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Reply to @FrLavery In our discussion on the nature of the Church, you asked the following two questions: 1) What is "visibility" as explained by the theologians. 2) What things must exist at all times and in what way, also according to theologians, as essential to this visibility? For example, clearly a living Pope is not, or else, as Protestants have attempted to argue, the Church would have lost her visibility every time a Pope has died. In reply to the first question, the Chuch is both materially and formally visibible. The material visibility is the object of our senses (i.e., what we see); formal visibility is the object of our intellect (what we know). When we say the Church is formally visible, we mean she is *recognizable* (can be known) as the true Church founded by Christ. Fr. Devine explains this distinctin in his book, The Creed Explained (1897): “Material visibility is that which we see in a thing, when we attend only to its corporeal aspect. In this sense a man, as to his body, is visible. Formal visibility is when the external signs, or that which is seen by the eye, conveys to the mind the invisible or interior qualities of a thing.” An organization can be materially visible as a society, and even formally visible as a religious society/organization. But only the Catholic Church can be formally visible as the true Church founded by Christ. Again from Fr. Devine: “A Society is said to be visible in a material sense, when it is made up of men assembled together in a congregation, without attending to the object or ends that binds them together in one body. … The formal visibility of a society is that by which we regard it, not merely as an assembly of men, but an assembly of men united together for some specific object …. When we speak of the visibility of the Church, we have to understand that it is not only visible in the material sense, that is, a society of men who are visible to their fellow-creatures, but in a formal sense, that is, that she can be seen as the society of the faithful, and that she manifests conspicuously the characters of her divinity. … The Church is visible in this two-fold sense.” (Ibid) What makes the Church formally visible as the true Church founded by Christ are the four marks; and of the four marks, the one that most clearly identifies her as the true Church is the mark of Apostolicity, specifically, apostolicity of government. In his book, The Church of Christ, Fr. Berry wrote the following about the visible character of the Church: “When we say that the Church of Christ is visible, we mean, primarily, that it is a society of men with external rites and ceremonies and all the external machinery of government by which it can easily be recognized as a true society. But we further maintain that the Church of Christ also has certain marks by which it may be recognized as the one true Church founded by Christ when He commissioned the apostles to convert all nations. In other words, we maintain that the Church of Christ is formally visible, not only as a society known as a Christian Church, but also as the one true Church of Christ.” He continies: “The Church of Christ is formally visible, not only as a Church, but also as the true Church of Christ. This is an article of faith, having been defined by the [First] Vatican Council in the following words: ‘God established a Church through His only begotten Son, and endowed it with manifest marks [material visibility] of its institution, that it might be known by all [formal visibility] as the guardian and teacher of the revealed word.’ This is a clear and comprehensive definition of formal visibility. The Church has certain evident marks by which it can be recognized as the true Church of Christ, the guardian and teacher of the revealed word.” He continues: “The thesis contains two propositions: (a) the Church is an external society that can be recognized as such by all, - and it's formally visible as a religious society or Church; (b) This society has certain marks by which it may be distinguished from all other churches and recognized as the true Church, - it is formally visible as the true Church. … it has been amply proved that Christ established His Church under the form of an external visible society." (Church of Christ pp. 39-40). So, it is the four marks that renders the Church formally visible as the true Church. Now, while all four marks are interrelated in such a way that if one is missing, none exist, it is nevertheless true that, as I mentioned above, the mark of apostolicity is the one that most clearly identifies the Catholic Church as the true Church, as the the Catholic Encyclopedia explains: “Apostolicity is the mark by which the Church of today is recognized as identical with the Church founded by Jesus Christ upon the Apostles. It is of great importance because it is the surest indication of the true Church of Christ, it is most easily examined, and it virtually contains the other three marks, namely, Unity, Sanctity, and Catholicity.” (1913 Catholic Encyclopedia, vol. I, p. 648, Apostolicity.) The reason the mark of Apostolicity clearly identifies the Catholic Church - the local Church of Rome and the diocese throughout the world in union with it - is because it alone is ruled by a body of bishops (the episcopal college) that is numerically one moral body with the Apostolic College that was established and sent by Christ. Put differently, only the Catholic Church is governed by legitimate successors of the Apostles. Question 2: What is required for the Church to remain formally visible. With respect to the mark of Apostoicity, what is required is legitimate successors of