The First Vatican Council, also known as Vatican I, was a gathering of Catholic bishops to discuss church doctrine and dogma. The spelling of the word in IPA phonetic transcription is /fɜrst vəˈtɪkən ˈkaʊnsəl/. The first syllable is pronounced with the same sound as "fur", while the second syllable has a schwa sound. The "t" in "Vatican" is pronounced with a flap sound, similar to the "d" sound, and the stress is on the second syllable. The final syllable in "council" is pronounced with an "ul" sound.
The First Vatican Council refers to a significant ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church that took place in Vatican City between 1869 and 1870. It was convened by Pope Pius IX, with the primary objective of addressing various challenges faced by the Church in the modern era. This council is also known as Vatican I.
The First Vatican Council was characterized by the participation of bishops and other high-ranking Church officials from different parts of the world. The council's primary focus was to define the role and authority of the papacy, clarify the relationship between faith and reason, and address the challenges posed by modernism and secularism.
One of its most significant outcomes was the declaration of the dogma of papal infallibility, which states that the Pope, under specific conditions, is free from error when speaking ex cathedra (from the Chair of St. Peter) on matters of faith and morality. This declaration solidified the authority of the Pope and defined an important aspect of Catholic doctrine.
The First Vatican Council was ultimately cut short due to the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian War. It was officially suspended in 1870 and never reconvened. However, it left a lasting impact on the Roman Catholic Church and its teachings, shaping the basis for the modern understanding of papal authority and influencing subsequent ecumenical councils, such as the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s.