3.7. What is “collegiality,” and why is it a heresy?
The concept of “collegiality,” as taught by Vatican II, suggests that the College of Bishops, united with the Pope, shares supreme authority over the universal Church. On the surface, this may sound like a cooperative or team-based leadership. However, it introduces a new ecclesiology that seriously undermines papal primacy, which was solemnly defined by the First Vatican Council (1870).
Vatican I declared that the Pope alone holds supreme, full, and universal jurisdiction over the whole Church, immediately and independently of any other authority. He is not merely the head of a college; he is the supreme pastor and ruler by divine institution.
Yet Vatican II’s document Lumen Gentium (1964) ambiguously taught that “the College of Bishops, together with its head, the Roman Pontiff… is also the subject of supreme and full power over the universal Church.” This theological innovation introduced the idea of shared power and blurred the unique role of the Pope.
Even though a "Nota Praevia" (preliminary note) was added to limit the implications of this teaching, the damage was done: collegiality has fostered synodality, democratic church structures, and a shift in authority from the divinely-instituted papacy to national bishops' conferences and "team leadership."
This is not cooperation. It is doctrinal dilution, and it has opened the door to disobedience, fragmentation, and a redefinition of the Church’s divine constitution.
| Category | Traditional Catholic Teaching | Vatican II Teaching | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Supreme Authority | The Pope alone has supreme authority over the whole Church | The College of Bishops, with the Pope, shares supreme authority | Contradicts Vatican I’s infallible teaching on papal primacy |
| Role of Bishops | Bishops have authority over their dioceses, under the Pope | Bishops collectively share in universal governance | Blurs lines of authority, weakens papal oversight |
| Unity of the Church | Unity is founded on submission to the Pope | Unity redefined as collegial communion and cooperation | Undermines hierarchical and monarchical structure of the Church |
| Governance | Pope governs immediately and personally by divine right | Governs “together with” the bishops | Leads to decentralized and synodal forms of governance |
| Ecclesiology | Church is a divinely-instituted monarchy with one head | Church becomes a body of co-governors under a president | Alters the divine constitution of the Church |
Summary:
Collegiality, as introduced by Vatican II, may sound like collaboration, but it is in fact a revolutionary shift that undermines the Church’s divine constitution and the monarchical primacy of the Pope. It contradicts Vatican I’s infallible dogma, opens the door to chaos, and fosters a false democratization of the Church that empowers bishops’ conferences over Rome.
This is not Catholic unity—it is modernist decentralization, and yet another reason why Vatican II must be rejected in full.