the Apostles, who form one juridical person with the apostolic college established by Chist. What is a legitimate successor of the Apostles? A legitimate successor of the Apostles is either 1) a member of the Episcopal College (body of bishops in union with the Pope), or 2) (since the episcopal college doesn't exist when there is no pope - during a papal interregnum), a bishop with title and ordinary episcopal jurisdiction over an Apostolic or Episcopal See remains a legitimate successor of the Apostles. During a papal interregnum, the bishops who received their jurisdiction from the previous pope retain it. Once a bishop is legitimately appointed (according to ecclesiastical law), he holds his authority by divine law, and therefore retains it when the one who legitimately appointed him dies. Bishops with the authority/jurisdiction to teach, govern and sactify is the formal aspect of apostolic succession, and formal apostolic succession is required for the mark of Apostolicity; and since Bishops receive their jurisdiction from the Pope - "and only from the Pope" (Pius XII) - the only body of bishops that can (possibly) have formal apostolic succession is the body of Bishops who were appointed to a legitimately established episcopal see (or canonical equivalent) by a pope. Needless to say, there is only one Church - one visible, hierarchical society - that even claims to be ruled by a body of bishops who were appointed - and received their jurisdiction - by a pope. In Christ's Church (1920), Van Noort explains that "Formal apostolic succession" is a perpetual and permanent reality in the Church: “Proposition: It was Christ’s will that the sacred ruling power which had begun in the apostolic college should continue forever. This proposition is concerned with the same threefold power which we have proved to have been given to the apostles [i.e., to teach, govern and sanctify]. It asserts that this power was granted by Christ with the following stipulation: that it be handed on to an endless line of successors. We are not concerned at the moment with the subordinate co-workers of the apostles. The only point to be proven here is that it was Christ’s will that the apostolic college should continue forever, in such a way that there would always be in the Church a body of men invested with the threefold power [authority] which the apostles enjoyed. This thesis is a dogma of faith, as we know, e.g., from the Council of Trent, Sess. 23, c. 4 (DB 960).” In the following quote, Fr. Berry explains that no bishops can be a legitimate successor of the Apostles (have formal apostolic succession) unless he receive jurisdictio from the Pope. Fr Berry: "Jurisdiction is authority to govern and must be transmitted in the Church … there can be no legitimate successor in the Church of Christ, who has not received jurisdiction either directly or indirectly from her supreme authority. But as will be proven elsewhere, the supreme authority in the Church of Christ was committed to St. Peter and his lawful successors, the bishops of Rome.” (The Church of Christ, pp. 78-79) Now, since the only Church that even claims to be rule by a body of bishops who were appointed to a legitimately established episcopal see (or canonical equivalent) by a Pope, are the Bishops of the visible society consisting of the local Church of Rome and the diocese throughout the world in union with it, that Church, which you call the Conciliar Church, it is the only one that *can* (possibly) possess the mark of Apostolicity. Hence, it is the only Church that can be the true Church. The "Conciliar Church" is also the only Church that has a body of bishops (the episcopal college) that is numerically one and the same juridical person with the Apostolic College, which is divinely established office - part of the Church's Divine Constitution - that, after personally establishing, Christ promised to remain with "all days, even to the consummation of the world" (Mt. 28:19-20) The Relation between Apostolicity of Membership (or "Origin") and Apostolicity of Government I'm going to end with two quotes: one from Van Noort that shows the relation between apostolicity of government and apostolicity of membership (sometimes call apostolicity of "origin") and explains how the Church - a visible, hierarchical society - remains numerically one and the same moral body throughout the centuries; the second quote, from Cardinal Billot, further elaborates on the mark of Apostolicity. The following is taken from Van Noort's book, Christ's Church (1920), pages 151-155: "Apostolicity of Government – or mission - means the Church is always ruled by pastors who form one same juridical person with the apostles. In other words, it is always ruled by pastors who are the apostles’ legitimate successors. "It has already been proved that Christ Himself founded a living organization, a visible Church. Granted that fact, it should be obvious that an essential part of that Church’s structure is apostolicity of government. For on no one but the apostolic college, under the headship of Peter, did Christ confer the power of teaching, sanctifying and ruling the faithful until the end of the world. This triple power, therefore, necessarily belongs, and can only belong, to those who form one moral person with the apostles: their legitimate successors. "It has already been established (see no. 34) that bishops succeeded to the position in the Church originally filled by the apostle But as was pointed out. this succession does not mean that a particular bishop succeeds to the job of a particular apostle - say that the bishop of Bridgeport has taken over the job of St Bartholomew. Rather, it means that the college of bishops, viewed