The Two Sides of Catholicism, Part I [pp. 96-106]

Two Sides of Catholicism.
for the medium of union between the
exterior and interior catholicity of the
Church. Our argument must start,
therefore, from the position that the
unity of the Church in the first line is
a unity in faith. In this notion we
have the speculative middle term between the inner being of the Church
and her historical form of manifestation. From the blending of both
these elements is formed the full, adequate idea of catholicity. This last
exhibits itself as a force acting in two
distinct spheres, that of the inward
subjectivity and that of historical objectivity. Consequently, the exterior
and interior catholicity of the Church,
or the two sides of Catholicism, must
be reduced to the same principle. A
further evolution of this thought will
make it clear, why the being of the
true Church can only find its true actualization in the historical form of
Catholicism.
The catholic visible form of the
Church, as pointed out above, is indicated in the papacy. But in what relation does the latter stand to the interior catholicity of the Church? In
order to find the right answer to this
decisive question, we must first more
exactly define in what sense the papacy must be regarded as the bond of
the historical unity of the Church. It
must be so regarded, precisely in so
far as the pr.macy has been instituted
for the special end of preserving the
faith incorrupt. According to the
teaching of the Fathers of the Church,
Peter is the Church's foundation of
rock, in virtue of his faith.* By this,
of course, is not meant the personal
confession of the Apostle Peter, but
the object-matter of the same, the
contents of the faith to be preached by
Peter and his successors. Peter,
says Leo the Great, is called by
Christ the Rock, on account of the
solidity of the faith which he was to
preachl, pro soliditate fdei quam erat
preedicatur s.t This is not the place
* See the relevant passages from the fathers in
BaJlerini, De vi ac ratione primatus Rom. Pont., cap.
1iL, $ 1, No. L ~- 62.
to develop further in what way the
papacy proves itself in act the cement
of the unity of faith. We shall
speak of that later. It is enough for
our purpose, in the meanwhile, to take
note of the judgment of the ancient
Church. According to the doctrine of
the Fathers of the Church, the fundamental significance which the papacy
has for the Church, rests upon a relation of dependence between her faith
and the faith of Peter, including by
consequence that of his successors.
In this sense St. Hilarius distinctly
calls the faith of the Apostle Peter
the foundation of the Church.* The
same view is found in St. Ambrose,t
expressed in nearly the same words.
But if Peter is the Church's foundation of rock precisely through his
faith, that mutual relation between
the inner catholicity of the Church
and the papacy is no longer doubtfuL
For that the Church, according to her
inward essence, verifies herself as the
Catholic Church, she owes precisely
to her faith, as likewise, on the other
side, her catholic visible form is conditioned by the outward profession of
the same faith. Consequently, the
papacy as guardian of the unity of
faith, stands also in a necessary connection with the inner being of the
Church. Here then we have the
uniting member we have been seeking
between inward and outward catholicity, the essence and the manifestation of the Church. In so far as the
historical connection with Peter must
be conceived as a bond of faith, in
this same connection or in the form of
Catholicism, the true Church, even as
to her inner being, comes historicaly
into visible manifestation.
Faith, which we affirm to be the
essential kernel of Catholicism, has
two sides, one which is interior and
subjective, and another which comes
to outward manifestation. With the
heart we believe unto justification, but
with the mouth confession is made
unto salvation.4 A revealed truth
* De Trin., v. 37. t De Incarm., cab. 5.
X Uom. x. 1t.
101