The gift of indefectibility can be summarized as follows. The Church, in order to attain the supernatural end which has been assigned to her by Our Lord must remain indefectible in her divine constitution throughout the centuries, always true to herself in what is of divine institution, and in her teaching always faithful to the doctrine revealed by Jesus Christ. The Catholic Encyclopedia explains:

The Church can never undergo any constitutional change which will make it, as a social organism, something different from what it was originally. It can never become corrupt in faith or morals; nor can it ever lose the apostolic hierarchy, or the sacraments through which Christ communicates grace to men. The gift of indefectibility is expressly promised to the Church by Christ, in the words in which He declares the gates of hell shall not prevail against it (my emphasis).

© 1997 Michael Davies.

Last modified 27th October, 1997, by David Joyce.