collectively, succeeded the apostolic college, viewed collectively. ... “Apostolicity of membership means that the Church in any given age is and remains numerically the same society as that planted by the apostles. (…) A moral body, despite the fact that it constantly undergoes change and renovation in its personnel, remains numerically the same moral body so long as it retains the same social structure and the same authority. This should be clear from the fact that corporations like General Motors, or RCA Victor, or nations like the United States, France, or Switzerland, remain the same corporate or political entities, and are represented before national or international tribunals as the same moral body even though there is vast fluctuation in their personnel.” (Van Noort, Christ's Church, pp. 151-152-154-155) In the next quote, taken from his celebrated book, De Ecclesia Christi, Cardinal Billot explains Apostolicity - the visible continuity of the Church - was considered by the Fathers as the principle mark (or note) of the true Church, and the one they most often appealed to against the heretics of their day: Billot, explanation of Apostolicity: “The true Church of Christ is essentially apostolic, inasmuch as it retains perforce until the end of time visible continuity with that primitive Church which the apostles founded. And because this sort of continuity is so proper to her that it cannot be had in common with any false sect, it has the force and figure of a positive Note (i.e., mark), and indeed of that principle Note which the Fathers used the most. This Note, moreover, shines forth so much the more splendidly in the Roman communion, as it is manifestly shown to be lacking in all others. “It moves us greatly,” St. Augustine said, “that our Lord, whom it would be sacrilegious and impious to disbelieve, in the last words that he spoke on earth, left the primitive Church his last and most salutary instructions. For, having said these things, he soon ascended into heaven. He wished to fortify our ears in advance against those who he predicted would rise up in the times to come and say, Behold, here is Christ; behold, he is there [Mt. 24:23]. He warned us not to believe such people…” (…) To these last words of our Savior [i.e., his prediction that false Christs and prophets will arise] belong all those things which we are told He said during those forty days when ‘he showed himself living after his Passion, appearing to them and speaking of the kingdom of God.’ To these words especially belong those which Matthew commemorates at the conclusion of his Gospel, where Jesus, having returned to life, says to the eleven: All power is given me in heaven and on earth. Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them…, behold I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world. And in these words He spoke unambiguously about the true and genuine Church, clearly indicating that until the end of time she would retain visible continuity, without any rupture or interpolation, with the Church that would soon be begun by his Apostles. (…) “Indeed, the Church with which He promised that he would remain, and which for this reason is said to be the true Church of Christ, was to see no end in this world, until she should see the end of this world. (…) Moreover, this sort of continuity must be taken in the strict sense, as excluding the possibility of any rupture or interpolation whatsoever. For, by saying, ‘I am with you all days,’ he precludes any interruption at all, no matter how slight, even of one day or one instant; he has left no gap for innovators to legitimize the founding of their sects. Again, this continuity is visible, both because it begins with visible, designated individuals, and also because it is established among men and for the sake of men, who can hardly judge the continuity of a society except in the way that they judge the continuity of a river, whose successive parts are visibly connected; finally, it is visible because it must be in agreement with the nature of the Church herself, which, as we have demonstrated above (Question 1, Thesis II), is both materially and formally visible[5] by the institution of Christ. Finally, this visible continuity carries with itself all the properties of the true Church, since with this continuity comes the assistance of Christ. The assistance of Christ means absolute indefectibility, and cannot belong to any false Church, as is evident from the terms themselves. Therefore, from first to last, the apostolicity here set forth constitutes a positive Note par excellence. (…) Moreover, among the other positive Notes of the Church, this continuity with the apostles has always held a certain primacy in the common usage of the Fathers, for no other Note is more obvious, and no other betrays its presence or absence by facts that are more material and, so to speak, tangible. Succession in the Church consists in the conservation of a numerically identical social body that subsists at all times, so that no fraud could be suspected in the transmission of its name.” (Billot, Tractus De Ecclesia Christi, 1927, Question VI, on Apostolicity, Thesis VII).

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Today idols arise and demand our worship: success at any cost, money, an obsession with appearance, popularity, or the unrestrained pursuit of pleasure. Sometimes, in order to win the approval of others, we may go so far as to lie, betray, or humiliate someone on social media. Do not bow down before anything that cannot give you life. And if you have ever fallen, get back up. Do not allow anything or anyone to take away the freedom God has given you. #ApostolicJourney #Argentina