, q. 106, a. 4), he teaches exactly: “The state of the world may change in two ways. In one way, according to a change of law: and thus no other state will succeed this state of the New Law. Because the state of the New Law succeeded the state of the Old Law, as a more perfect law a less perfect one. Now no state of the present life can be more perfect than the state of the New Law: since nothing can approach nearer to the last end than that which is the immediate cause of our being brought to the last end. But the New Law does this: wherefore the Apostle says (Hebrews 10:19-22): ‘Having therefore, brethren, a confidence in the entering into the Holies by the blood of Christ, a new . . . way which He hath dedicated for us . . . let us draw near.’ Therefore no state of the present life can be more perfect than that of the New Law, since the nearer a thing is to the last end the more perfect it is.” Logically, this divine perpetuity excludes any total defection of the Church, for a prolonged vacancy without continuity would contradict the finality of salvation promised by Christ.
Furthermore, this truth follows logically from the first divine cause: God, having ordained the Church as the necessary instrument of salvation, cannot permit it to be corrupted without contradicting His promise, as Saint Thomas Aquinas explains: “Faith is founded on Divine authority” (Summa Theologica, II-II, q. 2, a. 10).
- Definition of Indefectibility
Indefectibility designates the property by which the Catholic Church, founded by Christ, remains immutable in its essential characteristics until the end of time, as the Catholic Encyclopedia (1913) affirms:
“Among the prerogatives conferred on His Church by Christ is the gift of indefectibility. By this term is signified, not only that the Church will persist until the end of time, but further, that it will preserve unimpaired its essential characteristics.”
This indefectibility applies to the Church as a visible and hierarchical society, and not to its individual members, who can fail, as has been seen many times in the history of the Church: a long series of heresies, of schisms (Eastern, Protestant, etc.), but never has the entire Church deviated.
Logically, indefectibility follows from the divine finality: the Church is the instrument of salvation, and its defection would contradict the divine promise.
- Scriptural and Traditional Foundations
3.1 Scriptural Foundations
The promise of indefectibility rests on Holy Scripture:
- Matthew 16:18: “And I say to thee: That thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” This promise guarantees that the Church will never be conquered by error or corruption.
- Matthew 28:20: “teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and behold I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world.” The continuous presence of Christ assures the permanence of the Church.
- John 14:26: “But the Paraclete, the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and bring all things to your mind, whatsoever I shall have said to you.” The Holy Spirit guides the Church in the truth.
- John 16:13: “But when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will teach you all truth. For he shall not speak of himself; but what things soever he shall hear, he shall speak; and the things that are to come, he shall shew you.” This divine guidance excludes any doctrinal failure.
3.2 Traditional Foundations
The Apostolic Tradition, transmitted by the Fathers and the councils, confirms this doctrine. Saint Ignatius of Antioch (circa 107) writes (Letter to the Trallians, 2) that when you obey the bishop as to Jesus Christ, it is evident that you live not according to men, but according to Jesus Christ… and that it is necessary also to obey the presbytery (the priest) as to the Apostles of Jesus Christ.
The Vatican Council I (1870), in Pastor Aeternus, links indefectibility to infallibility (Session IV, chap. 4): “The Holy Spirit was promised to the successors of Peter not so that they might, by his revelation, make known some new doctrine, but that, by his assistance, they might religiously guard and faithfully expound the revelation or deposit of faith transmitted by the apostles.”
The monk Mauro Cappellari, theologian and Prefect of the Propaganda (future Pope Gregory XVI), in his work entitled “Il Trionfo della Santa Sede e della Chiesa contro gli assalti dei novatori combattuti e respinti colle stesse loro armi” (first edition in 1799, then re-editions in the 19th century) teaches the following.
The passage in question is found in the section where Cappellari defends the perpetuity of the visible and hierarchical Church against the Gallican, Jansenist, and innovative errors of his time. He argues that, in the case of grave innovation or usurpation affecting a part of the clergy or the hierarchy, the true Church necessarily subsists in the faithful part that resists these errors invincibly, thereby preserving the marks of the true Church (perpetuity, visibility, unity, etc.).
« This part of the clergy which, amidst the most cunning contradictions, the least founded claims and the most illegitimate usurpations, would oppose an invincible resistance and alone escape seduction; this part of the clergy, I say, would constitute exclusively the true Church and would consequently possess the characters and qualities of the true Church. […] The Church must always subsist as Jesus Christ established it, and consequently always preserve, despite all attacks, the essential form of its government. Now this perpetuity is no longer found in that part of the clergy which does not resist innovations; it must therefore be sought solely in that which rejects them; that one alone will be the true Church. »
Dr. Abbé Maciej Sieniatycki, Professor at the Jagiellonian University in Krakow (original Polish text published in Przegląd Powszechny in 1916).
