Thirdly, likewise, with a firm faith I believe that the Church, guardian and mistress of the revealed word, was instituted proximately and directly by the true and historical Christ Himself, while he sojourned among us, and that the same was built upon Peter, the chief of the apostolic hierarchy, and his successors until the end of time. Oath Against the Errors of Modernism (DZ 2145)
Vatican Council (DZ 1825): If anyone then says that it is not from the institution of Christ the Lord Himself, or by divine right that the blessed Peter has perpetual successors in the primacy over the universal Church, or that the Roman Pontiff is not the successor of the blessed Peter in the same primacy, let him be anathema.
Notis et Nobiscum, Pope Pius IX, December 8, 1849:
16. All who defend the faith should aim to implant deeply in your faithful people the virtues of piety, veneration, and respect for this supreme See of Peter. Let the faithful recall the fact that Peter, Prince of Apostles is alive here and rules in his successors, (Council of Ephesus Acts 3 and St. Peter Chrysologus' epistle to Eutyches.) and that his office does not fail even in an unworthy heir. (Leo the Great, Sermon on anniversary of his elevation.) Let them recall that Christ the Lord placed the impregnable foundation of his Church on this See of Peter (Mt 16.18.) and gave to Peter himself the keys of the kingdom of Heaven.(Mt 16.19.) Christ then prayed that his faith would not fail, and commanded Peter to strengthen his brothers in the faith. (Lk 22.31-32.) Consequently the successor of Peter, the Roman Pontiff, holds a primacy over the whole world and is the true Vicar of Christ, head of the whole Church and father and teacher of all Christians. (Council of Florence, definition or decree on union.)
17. Indeed one simple way to keep men professing Catholic truth is to maintain their communion with and obedience to the Roman Pontiff. For it is impossible for a man ever to reject any portion of the Catholic faith without abandoning the authority of the Roman Church. In this authority, the unalterable teaching office of this faith lives on. It was set up by the divine Redeemer and, consequently, the tradition from the Apostles has always been preserved. So it has been a common characteristic both of the ancient heretics and of the more recent Protestants—whose disunity in all their other tenets is so great—to attack the authority of the Apostolic See. But never at any time were they able by any artifice or exertion to make this See tolerate even a single one of their errors. For this reason the enemies of God and human society at the present time are making every attempt to tear the Italian people from their allegiance to Us and to this Holy See. They think, no doubt, that then at last, they could have the good fortune of contaminating Italy itself with their impious teaching and the plague of their novel theories.
Tertio: firma partier fide credo Eccesiam, verbi revelati Christum, cum apud nos degeret, proxime ad cirecto institutam eamdemque super PETRUM, apostolicae hierarchiae principem, ejusque in aevum successors aedificatam. (DZ 2145)
Vatican Council (DZ 1825): Si quis ergo direxit, non esse ex ipsius Christi Domini institutione seu jure divion, ut beatus PETRUS in primate super universam Ecclesiam hbeat perpetuos successors; aut Romanum Pontificem non esse beati PETRI ineodem primate successorem: anathema sit.
Notis et Nobiscum, Pope Pius IX, December 8, 1849:
16. All who defend the faith should aim to implant deeply in your faithful people the virtues of piety, veneration, and respect for this supreme See of Peter. Let the faithful recall the fact that Peter, Prince of Apostles is alive here and rules in his successors, (Council of Ephesus Acts 3 and St. Peter Chrysologus' epistle to Eutyches.) and that his office does not fail even in an unworthy heir. (Leo the Great, Sermon on anniversary of his elevation.) Let them recall that Christ the Lord placed the impregnable foundation of his Church on this See of Peter (Mt 16.18.) and gave to Peter himself the keys of the kingdom of Heaven.(Mt 16.19.) Christ then prayed that his faith would not fail, and commanded Peter to strengthen his brothers in the faith. (Lk 22.31-32.) Consequently the successor of Peter, the Roman Pontiff, holds a primacy over the whole world and is the true Vicar of Christ, head of the whole Church and father and teacher of all Christians. (Council of Florence, definition or decree on union.)
17. Indeed one simple way to keep men professing Catholic truth is to maintain their communion with and obedience to the Roman Pontiff. For it is impossible for a man ever to reject any portion of the Catholic faith without abandoning the authority of the Roman Church. In this authority, the unalterable teaching office of this faith lives on. It was set up by the divine Redeemer and, consequently, the tradition from the Apostles has always been preserved. So it has been a common characteristic both of the ancient heretics and of the more recent Protestants—whose disunity in all their other tenets is so great—to attack the authority of the Apostolic See. But never at any time were they able by any artifice or exertion to make this See tolerate even a single one of their errors. For this reason the enemies of God and human society at the present time are making every attempt to tear the Italian people from their allegiance to Us and to this Holy See. They think, no doubt, that then at last, they could have the good fortune of contaminating Italy itself with their impious teaching and the plague of their novel theories.
