Emphasis Preaching Journal

In 1848 the papacy was nearly overthrown, and in 1860 it lost most of its domains with the unification of Italy. Pope Pius IX, concerned about the liberal movement in Italy that was causing social change, issued the edict Syllabus of Errors, which listed the faults of progress. To further protect the power of the papacy and to control both clergy and believers, he declared the doctrine of papal infallibility at the Lateran Council in 1870. This is the doctrine that the pope, speaking on matters of faith and morals, is incapable of error.