Editing Ecumenical council (section)

==Infallibility of ecumenical councils==
{{see also|Infallibility of the Church}}
The doctrine of the ''infallibility of ecumenical councils'' states that solemn definitions of ecumenical councils, which concern faith or morals, and to which the whole Church must adhere, are infallible. Such decrees are often labeled as 'Canons' and they often have an attached [[anathema]], a penalty of [[excommunication]], against those who refuse to believe the teaching. The doctrine does not claim that every aspect of every ecumenical council is dogmatic, but that every aspect of an ecumenical council is free of errors or impeccable.<ref>St Thomas Aquinas, S. Th. II, II, q. 11, a. 2 "Now a thing may be of the faith in two ways, in one way, directly and principally, e.g. the articles of faith; in another way, indirectly and secondarily, e.g. those matters, the denial of which leads to the corruption of some article of faith; and there may be heresy in either way, even as there can be faith." http://newadvent.org/summa/3011.htm#article2 {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180412082054/http://newadvent.org/summa/3011.htm#article2 |date=12 April 2018 }}</ref>

Both the Catholic and the Eastern Orthodox churches uphold versions of this doctrine. However, the Catholic Church holds that solemn definitions of ecumenical councils meet the conditions of infallibility only when approved by the Pope,<ref>[[First Vatican Council|Vatican I]], ''Dei Filius'' ch. 3 ¶ 1.  [[Second Vatican Council|Vatican II]], ''Lumen Gentium'' § 25 ¶ 2.  1983 Code of Canon Law 749 § 2.</ref> while the Eastern Orthodox Church holds that an ecumenical council is itself infallible when pronouncing on a specific matter.<ref>"The infallibility of the Church does not mean that the Church, in the assembly of the Fathers or in the expression of the Conscience of the Church, has already formally expressed all the truths of faith and norms. The infallibility of the Church is confined to the formulation of truths in question. This infallibility is not wholly God-inspired energy which would affect the participants of the synod to such an extent that they would be inspired to pronounce all the truths at one time as a whole system of a Christian catechism. The Synod does not formulate a system of beliefs encompassing all Christian teachings and truths, but only endeavours to define the particular disputed truth which was misunderstood and misinterpreted. The Church of Christ and its divine nature, as set forth above, is the foundation upon which the Eastern Orthodox Church [sic.] continues to administer and nourish its faithful, thereby protecting its fundamental essentials."  Rev. George Mastrantonis, of the [[Archbishop of America|Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America]].</ref>

Protestant churches would generally view ecumenical councils as fallible human institutions that have no more than a derived authority to the extent that they correctly expound Scripture (as most would generally consider occurred with the first four councils in regard to their dogmatic decisions).<ref>Hans Schneider, "Councils of the Church", The Encyclopedia of Christianity (Grand Rapids, Michigan; Leiden, Netherlands: Wm. B. Eerdmans; Brill, 1999–2003), 701.</ref>