Bellarmine · De Controversiis · On Councils · On the Authority of Councils, Book I
Chapter 9: On the Usefulness or Necessity of Celebrating Councils
Our translation, from the Latin of the Opera Omnia (Paris: Vivès, 1870–74), vol. II, De Conciliis (De Conciliorum Auctoritate), On Councils, Book I (of the controversy On Councils and the Church). The Latin source text is public domain; this English rendering is released with the site. Scripture quotations follow Bellarmine's Vulgate citations, rendered in Douay-Rheims wording where he quotes exactly. Click “Show the Latin” for the original (raw OCR of the scan; scanning errors remain — the scan itself is the authority).
These things, then, being premised, we must now explain the things of which legitimate Councils consist. And these can be reduced to four causes: to the end, the efficient cause, the matter, and the form of Councils. And to begin from the end, which is the first of the causes: first there must be briefly set forth the causes for which Councils are wont to be celebrated; then from these it must be judged whether the gathering of Councils is necessary, or only useful. Now the chief causes for which Councils are celebrated are wont to be numbered six.
The first cause is a new heresy, that is, one never before judged; for which cause the first seven general Councils were gathered. For the Church always made so much of the danger of new heresies that it thought there could be no other resistance than if all, or at least very many, of the Princes of the Churches should rush upon the enemies of the faith with joined forces and as it were in battle array.
The second is a schism among the Roman Pontiffs. For this cause a Council was celebrated in the time of Cornelius; likewise another in the time of Damasus; and again others in the times of Symmachus, Innocent II, and Alexander III; and the Councils of Pisa and Constance in the times of Gregory XII and Benedict XIII. For there is no more powerful remedy than a Council, as has very often been proved.
The third is resistance to a common enemy of the whole Church. In this way Councils were gathered by Urban II, Callistus II, Eugene III, and other Pontiffs for the war against the Saracens. Likewise, for deposing an Emperor, Councils were celebrated by Gregory III against Leo III the Iconoclast; by Gregory VII against Henry IV; by Innocent IV against Frederick II.
The fourth cause is a suspicion of heresy in the Roman Pontiff, should it perchance happen, or even an incorrigible tyranny; for then a general Council ought to be gathered, either to depose the Pontiff, if he were found a heretic, or at least to admonish him, if in morals he seemed incorrigible. For, as is said in the Eighth Synod, last act, canon 21, general Councils ought to take cognizance of controversies arisen concerning the Roman Pontiff, yet not boldly to pass sentence upon him. For this cause we read celebrated the Council of Sinuessa in the cause of Saint Marcellinus, and the Roman Councils in the cause of Damasus, Sixtus III, and Leo III and IV — of whom none was condemned by the Council; but Marcellinus himself enjoined penance upon himself before the Council, and the rest cleared themselves. See Platina and the volumes of the Councils.
The fifth cause is a doubt concerning the election of the Roman Pontiff. For if the Cardinals could not, or would not, create a Pontiff, or if they all perished together, or if from some other source it became truly doubtful to whom such an election pertained, it would belong to a general Council to decree concerning the election of the future Pontiff — although it is not likely that this will ever happen.
The sixth is a general reformation of the abuses and vices which creep into the Church. For although the Pontiff alone can prescribe laws to the whole Church, yet the matter is handled far more smoothly when the supreme Pontiff prescribes such laws with the approval of a general Council. Hence we see that almost all the general Councils put forth canons on reformation. See John of Torquemada, Book 3, chapters 9 and 10.
Show the Latin (Vives edition, OCR)
CAPUT IX. De utilitate vel etiam necessitate celebrandorum Conciliorum. His igitur praemissis , explicanda sunt ea, quibus legitima Concilia constant. Ea vero ad quatuor causas reduci possunt, ad finem, causam efficientem , materiam , et formam Conciliorum. Ac ut a fine, quae prima cau¬ sarum est, incipiamus, Primum exponenda) breviter erunt causae, ob quas Concilia cele¬ brari solent; deinde ex iis judicandum erit, utrum Conciliorum congregatio sit necessa¬ ria, an solum utilis. Porro causae praecipuae, ob quas Concilia celebrantur-, sex numerari solent. Prima causa est haeresisnova, id est, num- quam antea judicata, propter quam causam coacta sunt prima septem generalia Conci¬ lia. Semper enim Ecclesia tanti fecit pericu¬ lum novarum haeresum, ut non putaverit ali¬ ter posse resisti , quam si omnes aut certe permulti Principes Ecclesiarum conjunctis viribus , et quasi agmine facto irruerent in hostes fidei. Secunda est schisma inter Romanos Pon¬ tifices. Hac enim de causa celebratum est Concilium tempore Cornelii. Item aliud tem¬ pore Damasi , et rursum alia temporibus Symmachi , Innocentii II , et Alexandri III, et Pisanum, atque Constantiense temporibus GregoriiXII, et Benedicti XIII ; nullum enim est potentius remedium, Concilio, ut saepis¬ sime probatum est. Tertia est, resistentia communi hosti to¬ tius Ecclesiae. Hoc modo coacta sunt Conci¬ lia ab Urbano II , Callixto II , Eugenio III, aliisque Pontificibus pro bello contra Sara¬ cenos. Item ad deponendum Imperatorein celebrata sunt Concilia a Gregorio III, con¬ tra Leonem III, Iconomachum ; a Gregorio YH, contra Henricum IY; ab Innocentio IY, contra Fredericum II. Quarta causa est suspicio hseresis in Roma¬ no Pontifice, si forte accideret, vel etiam ty¬ rannis incorrigibilis ; tunc enim deberet con¬ gregari generale Concilium, vel ad deponen¬ dum Pontificem , si inveniretur haereticus, vel certe ad admonendum, si in moribus vi- deretur‘incorrigibilis : nam ut dicitur iu VIII Synodo, act. ultim. can. 21. debent genera¬ lia Concilia cognoscere controversias circa Romanum Pontificem exortas , non tamen audacter in eum sententiam ferre. Ob istam causam legimus celebratum Concilium Si¬ nuessanum in causa S. Marcellini, et Roma¬ na Concilia in causa Damasi , Sixti III , et Leonis III, et IY , quorum nullus a Concilio damnatus fuit, sed Marcellinus sibi ipse co¬ ram Concilio poenitentiam injunxit, reliqui se purgaverunt. Vide Platinam , et tomos Conciliorum. - Quinta causa est , dubitatio de electione Romani Pontificis. Si enim Cardinales non possent, aut non vellent Pontificem creare, aut certe omnes simul perirent; aut aliunde fieret vere dubium, ad quos pertineret ejus¬ modi electio, ad Concilium generale specta¬ ret decernere de electione futuri Pontificis, quamquam non est verisimile id aliquando eventurum. Sexta est reformatio generalis abusuum et vitiorum , qu® in Ecclesiam irrepunt ; tametsi enim solus Pontifex potest leges toti Ecclesiae praescribere, tamen longe suavius res agitur cum approbante Concilio generali summus Pontifex ejusmodi leges praescribit. Ilinc videmus omnia fere generalia Conci¬ lia canones edidisse de reformatione. Vide Joan. de Turrecremata lib. III, cap. 9 et 10.