What happened at Vatican I / the First Vatican Council?

Answer

The First Vatican Council, or Vatican I, was a gathering of Roman Catholic bishops. It was summoned by Pope Pius IX and held from 1869 to 1870. Approximately 700 bishops were present at the beginning. To comprehend the events of Vatican I, it is crucial to recognize the hierarchical structure of the Roman Catholic Church. The Pope, as the Bishop of Rome, serves as the leader, with a hierarchy of subordinate bishops overseeing synods, or governing bodies, within the institution. This organizational structure of the Catholic Church is based on the original apostles of Christ: Peter, considered the leader, and the other apostles, regarded as lesser bishops. Vatican I addressed various issues, primarily administrative, which attendees described as somewhat tedious. While several Catholic doctrines were reaffirmed, the central topic of discussion, and the primary reason for convening the council, revolved around the infallibility of the Pope.

The concept of papal infallibility was not seriously debated at the First Vatican Council. This doctrine had been a part of Catholic tradition for some time, and previous popes had authoritatively introduced other dogmas under this umbrella of infallibility, notably the Immaculate Conception of Mary in 1854. The notion that the Pope was preserved from error when definitively teaching on matters of faith or morals was generally accepted, with only a small group of bishops present at the council questioning it. However, there was resistance to formally establishing the doctrine as official church dogma for various reasons. Many bishops supported declaring papal infallibility to enhance the Pope’s authority, while others opposed it, fearing it would alienate those who viewed the dogma as straying from early Christian teachings. They prioritized unity and were concerned that defining the dogma could hinder that objective. Additionally, there were suggestions that the bishops wHere a collective governing body that decided on tradition, but Pope Pius IX argued that the Pope alone decides tradition. Eventually, the dogma was approved, and the council formally acknowledged the Pope as having “full and supreme power of jurisdiction over the whole Church” and declared him infallible when speaking ex cathedra.

The process of voting a teaching into authoritative tradition is specific to the Catholic Church and has no biblical model. The Bible declares Christ Himself to be the head of the church (Ephesians 1:22; Ephesians 5:23; Colossians 1:18), and therefore His is the authority we are to follow. Scripture never intimates that Peter exercised authority over the other apostles. The Catholic idea of apostolic succession, assuming a line of leaders who would take Peter’s place as the leader of Christendom through the ages, is likewise unbiblical. Peter was chosen as one instrument through which Christ established His Word, but there was never a mandate for the creation of a papal office, much less any reason to assert its infallibility.

The purpose of Vatican I was largely political in nature. In fact, the development of the Franco-Prussian War interrupted the council and forced them to postpone the discussion of several other topics that were planned. The council was suspended indefinitely after Rome was captured by the Kingdom of Italy in 1870. It is hard to believe that Christ’s spiritual agenda for His church could be interrupted and postponed by a human war. The Vatican today is considered a political power, and it has long been considered so. This is also in disagreement with Scripture. Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world” «Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence. », (John 18:36).

Read the Gospel of John, chapter 18, verse 36.