The Imperfect General Council

A General Council is an assembly of bishops from all over the world convened to deliberate on matters of doctrine, discipline or government of the Church under the direction of the Roman Pontiff.

A General Council is necessarily convened by the authority of the Roman Pontiff, who has the power to make definitive decisions in matters of faith. A General Council presupposes the presence, convocation and assent of the Supreme Pontiff. It can define dogmas, engage the conscience of all the faithful of the universal Church and make definitive pronouncements on matters of faith and morals.

In contrast, an Imperfect General Council is an assembly of bishops from around the world convened without papal authority, in the event of a manifest or doubtful vacancy of the Apostolic See, and whose purpose is to remedy a serious problem affecting the head of the Church. The Imperfect General Council is convened to respond to an emergency situation: either the prolonged vacancy of the Roman See, or reasonable doubt about the legitimacy of a pretender to the papacy. Since the Pope is the one who gives legitimacy to the convocation of any General Council, who also gives it its true universality, and who finally ratifies its decrees, the Imperfect General Council suffers by definition from a legal problem. This is why the great theologian Cajetan calls such a council “imperfect but useful,” [1]   insofar as it begins, in a sense, outside the bounds of legality, but finds its full force after the question of the legitimacy of the Roman Pontiff has been settled and, if necessary, a true Roman Pontiff has been elected, who then gives the General Council full force of law. From imperfect, the General Council becomes perfect.

To those who would argue that the clergy who have held fast to the Faith do not have the power to convene an Imperfect General Council on the pretext that they do not have the necessary jurisdiction, we respond that no one, in the absence of the Supreme Pontiff, has the legal power to convene a General Council, quite simply, whether or not they have territorial jurisdiction. This gathering is by definition a gathering “praeter legem” (beyond the law) but through which the Holy Ghost can remedy a situation of extreme urgency in the Church. Once a legitimate Supreme Pontiff is recognised, it is he who gives legal force to what the Council has decided. He may choose to reject certain decisions of the Council and retain others. Consequently, we totally reject the condemned error of “conciliarism”. The legitimacy of an Imperfect General Council can only be found in the Supreme Pontiff who will give it the force of law.

This concept is not new. It has been considered by many past theologians who explain that the Church can take extraordinary remedies for the extraordinary evils that may afflict her. Thus, when there are no longer any legitimate or indisputably valid cardinals, the Church, which must necessarily possess within herself the means to reconstitute herself and restore her authority, must convene an Imperfect General Council.

“A council [...] not only acting independently of the Vicar of Christ, but sitting in judgment over him, is unthinkable in the constitution of the Church; [...] in fact, such assemblies have only taken place in times of great constitutional disturbances, when either there was no pope or the rightful pope was indistinguishable from antipopes. In such abnormal times the safety of the Church becomes the supreme law, and the first duty of the abandoned flock is to find a new shepherd, under whose direction the existing evils may be remedied.” [2]