Bellarmine · De Controversiis · On Councils · On the Authority of Councils, Book II
Chapter 4: That Particular Councils Approved by the Pope Cannot Err
Our translation, from the Latin of the Opera Omnia (Paris: Vivès, 1870–74), vol. II, De Conciliis (De Conciliorum Auctoritate), On Councils, Book II (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).
The second proposition: “Particular Councils confirmed by the supreme Pontiff cannot err in faith and morals.” This proposition is not equally received as the former: that one no Catholic denies, but this there are not lacking who deny. And so for this cause only we do not affirm that this proposition is to be held by Catholic faith, that we do not yet see the authors who think the contrary condemned by the Church for heretics. It is established also, from Eusebius Book 7 of the history chapters 2, 3, and 4, that Pope Cornelius, with a national Council of all the Bishops of Italy, decreed that heretics ought not to be rebaptized, and that Pope Stephen afterward approved the same opinion, and commanded that heretics be not rebaptized; and at the same time it is established from the same Eusebius in the same place that Cyprian thought the contrary, and defended it tenaciously — which he himself too confesses in his letter to Pompey, where he charges Pope Stephen with error; and yet Cyprian was always held in the number of Catholics.
But whatever be of this, of which we have spoken elsewhere when we treated of the Pontiff, certainly it is rash, erroneous, and next to heresy to think that particular Councils confirmed by the Pontiff can err. Which is proved, first, by those arguments by which we demonstrated above that the supreme Pontiff, in judging those things which pertain to faith or good morals, cannot err. For if the supreme Pontiff cannot err, certainly neither can a Council, however small, approved by him. Secondly, the same is proved from this, that if such Councils could err, very many heresies which were condemned by particular Councils alone could again be called into doubt — as of the Pelagians, the Priscillianists, Jovinian, and others. Thirdly, hitherto no such Council has been found which erred. Fourthly, in the seventh Synod act 3, and the eighth Synod last act canon 1, the Fathers say that they venerate and receive even the decrees of local Councils; nay, in the same seventh Synod such decrees are called divinely inspired. It remains that we set forth and dissolve the arguments of the adversaries.
Show the Latin (Vives edition, OCR)
CAPUT V. Concilia particularia , a Pontifice approbata , errare non posse. , Altera propositio : « Concilia particularia, a summo Pontifice confirmata infide et mo¬ ribus errare non possunt. » Haec propositio non est aeque recepta, ac prior : illam nemo Calholicorum negat, hanc vero, non desunt, qui negent. Itaque ea solum de causa non affirmamus, hanc propositionem fide Catho¬ lica esse tenendam, quod auctores, qui con¬ trarium sentiunt, nondum videamus ab Ec¬ clesia damnatos pro haereticis. Constat etiam ex Eusebio lib. YII histor. cap. 2 , 3 et 4, Cornelium Papam cum nationali Concilio omnium Episcoporum Italiae statuisse , non debere haereticos rebaptizari , et eamdem sententiam postea approbasse etiam Stepha- num Papam, et jussisse, ut haeretici non re¬ baptizarentur : Et simul constat ex eodem Eusebio ibidem, Cyprianum contrarium sen¬ sisse, et mordicus defendisse, id quod etiam ipse fatetur in epistola ad Pompeium , ubi arguit Stephanum Papam erroris, et tamen Cyprianus semper est habitus in numero Catholicorum. Sed quidquid de hoc sit, de quo alibi di¬ ximus, cum ageremus de Pontifice, certe te¬ merarium, erroneum , et proximum haeresi est, existimare, Concilia particularia a Pon¬ tifice confirmata posse errare. Id quod pri¬ mum probatur argumentis illis , quibus su¬ pra demonstravimus , summum Pontificem in judicandis iis rebus quae ad fidem, vel bonos mores pertinent, non posse errare. Si enim summus Pontifex errare non potest, certe nec Concilium , quamvis exiguum, ab illo comprobatum. Secundo idem probatur ex eo , quod si ejusmodi Concilia errare possent, plurimae haereses, quae damnatae sunt a solis Conciliis particularibus , iterum revocari possent in dubium , ut Pelagianorum , Priscillianista- rum, Joviniani, et aliorum. Tertio , hactenus non est inventum ali¬ quod Concilium ejusmodi, quod erraverit. Quarto, in YII Synodo act. 3. et YIII Sy¬ nodo act. ult. can. \. dicunt Patres se vene- rari, 'et recipere etiam localium Conciliorum decreta. Imo in eadem septima Synodo vo¬ cantur ejusmodi decreta divinitus inspirata. Superest, ut argumenta adversariorum pro¬ ponamus, et diluamus.