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Historical Testimony to an Infallible Primacy. Probably the earliest implicit attestation of papal infallibility came from Tertullian after his breach with Rome over the remission of adultery, declared to be valid, by Pope St. Callistus. “An edict has been published,” he protested. “The Pontifex Maximus, that is, the bishop of bishops, has made a decree: […]
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St. Lorenzo da Brindisi was a Franciscan with immense bravery. His most courageous act was charging head-on towards Ottoman forces during the siege of Székesfehérvár, armed only with a crucifix: It was on the occasion of the foundation of the convent of Prague (1601) that St. Lorenzo was named chaplain of the Imperial army [of […]
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Socrates Scholasticus, an early Church historian, wrote the Historia Ecclesiastica, covering the years from the early fourth century to the mid-fifth century. In his work, he includes a chapter on the crucifixion of a Christian boy at the hands of Jews in the town of Inmestar. Below is the relevant chapter. CHAPTER XVI THE JEWS […]
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Benjamin Franklin once wrote of the surprising event of those who return to Indian society in a letter: When an Indian Child has been brought up among us, taught our language and habituated to our Customs, yet if he goes to see his relations and make one Indian Ramble with them, there is no perswading […]
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The eminent Catholic scholar Francis Dvornik was renowned for his work on Byzantine history. One area of study he contributed to was the history of the association with the apostle Andrew with Constantinople. He writes: Many scholars have supposed that because of the impression which the display of the apostolic character of the Roman See […]
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The Jesuit Francis Sullivan was an authority on the Catholic magisterium. In his book, Creative Fidelity: Weighing and Interpreting Documents of the Magisterium, he addresses the issue of the decree Haec sancta, which some have claimed to support conciliarism. Below is the relevant text in his book. Council of Constance (1414-1418) We come now to […]
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The Benedictine priest John Chapman gave a nuanced understanding of the condemnation of Pope Honorius. He corrects the false interpretations given by some Catholic apologists on the heretical Pope: St. Agatho died before the conclusion of the council. The new pope, Leo II, had naturally no difficulty in giving to the decrees of the council […]
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Cardinal John Henry Newman articulated his understanding of the case of Pope Honorius in his typically erudite manner. He wrote: I will not pass from this question of History without a word about Pope Honorius, whose condemnation by anathema in the Sixth Ecumenical Council, is certainly a strong primâ facie argument against the Pope’s doctrinal […]
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Eastern Orthodox scholar Marcus Plested has done much work in correcting historical errors that have been a cause of dispute between Catholics and Eastern Orthodox. Surprisingly, he has noted that there was a positive reception and influence of Augustine in the work of Gregory Palamas. He writes: Reinhard Flogaus and John Demetracopoulos have separately put […]
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Cardinal Sarah is an extremely well-read and insightful prelate, who has displayed his brilliance in books like The Power of Silence and God or Nothing. He was born in northern Guinea, which as of 2020 has an average IQ of 67.[1] Yet, he is a man who speaks three languages fluently, has degrees in theology […]
Eclectic Anecdotes
Writings of all that is interesting