Tracts
The Church & the Pope
Peter, the papacy, bishops, authority and the marks of the Church. 16 tracts.
Call No Man "Father"?
Many Protestants say that calling priests "father" violates Jesus' words, "Call no one on earth your father" (Matthew 23:9). But Scripture uses "father" for earthly and spiritual fathers in both Testaments, and Jesus was using hyperbole against pride. The apostles called themselves spiritual fathers, and Catholics follow their example.
Can Dogma Develop?
Public revelation ended with the apostles, and the Church cannot change doctrine or invent new ones. But the Church's understanding of the deposit of faith grows over time, as obscurities are cleared up and truths are defined more precisely, as happened with the Trinity, Christ's two wills and transubstantiation.
Excommunication
Excommunication is a serious but medicinal penalty for certain grave wrongdoing. It does not end a person's membership in the Church or declare him damned. It cuts him off from full communion, especially the sacraments, to move him to repent and be reconciled.
Papal Infallibility
Papal infallibility does not mean the pope cannot sin. It is a charism, shared with the bishops teaching in union with him, that prevents the pope from solemnly and formally teaching as true something that is in fact an error on faith or morals. It follows from Christ's promise that the gates of hell will not prevail against his Church.
Peter the Rock
Some Protestants argue that in Matthew 16:18 Jesus contrasted Simon, a "pebble" (*Petros*), with the "rock" (*petra*) on which he would build his Church. In the Greek of the New Testament the two words were synonyms, and in Aramaic, the language Jesus spoke, he called Simon *Kepha* and said he would build his Church on this *kepha*. Jesus equated Peter with the rock.
Pillar of Fire, Pillar of Truth
An introduction to the basics of the Catholic faith. The Catholic Church alone has existed since Christ, has the four marks of his Church, and teaches with his authority through Scripture, Tradition and the Magisterium. Christ gives his grace through seven sacraments, calls us to prayer with the saints, and saves us by grace, not by faith alone.
The Great Heresies
From the beginning the Church has faced heresies, as Scripture warned (2 Timothy 4:3-4). Heresy is the obstinate denial or doubt, after baptism, of a truth that must be believed with divine and Catholic faith. Christ promised that heresies would never prevail against his Church.
Was Peter in Rome?
Some Protestants argue Peter was never in Rome, so he could not have been its first bishop. The question does not decide whether Christ founded the papacy, but the evidence is clear: 1 Peter refers to Rome as "Babylon," every ancient writer places Peter's death in Rome, and archaeology has identified his tomb under St. Peter's Basilica.
What Do Catholics Believe About the Pope?
The pope, the Bishop of Rome, continues the mission of St. Peter, whom Jesus made the foundation of his Church. He is the visible head of the Church, the spiritual father and servant leader of the faithful, who safeguards unity and protects the faith from error. Pope Leo XIV is the current pope.
What the Early Church Believed: Apostolic Succession
The first Christians identified the true Church and true doctrine by a simple test: trace the claimant's apostolic succession, the line of bishops going back to the apostles. All Catholic bishops share such a lineage, which Protestant denominations do not have.
What the Early Church Believed: Bishop, Priest, and Deacon
Holy orders is conferred in three ranks: bishops, priests and deacons. Their functions are distinct in the New Testament, though the titles were still fluid in the apostolic age. By the early second century the terms were fixed, and the Fathers regarded all three offices as essential to the Church.
What the Early Church Believed: Monks and Nuns
The consecrated life predates Christ: the Nazirites of the Old Testament were essentially monks and nuns. Paul recommended consecrated celibacy and set up an order of widows. The early Church continued the consecrated life in orders of widows, virgins and deaconesses, which became the modern nuns and monks, and the Fathers recognized their role.
What the Early Church Believed: Peter's Primacy
The early Church Fathers recognized that Peter is the rock of Matthew 16:18. Because Peter was made the Church's foundation, he held a special place, a primacy, among the apostles, and the Fathers clearly recognized this.
What the Early Church Believed: Peter's Successors
The Fathers recognized Peter as the rock, gave him a special primacy, and recorded that he went to Rome and was martyred there. They also recognized that the bishop of Rome, the pope, continued to serve in Peter's role in later generations.
What the Early Church Believed: The Authority of the Pope
The Fathers recognized that Peter's successors in Rome shared his primacy. They relied on Rome for advice, for settling disputes and for doctrinal guidance, said Rome "holds the presidency" and that all churches must agree with it, and held that communion with the bishop of Rome is communion with the Catholic Church.
What the Early Church Believed: The Meaning of "Catholic"
"Catholic" comes from Greek roots meaning "according to the whole," or "universal." From Ignatius of Antioch onward it named a single, visible communion distinct from heretical groups, and that is its meaning in the creeds.