Why did Pope Pius IX consult bishops before defining the Immaculate Conception?

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Photograph of Pope Pius IX — Pius IX Pius IX is the longest-reigning pope in the history of the Roman Catholic Church. His pontificate lasted from 1846 to 1878.

Before defining the dogma of the Immaculate Conception in 1854, Pope Pius IX conducted extensive inquiries among bishops and other divines to gauge the consensus of the church.1

While the pope possessed the authority to define the dogma as an exercise of his prerogative, these consultations served to confirm that there was little opposition to the move among the church hierarchy. This process of gathering input from the broader episcopate helped ensure that the definition reflected the faith of the church, even as the pope moved toward a more centralized exercise of authority that would later culminate in the formal definition of papal infallibility at the First Vatican Council.123