For three hundred years, the seat of the General Councils had remained still and as the world progressed into a more technologically advanced society, calling many bishops to join in one location for a General Council had become a much easier prospect. With the system of railways which now extended throughout Europe and the Atlantic passage being shortened to that of a few days, the meeting of the bishops would be much simpler now.
Pope Pius IX Calls a General Council Under the Bull Aeterni Patris
On June 29, 1868, Pope Pius IX released his papal bull, Aeterni Patris, summoning all the bishops to a General Council. The purpose of this council, according to his bull, was to “restate the faith in certain matters where it had been attacked or misunderstood; to review the whole matter of clerical life and its needs; to provide new safeguards for Christian marriage and the Christian education of youth; and . . . to promote peace and prosperity in the national life everywhere.” The Church in Crisis: A History of the General Councils, 325 – 1870 – By Philip Hughes
But what the council is remembered for and will always be remembered for is the final declaration determining papal infallibility in matters regarding to the faith or morals.
There was a great deal of dissent on this issue, many bishops disagreed either with the concept itself or the timing of the proclamation. Obviously, the Protestant Reformation had changed the entire landscape of the church and such a proclamation could make matters worse. But it went ahead as planned and the doctrine of Pastor Aeternus was passed despite a lot of hesitation and concerns.
Other Issues Resolved in the First General Council of the Vatican
Much was done in this General Council, so it is only possible to summarize the doctrines which were formally defined.
God was defined as the Creator of all things and it was defined as an error to deny one true God. Revelation was defined as something which can be known by the natural light of human reason but can also be taught by extraordinary divine intervention. Faith was defined in a manner stating that God may juxtapose understanding upon someone within the context of their own human reason. And it was stated that it would be an error to believe that within the context of divine revelation there remain no mysteries and that all things can be understood by simple human reason. In essence, faith is essential and divine revelation needful for the mysteries of God to be known in an individual soul.
The General Council of Trent, 1545-63 A.D.
The Second General Council of the Vatican, 1963-65 A.D.
Sources: The Church in Crisis: A History of the General Councils, 325 – 1870 – By Philip Hughes, The General Councils: A History of the Twenty-One Church Councils from Nicaea to Vatican II – By Christopher M. Bellito, The Documents of Vatican II – By Walter M. Abbott, S.J. and the Very Reverend Monsignor Joseph Gallagher, A Short History of Christian Doctrine: From the First Century to the Present – By Bernard Lohse, The Reform of the Liturgy – Annibale Bugnini, www.catholicdigitalstudio.com/councils.htm
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