Moral Theology: A Complete Course Based on St. Thomas Aquinas and the Best Modern AuthoritiesCallan, Charles J. (Charles Jerome)
Religion
Moral Theology: A Complete Course Based on St. Thomas Aquinas and the Best Modern Authorities
Callan, Charles J. (Charles Jerome)
Christian ethics -- Catholic authors
(c) According to some theologians ecclesiastical faith has for its
object all infallible decisions of the Church about matters not
revealed, but connected with revelation, or necessary for the exercise
of the teaching office of the Church. Such are: (i) definitions, that
is, definitive declarations of theological conclusions or of dogmatic
facts, disciplinary laws made for the entire Church, canonization of
the saints, solemn approbation of religious Orders, express or special
recognition of Doctors of the Church, declaration of the relation of
private revelations to the public revelation; and (ii) censures, that
is, condemnations of teachings, on account of falsity, as heretical,
near to heresy, savoring of heresy, erroneous, rash, etc.; on account
of their expression, as equivocal, ambiguous, presumptuous, captious,
suspected, ill-sounding, offensive to pious ears, etc.; on account of
their tendency, as scandalous, schismatical, seditious, unsafe, etc.
Examples: The definitions concerning the sense of the book
_Augustinus_, the suitability of the terms “consubstantial” and
“transubstantiation,” the agreement of the Vulgate with the original
scriptures, the lawfulness of the insertion of the _Filioque_.
(d) Religious assent has for its object all doctrinal pronouncements of
the Church that are not infallible, but are yet official and
authoritative. Examples are ordinary instructions and condemnations
given by Pontifical Congregations and Commissions. The Syllabus of
Modern Errors issued by Pius IX was most likely not an infallible or
definitive document, although many of the errors it rejects are
contrary to dogma, and hence, even apart from the Syllabus, they are to
be rejected as opposed to Catholic faith. Likewise, many of its tenets
are drawn from encyclical letters. Papal allocutions, radio addresses,
and the doctrinal parts of Apostolic Constitutions, in themselves, are
in this class.
(e) Respect is due to the judgment of the Church even in non-doctrinal
matters and where no obligation is imposed by her, on account of her
position and the careful examination given before decision. Example: It
would be disrespectful to reject without good reason a pious belief
which the Church after mature deliberation has permitted to be held.
762. Though the truths of faiths are many, the duty of believing
imposes no great burden on the believer. Thus: (a) it is not required
that explicit belief be given to all the teachings of faith; (b) it is
not required that one distinguish the particular kind of assent in case
of uncertainty, but it suffices to yield assent according to the mind
and intention of the Church. Example: When a group of propositions is
condemned under various censures, no indication being made of the
censure that applies to particular propositions, it suffices to hold
that all of them are false, and that to each of them applies one or
more of the censures listed.
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