The First Vatican Council 1869 - 1870

The First Vatican Council was convened in 1869 and ended in 1870, an ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church, and one of the most important events in her historical development since the Council of Trent. The preliminaries were surrounded by the closest secrecy. As early as the end of the year 1864, Pius IX had commissioned t cardinals resident in Rome to tender him their opinions as to the advisability of a council. The majority pronounced in favor of the scheme, dissentient voices being rare. After March 1865 the convocation of the council was no longer in doubt. Thirty-six carefully selected bishops of diverse nationalities were privately interrogated with regard to the tasks which, in their estimation, should be assigned to the prospective assembly. Some of them proposed, inter alia, that the doctrine of papal infallibility should be elevated to the rank of a dogma. In public, however, Pius IX made no mention of his design till the 26th of June 1867, when Catholic bishops from every country were congregated round him in Rome on the occasion of the great centenary of Saint Peter. he