ST. CYPRIAN OF CARTHAGE (c. 210 – c. 258)
Treatise 1 - On the Unity of the Church.
newadvent.org
Section 4
If any one consider and examine these things, there is no need for lengthened discussion and
arguments. There is easy proof for faith in a short summary of the truth. The Lord speaks to Peter,
saying, "I say unto you, that you are Peter; and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates
of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and
whatsoever you shall bind on earth shall be bound also in heaven, and whatsoever you shall loose
on earth shall be loosed in heaven." And again to the same He says, after His resurrection, "Feed my
sheep." And although to all the apostles, after His resurrection, He gives an equal power, and says,
"As the Father has sent me, even so send I you: Receive the Holy Ghost: Whose soever sins you
remit, they shall be remitted unto him; and whose soever sins you retain, they shall be retained; "
John 20:21 yet, that He might set forth unity, He arranged by His authority the origin of that unity,
as beginning from one. Assuredly the rest of the apostles were also the same as was Peter, endowed
with a like partnership both of honour and power; but the beginning proceeds from unity.
CHURCH FATHERS: Treatise 1 (Cyprian of Carthage)
Featuring the Church Fathers, Catholic Encyclopedia, Summa Theologica and more.
Epistle 54 - To Cornelius, Concerning Fortunatus and Felicissimus / Against the Heretics.
newadvent.org
Section 7
Nevertheless, Peter, upon whom by the same Lord the Church had been built, speaking one for all,
and answering with the voice of the Church, says, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words
of eternal life; and we believe, and are sure that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God: "
Matthew 15:13 signifying, doubtless, and showing that those who departed from Christ perished by
their own fault, yet that the Church which believes on Christ, and holds that which it has once
learned, never departs from Him at all, and that those are the Church who remain in the house of
God;
CHURCH FATHERS: Epistle 54 (Cyprian of Carthage)
Featuring the Church Fathers, Catholic Encyclopedia, Summa Theologica and more.
Section 14
To these also it was not sufficient that they had withdrawn from the Gospel, that they had taken
away from the lapsed the hope of satisfaction and repentance, that they had taken away those
involved in frauds or stained with adulteries, or polluted with the deadly contagion of sacrifices, lest
they should entreat God, or make confession of their crimes in the Church, from all feeling and fruit
of repentance; that they had set up outside for themselves— outside the Church, and opposed to the
Church, a conventicle of their abandoned faction, when there had flowed together a band of
creatures with evil consciences, and unwilling to entreat and to satisfy God. After such things as
these, moreover, they still dare— a false bishop having been appointed for them by, heretics— to
set sail and to bear letters from schismatic and profane persons to the throne of Peter, and to the
chief church whence priestly unity takes its source; and not to consider that these were the Romans
whose faith was praised in the preaching of the apostle, to whom faithlessness could have no access.
Should I become Catholic, Lutheran, or Orthodox?
ST. ATHANASIUS OF ALEXANDRIA (c. 296- 373)
Apologia Contra Arianos (Part I)
newadvent.org
Chapter 2, Section 35
And why was nothing said to us concerning the Church of the Alexandrians in particular? Are you
ignorant that the custom has been for word to be written first to us, and then for a just decision to be
passed from this place ? If then any such suspicion rested upon the Bishop there, notice thereof
ought to have been sent to the Church of this place; whereas, after neglecting to inform us, and
proceeding on their own authority as they pleased, now they desire to obtain our concurrence in
their decisions, though we never condemned him. Not so have the constitutions of Paul, not so have
the traditions of the Fathers directed; this is another form of procedure, a novel practice. I beseech
you, readily bear with me: what I write is for the common good. For what we have received from
the blessed Apostle Peter , that I signify to you; and I should not have written this, as deeming that
these things were manifest unto all men, had not these proceedings so disturbed us.
CHURCH FATHERS: Apologia Contra Arianos, Part I (Athanasius)
Featuring the Church Fathers, Catholic Encyclopedia, Summa Theologica and more.
ST. POPE DAMASUS I (c. 305 – 384)
Decree of Damasus, Council of Rome in 382
Translation by William A. Jurgens found in Faith of the Early Fathers, Vol. 1, page 406
Section 3
Likewise it is decreed: After the announcement of all these prophetic and evangelic as well as
apostolic writings which we have listed above as Scriptures, on which, by the grace of God, the
Catholic Church is founded, we have considered that it ought to be announced that although all the
Catholic Churches spread abroad through the world comprise but one bridal chamber of Christ,
nevertheless, the holy Roman Church has been placed at the forefront not by the conciliar decisions
of other Churches, but has received the primacy by the evangelic voice of our Lord and Savior, who
says: "You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My Church, and the gates of hell will not
prevail against it; and I will give to you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you shall
have bound on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you shall have loosed on earth shall be
loosed in heaven."
In addition to this, there is also the companionship of the vessel of election, the most blessed
Apostle Paul, who contended and was crowned with a glorious death along with Peter in the City of
Rome in the time of the Caesar Nero - not at a different time, as the heretics prattle, but at one and
the same time and on one and the same day: and they are equally consecrated the above-mentioned
holy Roman Church to Christ the Lord; and by their own presence and by their venerable triumph
they set it at the forefront over the others of all the cities of the whole world.
That good enough for now? I'm a bit tired of cutting this into so many posts
Read the Bible and visit different communities. Speak with priests.
Intellectual conversion by reading our arguments online will be of no use, you will second guess it sooner or later.
Only experience and true contact with God in prayer and eucharist can lead to a genuine conversion.
t. false witness
Kind of, but the Catholic Church also allows this when the mother's life is in danger and the child cannot be saved.
These cases are very very rare though.