established at Rome by the two most glorious Apostles, Peter and Paul;—we point, I say, to the tradition which this Church has from the Apostles, and to her faith proclaimed to man, which comes down to our time through the succession of her Bishops. … For to this Church, on account of its more influential pre-eminence, it is necessary that every church should resort—that is to say, the faithful who are from all quarters; and in this Church the tradition, which comes from the Apostles, has ever been preserved by those who are from all quarters."[1]
This classic passage, says a Roman writer,[2] proves how universal was the belief in the Sovereign Pontiffs Infallibility. It does not merely state a fact: it enunciates a principle. Accordance with the traditional doctrine of the Church of Rome is here stated to be the duty of all churches. But how could this be so, unless the Pope was the infallible organ of Apostolic teaching? The holy martyr calls, says another, the faithful of the entire Christian world to the Roman Church, that they may drink in the Apostolic truth without fear of error or misleading.[3] What else is this but infallible authority?[4]
On the other side a Roman historian of dogmas writes:—
"Irenæus was not contemplating the case of contradictions between churches founded by the Apostles. … There existed at that period complete agreement in faith and doctrine. Consequently, the Fathers had no cause to consider a case of disagreement between Apostolic churches."[5]
According to the French Bishop Maret,[6] the principle
