Bellarmine · De Controversiis · On Councils · On the Authority of Councils, Book II
Chapter 14: That the Supreme Pontiff Is the Head of the Whole Church
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).
Now, that the truth of the matter may be declared, we will bring forward and demonstrate several propositions, of which let this be the first: “The Roman Pontiff is the shepherd and head not only of all particular Churches, but also of the whole universal Church gathered together at once, immediately constituted by Christ.” This is against the first argument of the adversaries; and although it has been proved most fully in the books On the Pontiff, yet it must be briefly proved here too.
It is proved, first, from Scripture. Peter is the foundation of the Church, laid by Christ, according to that word: “Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church”; and accordingly, what a foundation is in a building, that a head is in a body and a shepherd in a flock. For as a foundation does not depend on the house but the house on the foundation, so also a head, and a shepherd does not depend on the flock, but the flock on the shepherd. And that by “the Church” in that place is understood the universal Church, even when gathered, as is a general Council, is proved from Matthew 18, where of that same His Church Christ says: “If he will not hear them, tell the Church.” In which place by “the Church” the adversaries understand a general Council.
Besides, the gathered Church, or a Council, is most properly the Church of Christ, as the adversaries too concede; for the Church is a congregation of the faithful, and therefore the more the faithful are gathered and united, the more properly they are the Church. But it is foolish, when something is pronounced of another absolutely, to except that which is most properly signified by it. Therefore when Christ says, “Upon this rock I will build my Church,” it is foolish to except the gathered universal Church, since that is most properly the Church.
Finally, the Church of Christ is always gathered formally, because it is one kingdom, one family, one flock, although it may seem dispersed as to place. Therefore, if the Pontiff is the shepherd and head of the Church, he is certainly not the shepherd and head of the dispersed Church — which is no Church — but of the gathered Church. The same is had from that word (John, last chapter): “Feed my sheep.” For although the adversaries say that the Lord said “Feed my sheep,” not “my Church,” yet the Church in the Prayer for the Pontiff thus explains it: “O God, shepherd and ruler of all the faithful, who hast willed Thy servant N. to preside over Thy Church.” And besides, either the gathered Church, or a general Council, pertains to the sheep of Christ, or not. If it pertains, then Peter is the shepherd of the gathered Church and of a general Council; if it does not pertain, then Christians by being gathered cease to be sheep of Christ — which is most absurd.
Secondly, it is proved from the Councils. For the Council of Chalcedon, in its letter to Leo, confesses in express words that Saint Leo was the head of that whole Council, which was the greatest of all, and in which the whole gathered Church was beheld: “Over whom,” it says, “thou indeed didst preside as the head.” Likewise the Council of Lyons, as is had in the chapter Ubi periculum (on election, in the Sext), calls the Pontiff the ruler of the universal Church; therefore he is not the ruler of particular Churches only. Similarly in the Council of Florence it was defined that the Pontiff is the head of the whole Church and has received from the Lord the fullest power of governing the universal Church. The Council of Constance (session 15) condemned the heresy of John Hus, who said that the Pope is not the head of the Church.
It is proved, thirdly, by reasons. First, the Pope is one head, therefore the head of one body; but particular Churches taken separately are not one body; therefore the Pope is the head of the universal Church. Secondly, the universal Church is one visible body, therefore it ought to have one visible head, otherwise it will seem a monster. But there is no other to imagine than the Pope; therefore the Pope is the head of the whole Church at once. Thirdly, the Pope is the immediate vicar of Christ, as is had in the Councils of Lyons and Florence cited, and also in the Council of Constance (session 8), where the heresy of Wycliffe is condemned, who said that the Pope is not the immediate vicar of Christ. Nor do the adversaries deny this; therefore he presides over all those, in Christ’s place, over whom Christ Himself invisibly presides, and over whom He would also preside visibly if He were visibly present. But Christ presides, and would preside visibly if He were visibly present, not only over particular Churches but also over the whole universal Church and general Councils; therefore the Pope too presides over the universal Church.
