The Pope and the Council

work by Döllinger

Also known as: “Der Papst und das Konzil”

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Last updated

July 1, 2026

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The Pope and the Council was a work published in 1869 by Johann Joseph Ignaz von Döllinger, a prominent Roman Catholic theologian, under the pen name Janus. The book criticized the First Vatican Council and the doctrine of papal infallibility, which states that the pope cannot err when teaching definitively on matters of faith or morals. Döllinger's opposition to this doctrine led to his excommunication in 1871, and he became a leader of the Old Catholics, a group that separated from the Vatican but maintained Catholic traditions. The book was placed on the Vatican's Index of Forbidden Books.12

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Johann Joseph Ignaz von Döllinger
…Papst und das Konzil (1869; The Pope and the Council), under the pen name Janus. This book, which criticized the Vatican Council and the doctrine of infallibility, immediately was placed on the Vatican’s Index of Forbidden Books.
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…Papst und das Konzil (1869; The Pope and the Council), under the pen name Janus. This book, which criticized the Vatican Council and the doctrine of infallibility, immediately was placed on the Vatican’s Index of Forbidden Books.
Read More