Christ is the Eternal Shepherd, the pastor of our souls. The Vatican I document, from which the title of this blog comes, explains how he willed the Church to be formed and structured; in particular, it confirms the centrality of the successor of Peter in the Church.
This is no new doctrine. It can be traced back to the synoptic gospels (Mt.16:18) and was being practised before the end of the 1st Century!
When St. Clement, Bishop of Rome, wrote to the Corinthians circa 96 AD he was aiming to settle a controversy among them that had arisen against their church leaders. What is significant is that Clement considered himself empowered to intervene in another community's affairs (the first such action known) – Ireneus describes it as a very important letter. Clement's 1 Corinthians achieved almost canonical status and was regarded as Scripture by many 3rd and 4th Century Christians.
In the letter Clement details the apostolic succession: God sent his Son, Jesus Christ; Christ sent the Apostles who preached the Good News empowered by the Holy Spirit; the first fruits of their preaching they then appointed as bishops and deacons. Clement is described as the 3rd successor of Peter by Ireneus and Eusebius; Eusebius believed he might have been one of Paul's collaborators.
The letter also includes brief information on the martyrdom of Peter & Paul in Rome, citing them as examples "from our generation". Peter suffered much, and Paul, having taught justice to the whole world (to the confines of the West) and having given testimony to rulers, is seen as the greatest model of patience to Clement's generation.
Pastor Aeternus - Vatican I
The eternal Pastor and Bishop of our souls, in order to render the saving work of redemption perennial, willed to build a holy Church, in which, as in the house of the living God, all the faithful might be contained by the bond of one faith and charity... He asked the Father, not only for the Apostles but also for those who would believe through their word in Him, that all might be one, just as the Son Himself and the Father are one... But, that the episcopacy itself might be one and undivided, and that the entire multitude of the faithful through priests closely connected with one another might be preserved in the unity of faith and communion, placing the blessed Peter over the other apostles He established in him the perpetual principle and visible foundation of both unities, upon whose strength the eternal temple might be erected, and the sublimity of the Church to be raised to heaven might rise in the firmness of this faith.
