pret its laws, and to decide cases of controversy likely
to arise. Thus we have in Washington the Supreme Court of the United
States.

Now the Catholic Church is a complete and independent organization, as
complete in its spiritual sphere as the United States Government is in the
temporal order. The Church has its own laws, its own autonomy and
government.

The Church, therefore, like civil powers, must have a permanent and
stationary supreme tribunal to interpret its laws and to determine cases
of religious controversy.

What constitutes this permanent supreme court of the Church? Does it
consist of the Bishops assembled in General Council? No; because this is
not an ordinary but an extraordinary tribunal which meets, on an average,
only once in a hundred years.

Is it composed of the Bishops scattered throughout the world? By no means,
because it would be impracticable to consult all the Bishops of
Christendom upon every issue that might arise in the Church. The poison of
error would easily spread through the body of the Church before a decision
could be rendered by the Prelates dispersed throughout the globe. The
Pope, then, as Head of the Catholic Church, constitutes, with just reason,
this supreme tribunal.

And as the office of the Church is to guide men into all truth, and to
preserve them from all error, it follows that he who is appointed to watch
over the constitution of the Church must be infallible, or exempt from
error in his official capacity as judge of faith and morals. The
prerogatives of the Pope must be commensurate with the nature of the
constitution which he has to uphold. The constitution is Divine and must
have a Divinely protected interpreter.

But you will tell me that infallibility is too great a prerogative to be
conferred on man. I answer: Has not God, in former times, clothed His
Apostles with powers far more exalted? They were endowed with the gifts of
working miracles, of prophecy and inspiration; they were the mouth-piece
communicating God's revelation, of which the Popes are merely the
custodians. If God could make man the organ of His revealed Word, is it
impossible for Him to make man its infallible guardian and interpreter?
For, surely, greater is the Apostle who gives us the inspired Word than
the Pope who preserves it from error.

If, indeed, our Saviour had visibly remained among us, no interpreter
would be needed, since He would explain His Gospel to us; but as He
withdre