Catholic apologist
Trent Horn authored an interesting book examining many of the common sayings
that are (mis)attributed to figures such as Augustine, Ignatius of Loyola, and
Pope Francis. In his discussion of Augustine’s Sermon 131, he does a good job
at refuting the common claim Augustine said in this sermon, “Rome as spoken,
the case is closed!”:
The Case is
Closed?
In 415, a regional synod of bishops in Africa
condemned the teachings of Pelagius’s disciple Caelestius. The regional Council
of Carthage also condemned Caelestius, and Pope Innocent III confirmed this
decision. Pelagius and Caelestius, however, refused to accept the councils’ condemnation
and made a direct appeal to the pope. But Pope Innocent I died in 417, before
he received their appeal, so the matter fell into the hands of his successor,
Pope Zosimus.
Zosimus personally met with Caelestius, and
after receiving letters from both men that claimed they still accepted the teachings
of the Catholic Church, Zosimus reversed their excommunications. However, both
letters were dishonest and hid the men’s true heretical theologies. Pelagius
and Caelestius simply wanted their excommunications lifted so they could spread
their heresies throughout the Church. Caelestius in particular, wanted the pope
to overrule letters the bishop of Constantinople sent warning churches in
Greece and western Asia about his teachings. Philip Schaff, a Protestant writer
who is very critical of the Catholic Church, admits an act of deception occurred:
“[Augustine] opposed Pope Zosimus, when, deceived by Pelagius, he declared him
sound in the faith” (Philip Shaff, The
Creeds of Christendom, vol. 1 [1877; New York: Cosimo Books, 2007], 175).
Augustine, along with the other African
bishops who were more familiar with these heretics, realized that the pope had
been duped. They urged Zosimus to reconsider his ruling, and Augustine
commented on the matter in his 131st sermon: “Already on this matter two councils
have sent to the Apostolic See, whence also rescripts [reports] have come. The
cause is finished [Latin: causa finite est];
would that the error also be finished!”
What he meant was that two African councils,
one in Carthage and another in Mileve, sent decisions on the Pelagian heresy to
Pope Innocent. Rescripts (or reports) from the pope came back that unequivocally
condemned Pelagianism and confirmed the excommunication of Pelagius and
Caelestius. However, the pope did leave room for the men to return to the Faith
if they were to “recover from the snares of the devil.” This corresponds to
other times in Church history when heretics and notorious sinners repented and
were restored to communion with the Church before their deaths.
Pope Zosimus did not contradict Church
teaching because he did not define Pelagianism to be orthodox. Instead, he
chose to lift an ecclesial punishment that seemed to have been meted out unfairly. But once Pope Zosimus was made aware of Pelagius’s and Caelestius’s
deceptions, he reversed his decision and reinstated the men’s justly deserved
punishments.
It’s true Augustine did not say “Rome has
spoken,” but he did say the Apostolic See, or the bishop of Rome, had given
reports on the Pelagian matter. “Rome has spoken, the case is closed” became a
paraphrase for “The Apostolic See has issued reports, the case is closed.”
Augustine did say “Causa finite est”
because the cause of Pelagianism was finished when the bishop of Rome confirmed
the decisions of the African councils that had condemned it. The matter only
continued because, unlike heresies, people can repent, and so the issue of
receiving Pelagius and Caelestius back into the Church still had to be
resolved.
While this episode demonstrates the unique
authority of the Church and the bishop of Rome, I don’t recommend citing it as
evidence of Augustine’s belief in the Church’s authority. In doing so, one runs
the risk of turning the discussion into a debate about what Augustine “actually
said” and getting bogged down in historical minutiae. Instead, I recommend
sharing Augustine’s reply to the heretic Manichaeus, when he said, “I should
not believe the gospel except as moved by the authority of the Catholic Church.”
(Trent Horn, What the Saints Never Said:
Pious Misquotes and the Subtle Heresies They Teach You [El Cajon, Calif.:
Catholic Answers Press, 2018], 82-84)
