but_] for _thee_, that _thy_ faith fail
not: and _thou_, being once converted, confirm thy brethren" (Luke
xxii. 32) [_observe the singular number_, "thee," "thy" and "thou"].

Peter still lives, in the person of Pope Pius X., and _in virtue of
that prayer_, and through the omnipotent power of God, Peter still
"confirms his brethren," and will continue to confirm them in the true
and pure doctrine of Christ, until the final crack of doom. As the
venerable Bishop W.B. Ullathorne wrote to Lady Chatterton, soon after
the Vatican Council, _i.e._, 19th November, 1875: "There is but one
Church of Christ, with one truth, taught by one authority, received by
all, believed by all within its pale; or there is no security for
faith. If we examine Our Lord's words and acts, such a Church there
is. If we follow the inclinations of our fallen nature, ever averse to
the control of authority, we there find the reason why so many who
love this world, receive not the authority that He planted, to endure
like His primal creation, to the end."

"It is pleasant to human pride and independence to be a little god,
having but oneself for an authority, and a light, and a law to
oneself. But does this or does it not contradict the fact that we are
dependent beings, and that the Lord, He is God? This spirit of
independence, with self-sufficiency for its basis, and rebellion for
its act, is _just what_ Sacred Scripture ascribes to Satan" (p. 230).

True. And it is just the reverse of the disposition that Christ
demands from all who wish to enter into His One Fold: for He declares
with startling clearness that "unless we become as little children"
(_i.e._, docile, submissive, trustful, etc.) "we shall not enter into
the Kingdom of heaven," which is His Church.

* * * * *

5. Before proceeding further, it may be well here to draw a
distinction between the Pope, considered as the _supreme_ ruler, and
the Pope, considered as the _infallible_ ruler. The reigning Pontiff,
whosoever he may be, is always the Supreme Ruler, the Head of the
Church, and the Vicar of Christ; but he is not, on all occasions, nor
under all circumstances, the infallible ruler.

To guard against any mistake as to the meaning of our words, let us
explain that infallibility is a gift, but not a gift that the Pope
exercises every day, nor on every occasion, nor in addressing
individuals, nor public audiences, nor is it a prerogative that can be