Introduction
This council was summoned by Pope Pius IX by the bull Aeterni Patris of 29 June 1868. The first session was held in St Peter’s basilica on 8 December 1869 in the presence and under the presidency of the pope.
The purpose of the council was, besides the condemnation of contemporary errors, to define the catholic doctrine concerning the church of Christ. In fact, in the three following sessions, there was discussion and approval of only two constitutions: Dogmatic Constitution On The Catholic Faith and First Dogmatic Constitution on the church of Christ, the latter dealing with the primacy and infallibility of the bishop of Rome. The discussion and approval of the latter constitution gave rise, particularly in Germany, to bitter and most serious controversies which led to the withdrawal from the church of those known as “Old Catholics”.
The outbreak of the Franco-Prussian war led to the interruption of the council. It was in fact never resumed, nor was it ever officially closed. As in other councils at which the pope was present and presided, the decrees were in the form of bulls, at the end of which was the clear declaration: “with the approval of the sacred council”. Very large numbers attended this council, including, for the first time, bishops from outside Europe and its neighbouring lands. Bishops from the eastern Orthodox churches were also invited, but did not come.
The decrees of the council were published in various simultaneous editions. Later they were included in volume 7 of Collectio Lacensis ( 1892) and in volumes 49-53 of Mansi’s collection (1923-1927). The collection which we use is that entitled Acta et decreta sacrosancti oecumenici concilii Vaticani in quatuor prionbus sessionibus, Rome 1872. Comparison with other editions reveals no discrepancies, indeed absolute agreement.
SESSION 1: 8 December 1869
Decree of opening of the council
Pius, bishop, servant of the servants of God, with the approval of the sacred council, for an everlasting record. Most reverend fathers, is it your pleasure that,
to the praise and glory of the holy and undivided Trinity, Father, Son and holy Spirit,
for the increase and exaltation of the catholic faith and religion,
for the uprooting of current errors,
for the reformation of the clergy and the christian people, and
for the common peace and concord of all,
the holy ecumenical Vatican council should be opened, and be declared to have been opened?
[They replied: Yes]
Pius, bishop, servant of the servants of God, with the approval of the sacred council, for an everlasting record. Most reverend fathers, is it your pleasure that
the next session of the holy ecumenical Vatican council should be held on the feast of the Epiphany of the Lord, that is 6 January 1870?
[They replied: Yes]
SESSION 2: 6 January 1870
Profession of faith
I, Pius, bishop of the catholic church, with firm faith believe and profess each and every article contained in the profession of faith which the holy Roman church uses, namely:
I believe in one God
the Father almighty,
maker of
heaven and
earth, of
all things
seen and
unseen. And in
one Lord Jesus Christ
the only-begotten Son of God.
Born of the Father before all ages.
God from God,
light from light,
true God from true God.
Begotten not made,
of one substance with the Father:
through whom all things were made.
Who for us humans and for our salvation
came down from heaven.
He was incarnate by the holy Spirit of the virgin Mary: and became man. He
was crucified also for us, he suffered under Pontius Pilate and was buried. The third day he
rose again according to the scriptures. He
ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of the Father.
He shall come again with glory to judge the living and the dead, and of his kingdom there shall be no end. And in
the holy Spirit,
the lord and the giver of life, who
proceeds from the Father and the Son.
Who together with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified: who
spoke through the prophets. And
one holy, catholic and apostolic church.
I confess one baptism for the remission of Sins.
And I look for
the resurrection of the dead. And
the life of the world to come Amen.
Apostolic and ecclesiastical traditions and all other observances and constitutions of that same church I most firmly accept and embrace.
Likewise I accept sacred scripture
according to that sense which holy mother church held and holds,
since it is her right to judge of the true sense and interpretation of the holy scriptures;
nor will I ever receive and interpret them except according to the unanimous consent of the fathers.
I profess also that
there are seven sacraments of the new law,
truly and properly so called,
instituted by our lord Jesus Christ and
necessary for salvation,
though each person need not receive them all.
They are:
baptism,
confirmation,
the Eucharist,
penance,
last anointing,
order and
matrimony; and
they confer grace.
Of these
baptism,
confirmation and
order
may not be repeated without sacrilege.
I likewise receive and accept the rites of the catholic church which have been received and approved in the solemn administration of all the aforesaid sacraments.
I embrace and accept the whole and every part of what was defined and declared by the holy council of Trent concerning original sin and justification. Likewise
I profess that
in the mass there is offered to God a true, proper and propitiatory sacrifice for the living and the dead; and that
in the most holy sacrament of the Eucharist there is truly, really and substantially the body and blood, together with the soul and divinity, of our lord Jesus Christ; and that there takes place the conversion of the whole substance of the bread into his body, and of the whole substance of the wine into his blood, and this conversion the catholic church calls transubstantiation.
I confess that under either species alone the whole and complete Christ and the true sacrament are received.
I firmly hold that
purgatory exists, and that
the souls detained there are helped by the suffrages of the faithful. Likewise, that
the saints reigning with Christ are to be honoured and prayed to, and that
they offer prayers to God on our behalf, and that
their relics should be venerated.
I resolutely assert that images of
Christ and
the ever virgin mother of God, and likewise those of
the other saints,
are to be kept and retained, and that due honour and reverence is to be shown them.
I affirm that the power of indulgences was left by Christ in the church, and that their use is eminently beneficial to the christian people.
I acknowledge the
holy,
catholic,
apostolic and
Roman
church, the mother and mistress of all the churches [1].
Likewise
all other things which have been transmitted, defined and declared by the sacred canons and the ecumenical councils, especially the sacred Trent, I accept unhesitatingly and profess; in the same way
whatever is to the contrary, and whatever heresies have been condemned, rejected and anathematised by the church, I too condemn, reject and anathematise.
This true catholic faith, outside of which none can be saved, which I now freely profess and truly hold, is what I shall steadfastly maintain and confess, by the help of God, in all its completeness and purity until my dying breath, and I shall do my best to ensure [2] that all others do the same. This is what I, the same Pius, promise, vow and swear. So help me God and these holy gospels of God.