Pope Pius IX in Ineffabilis Deus wrote the following concerning the Immaculate Conception of Mary:
And indeed, illustrious
documents of venerable antiquity, of both the Eastern and the Western Church,
very forcibly testify that this doctrine of the Immaculate Conception of the
most Blessed Virgin, which was daily more and more splendidly explained,
stated and confirmed by the highest authority, teaching, zeal, knowledge, and
wisdom of the Church, and which was disseminated among all peoples and nations
of the Catholic world in a marvelous manner — this doctrine always existed
in the Church as a doctrine that has been received from our ancestors, and that
has been stamped with the character of revealed doctrine. For the Church of
Christ, watchful guardian that she is, and defender of the dogmas deposited
with her, never changes anything, never diminishes anything, never adds
anything to them; but with all diligence she treats the ancient documents
faithfully and wisely; if they really are of ancient origin and if the faith of
the Fathers has transmitted them, she strives to investigate and explain them
in such a way that the ancient dogmas of heavenly doctrine will be made evident
and clear, but will retain their full, integral, and proper nature, and will
grown only within their own genus — that is, within the same dogma, in the same
sense and the same meaning.
And pop-level Catholic apologists who have no
intellectual honesty at all argue that:
But it is okay; this is not the infallible portion of the document and he did not say "Simon says," right, Joe? Just ignore that the Immaculate Conception, not personal sinlessness of Mary or her identification as the New/Second Eve is the primary object of infallibility, the de fide dogma, and if one knowingly rejects it, is guilty of mortal sin. Heschmeyer is either (1) lying through his teeth (my bet), (2) ignorant of Catholic theology (which is surprising as he was a former RC seminarian), or (so I am not guilty of logical fallacies like Joe is champion of), (3) both.
On the plus side, a popular Catholic apologist has told
me he is willing to debate me on the thesis, “The Immaculate Conception of Mary
and her personal sinlessness are apostolic in origin” later this year if his
schedule and health allows for it.
For more on Joe's dishonesty, see, for e.g.:
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