« A Church that would arise on modernist principles – if indeed these principles can create a true religious community, which is highly doubtful – would no longer be the Church of Christ, but a creation of the 20th century, founded on principles partly Protestant, but mainly on an ideology of agnosticism and positivism, mixed with mystical fantasies. This new church could have a pope and bishops, but they would be mere puppets; it could speak of dogmas, revelation and supernatural religion, but these would be terms emptied of their former meaning, words without substance – how then could one say that the old Church has not been changed, but only improved? Never; the old Church would be destroyed, and on its ruins would rise a religious assembly of the 20th century, which would begin its era of existence with the advent of the modernists. »
- Aspects of Indefectibility
According to scholastic theology, indefectibility manifests itself in three principal aspects:
- In existence (in esse): The Church always subsists as a visible and hierarchical society. Leo XIII, in Satis Cognitum (29 June 1896), declares: “Jesus Christ commanded His Apostles and their successors to the end of time to teach and rule the nations. He ordered the nations to accept their teaching and obey their authority.”
- In teaching (in docere): The Church cannot err in the faith. Pius XII, in Mystici Corporis Christi (29 June 1943), affirms: “If the Church is a body, it must be an unbroken unity, according to those words of Paul: ‘Though many we are one body in Christ.'”
- In action (in agere): The Church cannot fail in its sanctifying mission. Leo XIII, in Caritatis Studium (25 July 1898), teaches: “Therefore in the faith of Peter there is nothing wanting, nothing obscure, nothing imperfect, nothing against which evil doctrines and pernicious views can prevail.”
- Continuity of Ecclesiastical Authority in Times of Crisis
5.1 Principle of Devolution, Supplied Jurisdiction and Role of Faithful Bishops
Read the chapter on “the supplied jurisdiction”.
In case of crisis, when the apparent authority (pope, cardinals, bishops) becomes corrupted, the principle of devolution applies, as Cardinal Louis Billot explains: “For the natural law itself prescribes that in such a case the attribute of a higher power descends, by way of devolution, to the immediately lower power in the measure in which it is indispensable for the survival of the society and to avoid the tribulations of an extreme lack” (Tractatus de Ecclesia Christi, Tomus Prior, Quaestio XIV, De Romano Pontifice, Thesis XXIX, § 1, pp. 610–611, 1909). This principle guarantees that the authority necessary for the survival of the Church passes to the bishops faithful to the Catholic faith, even in the absence of a pope.
The supplied jurisdiction, recognised by the Code of Canon Law of 1917 (Canon 882), permits priests and bishops to act for the salvation of souls in case of necessity, receiving directly from God the required authority. This principle rests on the maxim: “Suprema lex salus animarum” (the supreme law is the salvation of souls). Thus, the sacraments, including ordination and confirmation, remain available.
the supplied jurisdiction (Ecclesia supplet), which provides the necessary authority for the salvation of souls in case of positive doubt or necessity, is also established by Canon 209 of the same Code, which states: “In errore communi aut in dubio positivo et probabili sive iuris sive facti, Ecclesia supplet iurisdictionem executivam tam pro foro externo quam interno.” (In common error or in positive and probable doubt, either of law or of fact, the Church supplies executive jurisdiction both for the external forum and for the internal forum.)
The faithful bishops, that is to say those who remain faithful to the Catholic Tradition, play a central role in the preservation of the Church.
Saint Athanasius of Alexandria defends the “holy Catholic Church” against the partisans of Arius and affirms:
“Si tamen catholici fidei, qui sunt in traditione, minimi sunt, tamen sunt vera Ecclesia Christi.” (Even if the Catholics of the faith, who are in the tradition, are very few in number, they remain the true Church of Christ) (taken from the work of J. M. Marty “Athanase d’Alexandrie”, p. 212)
In the modern crisis, bishops like Mgr Marcel Lefebvre and Mgr Antonio de Castro Mayer, from 1964, preserved the extra-ordinary jurisdiction (supplied but very real) and the faithful teaching, followed by those of the lineage of Mgr Pierre Martin Ngô Đình Thục.
5.2 Survival of Jurisdiction in Times of Sedevacance
Read the chapter on “the supplied jurisdiction”.
The jurisdiction, as authority to govern and to administer the sacraments for the salvation of souls, is an essential property of the Church. In times of sedevacance, when the supreme authority (the pope) is absent and the apparent authority is failing, especially after several years of vacancy of the see, the jurisdiction is preserved by the principle of devolution and supplied jurisdiction (cf. 5.1).
