Pastor Aeternus
The First Vatican Council’s dogmatic constitution on the church of Christ, which defines the primacy and infallible teaching office of the Roman pontiff. It renews and quotes the definition of the Council of Florence.
Read the text at papalencyclicals.net ↗Latin with Manning’s English translation of 1871 (Schaff, Creeds of Christendom, vol. 2, pp. 256–271) ↗
The constitution was approved at the council’s fourth session on 18 July 1870. Its third chapter, on the power of the Roman primacy, says that the council promulgates anew the definition of the Council of Florence, which it calls ecumenical, and repeats its words on the pope as successor of Peter and head of the whole church. The fourth chapter quotes the same definition again.
It is cited in the Council of Florence Proclaims Reunion to show how the Roman Catholic Church has received the decree of 1439.
Cited in
- November AD 879 – March 880, firm date
- May 1274, firm date
- 1414 to 1418, firm date
- 6 July 1439, firm date
- 1869 to 1870, firm date