Show the Latin (Vives edition, OCR)
CAPUT XV. Summum Pontificem caput esse totius Ecclesiae. Jam vero, ut rei veritas declaretur, adfe- remus ac demonstrabimus aliquot proposi¬ tiones, quarum haec sit prima : « Romanus Pontifex est pastor, et caput non solum om¬ nium Ecclesiarum particularium , sed etiam totius universalis Ecclesiae simul congrega¬ tae, a Christo immediate constitutus. » Haec est contra primum argumentum adversario¬ rum, quae tametsi probata est fusissime in libris de Pontifice, tamen etiam hoc loco bre¬ viter probanda est. Igitur probatur primo ex Scriptura. Petrus est fundamentum Ecclesiae, a Christo posi¬ tum, juxta illud : Tu es Petrus , et super hanc petram cedi ficabo Ecclesiam meam (1), proinde damentum, est in corpore caput, et in grege pastor. Ut enim fundamentum non pendet a domo, sed domus a fundamento ; ita etiam capite, et pastor non pendet a grege, sed grex a pastore. Quod autem per Ecclesiam eo loco intelligatur Ecclesia universalis, etiam congregata, ut est generale Concilium, probatur ex cap. Matth. XVIII ubi de eadem sua Ecclesia Christus dicit : Si eos non audie¬ rit , dic Ecclesiae (2). Quo loco per Eccle¬ siam intelligunt adversarii generale Conci¬ lium. Preeterea Ecclesia congregata , sive Con¬ cilium propriissime est Ecclesia Christi , ut etiam adversarii concedunt : nam Ecclesia est congregatio fidelium, ergo quo magis fi¬ deles sunt congregati et uniti, eo magis pro¬ prie sunt Ecclesia; at stultum est, cum ali¬ quid de alio absolute pronuntiatur, excipere id, quod propriissime per illud significatur. Ergo cum Christus dicit : Super hanc petram aedificabo Ecclesiam meam (3) , stulte exci¬ pitur Ecclesia universalis congregata , cum ea propriissime sit Ecclesia. Denique, Ecclesia Christi semper est con¬ gregata formaliter , quia est unum, regnum, una familia, unus grex, licet dispersa videa¬ tur quantum ad locum. Igitur, si Pontifex est Pastor, et Caput Ecclesiae, non certe dis¬ persae, quae nulla est, sed congregatae Eccle¬ siae est pastor, et caput. Idem habetur ex illo Joan. ult. Pasce oves meas (-4). Nam etsi adversarii dicunt, Dominum dixisse : Pasce oves meas ; non Ecclesiam meam, tamen Ec¬ clesia in Orat, de Pontifice sic explicat : « Deus omnium fidelium pastor et rector, qui famulum tuum N. Ecclesiae tuae praeesse vo¬ luisti. > Et praeterea, vel Ecclesia congre¬ gata, sive Concilium generale pertinet ad oves Christi, vel non ; si pertinet, ergo Ec¬ clesiae congregatae, et Concilii generalis pas¬ tor est Petrus ; si non pertinet , ergo Chris¬ tiani per congregationem desinunt esse oves Christi, quod est absurdissimum. Secundo probatur ex Conciliis ; nam Con¬ cilium Chalcedonense in epist. ad Leonem disertis verbis fatetur, S. Leonem caput fuisse totius illius Concilii, quod fuit omnium maximum , et in quo tota Ecclesia congre¬ gata conspiciebatur : <t Quibus , inquit , tu quidem ut caput praeeras. » Item Concilium Lugdunense, ut habetur cap. Ubi periculum, de elect. in 6. vocat Pontificem rectorem universalis Ecclesiae , non igitur solum par¬ ticularium Ecclesiarum est rector. Similiter in Concil. Florentino definitum est , Pontifi¬ cem esse totius Ecclesiae caput, et accepisse a Domino plenissimam potestatem universa¬ lem Ecclesiam regendi. Concilium Constan- tiense, sess. XV damnavit haeresim Joan. Huss dicentis, non esse Papam ca|jfit Eccle¬ siae. Probatur tertio rationibus. Primo, Papa est unum caput, ergo unius corporis caput, at Ecclesiae particulares seorsim sumptae non sunt unum corpus ; ergo Papa est caput Ecclesiae universalis. Secundo, Ecclesia uni¬ versalis est unum corpus visibile, ergo ha¬ bere debet unum caput visibile, alioquin vi¬ debitur monstrum. At non est fingere aliud quam Papam , ergo Papa caput est totius Ecclesiae simul. Tertio, Papa est immediatus vicarius Christi, ut habetur in Concilio Lug¬ dunensi, et Florentino citatis, necnon in Concilio Constantiensi, sess. 8. ubi damna¬ tur haeresis Wiclefi dicentis, Papam non esse immediatum Christi vicarium. Neque id ad¬ versarii negant ; ergo prseest iis omnibus loco Christi, quibus Christus ipse invisibili- (1) Matth. XVI, 18. — (2) Matth. XVIII, 17. — (3) Matth. XVI, 18. — (4) -Joan. XXI, 17. ter praeest, et quibus etiam praeesset visibi¬ liter, si visibiliter adesset : Christus autem praeest; et praeesset visibiliter, si adesset vi¬ sibiliter, non solum Ecclesiis particularibus, sed etiam toti Ecclesiae universali , et gene¬ ralibus Conciliis ; igitur etiam Papa praeest Ecclesiae universali.