Saint Thomas Aquinas maintains that the social order is ordained by natural law for the common good (Summa Theologica, I-II, q. 90, a. 2): “law must properly regard universal happiness and the common good. Thus, every law is ordained to the common good.”
A total absence of jurisdiction would render the functioning of the Church impossible, which is incompatible with its indefectibility.
Historically, the Church has overcome similar crises, as during the Great Western Schism (1378–1417), where jurisdiction was maintained by the faithful bishops.
5.3 Survival of the Right and of the Possibility to Elect a Pope until the End of Time
The Catholic doctrine teaches that the Church possesses the divine and perpetual right to elect a pope, a right which subsists until the end of time, by virtue of its indefectibility. This right follows from the divine constitution of the Church as a hierarchical society, founded on Peter and his successors, as Leo XIII affirms in Satis Cognitum (29 June 1896, cf. 4).
A definitive absence of a pope would contradict the divine finality of the Church, for it requires a visible head for its unity and its government, according to Thomistic logic: every perfect society requires a supreme authority for the common good (Summa Theologica, I-II, q. 90, a. 3).
In periods of prolonged sedevacance, this right survives by the principle of devolution (cf. 5.1), which transfers the electoral authority to the faithful bishops.
Cardinal Billot explains that “the power of election (of a pope) would be devolved to the general council in case of necessity” (Tractatus de Ecclesia Christi, Tomus Prior, Quaestio XIV, De Romano Pontifice, Thesis XXIX, § 1, pp. 610–611, 1909).
Thus, the faithful bishops, acting unanimously under the ordinary universal magisterium, can elect a pope, even without a formal conclave, to restore the visible head of the Church.
This possibility is essential, for a total defection of the electoral authority would render the Church defective, which is impossible according to the promise of Christ (Matthew 16:18, cf. 3.1).
Historically, during the Great Western Schism (1378–1417), the Church resolved the crisis by the election of a legitimate pope, proving the perpetuity of this right.
- Continuity of the Magisterium of the Church
6.1 Infallibility and Universal Acceptance
The Church is infallible in its ordinary universal magisterium (O.U.M.), that is to say the unanimity of the faithful bishops teaching the Tradition.
In the absence of a pope, this infallibility subsists, for the Church can never be fallible.
Saint Vincent of Lérins, in his Commonitorium (434), establishes the criterion of truth:
“what has been believed everywhere, always, by all.”
The universal and peaceful acceptance of a pope by the Church is an infallible dogmatic fact.
6.2 Survival of Infallibility in Prolonged Times of Sedevacance
The infallibility of the Church, a divine guarantee assuring that it cannot err in the teaching of the faith and morals, persists even in prolonged periods of sedevacance, for it is an essential property of indefectibility.
According to the Vatican Council I (1870), in Pastor Aeternus (Session IV, chap. 4, cf. 3.2), infallibility extends to the ordinary universal magisterium.
In times of sedevacance, extraordinary infallibility (ex cathedra) is not possible due to the lack of a pope, but infallibility subsists through the O.U.M., exercised by the unanimity of the faithful bishops (cf. 5.1) teaching the deposit of faith.
Saint Thomas Aquinas explains: “The truth of the faith is preserved by divine assistance in the Church” (Summa Theologica, II-II, q. 1, a. 9).
The principle of devolution (cf. 5.1) maintains that the teaching authority passes to the faithful bishops.
Historically, during the Arian crisis, bishops like Saint Athanasius (cf. 5.1) preserved the truth.
6.3 Limitations and Means Available in Times of Prolonged Sedevacance
In times of prolonged sedevacance, certain functions requiring papal authority are impossible, but the Church possesses all the essential means to function. The extraordinary universal magisterium (E.U.M.), including ex cathedra definitions or ecumenical councils, requires a legitimate pope (Vatican Council I, Pastor Aeternus, Sess. IV, chap. 4).
Pius IX specifies that the pope alone can convoke a general council and approve its decrees: “The Roman Pontiff alone possesses the power to convoke a general council, to direct its proceedings, to suspend or dissolve it, and to approve its decrees.”
Other acts, like infallible canonisation or the ordinary nomination of bishops, are also suspended.
Saint Thomas Aquinas explains that the unity of the Church requires a supreme head for universal acts (Summa Theologica, II-II, q. 39, a. 1). Their temporary absence does not contradict indefectibility, for these acts are not essential to daily survival.
