Only to those who don't realize that Bellarmine's list of so-called "ecumenical" councils never had any official standing. The ecumenicity of those second millennium general synods of the Latin Church exists only because, for most of that period, the Latin Church considered itself to be the Catholic Church, outside of which were just aggregates of unrepentant schismatics. As the Latin Church and the Catholic Church were the same thing, a general synod of the Latin Church automatically had ecumenical status, and did not need reception by any outside group.
I actually agree with brother Stuart's assessment here. Did I just hear a trumpet?
Perhaps this one:
link Bellarmine's list cannot be viewed in isolation. In very explicit terms and a most formal, liturgical setting, Pope Bl. John XXIII lent it credence. I posted this earlier but it needs repeating:
On October 11, 1962, the first day of the Council, Pope John delivered this address in St. Peter's Basilica.
The Councils -- both the twenty ecumenical ones and the numberless others...It is but natural that in opening this Universal Council... Ecumenical Councils, whenever they are assembled... As regards the initiative for the great event which gathers us here, it will suffice to repeat as historical documentation our personal account of the first sudden bringing up in our heart and lips of the simple words, "Ecumenical Council." ... we wish to narrate before this great assembly our assessment of the happy circumstances under which the Ecumenical Council commences... The greatest concern of the Ecumenical Council is this: that he sacred deposit of Christian doctrine should be guarded and taught more efficaciously... That is, the Twenty-first Ecumenical Council, which will draw upon the effective and important wealth of juridical, liturgical, apostolic, and administrative experiences, wishes to transmit the doctrine, pure and integral, without any attenuation or distortion, which throughout twenty centuries, notwithstanding difficulties and contrasts, has become the common patrimony of men... That being so, the Catholic Church, raising the torch of religious truth by means of this Ecumenical Council... Venerable brothers, such is the aim of the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council...
[emphasis added]
A caricature is presented:"...the Latin Church considered itself to be the Catholic Church...Latin Church and the Catholic Church were the same thing." This is highly misleading if not outright wrong. However, VCII endorsed ecumenism and a communio ecclesiology: The Catholic Church is a church of many churches. Nevertheless, Pope Paul VI in closing the same council along with other official statements reiterates and even reinforces the enumeration (which again I am required to repeat):
POPE PAUL VI'S CLOSING SPEECH AND MESSAGES FOR VATICAN COUNCIL II DECEMBER 8, 1965
You will hear shortly, at the end of this holy Mass, a reading of some messages which, at the conclusion of its work, the ecumenical council is addressing ... And you will also hear the reading of our official decree in which we declare terminated and closed the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council...But note what is taking place here this morning. While we close the ecumenical council, ... At this solemn moment, we, the Fathers of the 21st ecumenical council of the Catholic Church, ...On this solemn day when she closes the deliberations of her 21st ecumenical council, the Church...
APOSTOLIC BRIEF "IN SPIRITU SANCTO' FOR THE CLOSING OF THE COUNCIL
DECEMBER 8, 1965 read at the closing ceremonies of Dec. 8 by Archbishop Pericle Felici, general secretary of the council.
The Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, assembled in the Holy Spirit ... At last all which regards the holy ecumenical council has, with the help of God, been accomplished and all the constitutions, decrees, declarations and votes have been approved by the deliberation of the synod and promulgated by us. Therefore we decided to close for all intents and purposes, with our apostolic authority, this same ecumenical council called by our predecessor, Pope John XXIII, which opened October 11, 1962, and which was continued by us after his death.
Given in Rome at St. Peter's, under the [seal of the] ring of the fisherman, Dec. 8, on the feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the year 1965, the third year of our pontificate.
[emphasis added]
Actually
confirming the clear sense of the words quoted above, a point was raised:
From the moment in 1974 when Pope Paul VI spoke of the Second Council of Lyons as a "general council of the Western Church" rather than as an "Ecumenical Council", the game was up.
So according to this things changed significantly in 1974. The problem with this account is that it is based on a faulty rendering of the actual words of the Pope, as discussed in detail
here -- like "cooking the books" here a
cooking the quote.
I submit that there's a lot more than "Bellarmine's list of so-called "ecumenical" councils" that must be considered in presenting a balanced, historical account.