However, the Church conserves the O.U.M. by the unanimity of the faithful bishops (cf. 5.1), supplied jurisdiction for the sacraments, and the right to elect a pope by devolution (cf. 5.1, 5.3). Leo XIII, in Satis Cognitum (cf. 4), guarantees that the bishops, successors of the Apostles, maintain the Church.
6.4 Survival of the Ordinary Magisterium in Times of Sedevacance
The survival of the ordinary universal magisterium (O.U.M.) during a prolonged sedevacance, like a current duration of more than 60 years, is guaranteed by indefectibility and the principle of devolution (cf. 5.1). The O.U.M., residing in the unanimity of the faithful bishops (cf. 5.1), does not depend on the presence of a pope.
Saint Vincent of Lérins requires: “what has been believed everywhere, always, by all” (Commonitorium, 434).
Leo XIII, in Satis Cognitum (cf. 4), confirms that the bishops maintain the teaching of the faith.
A prolonged sedevacance does not constitute an essential defect, for the Church subsists in the faithful bishops, in conformity with the promise of Christ: “the Spirit of truth… he will teach you all truth” (John 16:13, cf. 3.1).
6.5. Some historical examples of prolonged vacancy of the papal see
They demonstrate the survival of the Church without a visible Pope for years, confirming its indefectibility.
– For example, after the death of Clement IV in 1268, the see remained vacant for nearly three years until the election of Gregory X in 1271; during this period, the Church maintained its sacraments, its teaching and its unity through the bishops, without general defection.
– Likewise, after Nicholas IV in 1292, a vacancy of 27 months preceded the election of Celestine V in 1294, proving that divine authority preserves the Church by devolution, as Thomistic logic requires it for the common good.
- The End of Time and the Disappearance of the Church
The Church, by reason of its indefectibility, cannot disappear before the end of time, that is to say the return of Christ for the Last Judgement. According to Scripture, it will subsist until this event (Matthew 28:20, cf. 3.1).
The Catholic Encyclopedia (1913) specifies: “By this term is signified, not only that the Church will persist until the end of time, but further, that it will preserve unimpaired its essential characteristics.”
The Church militant will cease to exist at the consummation of time, transformed into the Church triumphant. The Catechism of the Council of Trent (1566) teaches: “The Church will last until the end of the world, for Christ has promised to be with her until the consummation of the ages” (Part I, Article IX).
Before that, a great tribulation, marked by apostasy and the Antichrist, will occur (2 Thessalonians 2:3–8).
Saint Augustine specifies: “The Church, even reduced to a small number, will remain faithful until the end” (De Civitate Dei, XX, 9).
- Refutation of Errors
The objections denying indefectibility, pretending that the Church has disappeared or that all its bishops have failed, are heretical.
Pius IX, in Etsi Multa Luctuosa (21 November 1873), condemns this error: “Therefore they deny also the indefectibility of the Church and blasphemously declare that it has perished throughout the world and that its visible Head and the bishops have erred.”
As explained in 5.1, Saint Athanasius affirms that the faithful Catholics, even few in number, constitute the true Church.
Pius IX, in Quartus Supra (6 January 1873), condemns those who resist legitimate authority: “For the Catholic Church has always regarded as schismatic those who obstinately oppose the lawful prelates of the Church and in particular, the chief shepherd of all… and who refuse to execute their orders and even to recognize their authority.”
The resistance of the faithful bishops (cf. 5.1) proves that the Church subsists. The prophecies, like that of Saint Paul (Romans, conversion of the Jews) or of La Salette, announce a triumph of the Church before the Antichrist, refuting the idea that the end of time has arrived (cf. 7).
- Conclusion
The indefectibility of the Church is a certain truth of faith, guaranteeing its permanence, its infallibility and its sanctifying mission until the end of time. The principles of devolution and supplied jurisdiction (cf. 5.1) assure the continuity of authority and of the magisterium in times of crisis, including infallibility through the ordinary universal magisterium and the right to elect a pope (cf. 5.3). The Church will disappear only at the consummation of time, at the return of Christ (cf. 7). The faithful Catholics, even few in number, maintain the true Church (cf. 5.1), in the expectation of the promised triumph, in conformity with the prophecies of the saints. This doctrine, anchored in Scripture, Tradition and the magisterium, offers an unshakable certainty for the faithful.
Note:
Since in the sedevacantist world several confreres, including a certain number of bishops and priests, hold an opinion different from mine, I accept and apply the adage “in fide unitas, in opiniis libertas, in omnibus caritas” (unity in faith, liberty in opinions, charity in all).
In any case I submit in advance to any decision of the Church in this matter.