The floor of Hell is paved with the skulls of bishops. --St. John Chrysostom, Patriarch of Constantinople (347-407)
Or try this . . .
almost all the bishops of the Latin Church fell into heresy, forced by violence or deceived by guile. It was like a fog fallen upon the spirits and hiding which road to take. In order to be safe from this contagious plague, the true disciples of Christ had to prefer the ancient beliefs rather than all the false novelties. --St. Vincent of Lerins (ca. 400-ca. 450)
And pray tell what ancient stuff are they speaki of following -- stuff before Constantine and the last 2-3 popes look at the dates. Is this guy a better jusge of heresy that maybe sonmeone say 1600 years after the fact?
When a foulness invades the whole Church..., we must return to the Church of the past. Vincent of Lerins (ca. 400-ca. 450)
St. Vincent of Lerins: On the Christian Faith, Heresy and Interpreting the Scriptures
Chapter II.
A General Rule for distinguishing the Truth of the Catholic Faith from the Falsehood of Heretical Pravity.
I have often then inquired earnestly and attentively of very many men eminent for sanctity and learning, how and by what sure and so to speak universal rule I may be able to distinguish the truth of Catholic faith from the falsehood of heretical pravity; and I have always, and in almost every instance, received an answer to this effect: That whether I or any one else should wish to detect the frauds and avoid the snares of heretics as they rise, and to continue sound and complete in the Catholic faith, we must, the Lord helping, fortify our own belief in two ways; first, by the authority of the Divine Law, and then, by the Tradition of the Catholic Church.
But here some one perhaps will ask, Since the canon of Scripture is complete, and sufficient of itself for everything, and more than sufficient, what need is there to join with it the authority of the Church's interpretation? For this reason,-because, owing to the depth of Holy Scripture, all do not accept it in one and the same sense, but one understands its words in one way, another in another; so that it seems to be capable of as many interpretations as there are interpreters. For Novatian expounds it one way, Sabellius another, Donatus another, Arius, Eunomius, Macedonius, another, Photinus, Apollinaris, Priscillian, another, Iovinian, Pelagius, Celestius, another, lastly, Nestorius another. Therefore, it is very necessary, on account of so great intricacies of such various error, that the rule for the right understanding of the prophets and apostles should be framed in accordance with the standard of Ecclesiastical and Catholic interpretation.
Moreover, in the Catholic Church itself, all possible care must be taken, that we hold that faith which has been believed everywhere, always, by all. For that is truly and in the strictest sense "Catholic," which, as the name itself and the reason of the thing declare, comprehends all universally. This rule we shall observe if we follow universality, antiquity, consent. We shall follow universality if we confess that one faith to be true, which the whole Church throughout the world confesses; antiquity, if we in no wise depart from those interpretations which it is manifest were notoriously held by our holy ancestors and fathers; consent, in like manner, if in antiquity itself we adhere to the consentient definitions and determinations of all, or at the least of almost all priests and doctors.
Chapter III.
What is to be done if one or more dissent from the rest.
What then will a Catholic Christian do, if a small portion of the Church have cut itself off from the communion of the universal faith? What, surely, but prefer the soundness of the whole body to the unsoundness of a pestilent and corrupt member? What, if some novel contagion seek to infect not merely an insignificant portion of the Church, but the whole? Then it will be his care to cleave to antiquity, which at this day cannot possibly be seduced by any fraud of novelty.
But what, if in antiquity itself there be found error on the part of two or three men, or at any rate of a city or even of a province? Then it will be his care by all means, to prefer the decrees, if such there be, of an ancient General Council to the rashness and ignorance of a few. But what, if some error should spring up on which no such decree is found to bear? Then he must collate andconsult and interrogate the opinions of the ancients, of those, namely, who, though living in divers times and places, yet continuing in the communion and faith of the one Catholic Church, stand forth acknowledged and approved authorities: and whatsoever he shall ascertain to have been held, written, taught, not by one or two of these only, but by all, equally, with one consent, openly, frequently, persistently, that he must understand that he himself also is to believe without any doubt or hesitation.
. . .
Chapter XXVII.
What Rule is to be observed in the Interpretation of Scripture.
But it will be said, If the words, the sentiments, the promises of Scripture, are appealed to by the Devil and his disciples, of whom some are false apostles, some false prophets and false teachers, and all without exception heretics, what are Catholics and the sons of Mother Church to do? How are they to distinguish truth from falsehood in the sacred Scriptures? They must be very careful to pursue that course which, in the beginning of this Commonitory, we said that holy and learned men had commended to us, that is to say, they must interpret the sacred Canon according to the traditions of the Universal Church and in keeping with the rules of Catholic doctrine, in which Catholic and Universal Church, moreover, they must follow universality, antiquity, consent. And if at any time a part opposes itself to the whole, novelty to antiquity, the dissent of one or a few who are in error to the consent of all or at all events of the great majority of Catholics, then they must prefer the soundness of the whole to the corruption of a part; in which same whole they must prefer the religion of antiquity to the profaneness of novelty; and in antiquity itself in like manner, to the temerity of one or of a very few they must prefer, first of all, the general decrees, if such there be, of a Universal Council, or if there be no such, then, what is next best, they must follow the consentient belief of many and great masters. Which rule having been faithfully, soberly, and scrupulously observed, we shall with little difficulty detect the noxious errors of heretics as they arise.
"The floor of Hell is paved with the skulls of bishops. --St. John Chrysostom, Patriarch of Constantinople (347-407)"
How about "For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more." Lk 12:48
And how about the parable of the wheat and the tares Mt 13:25-30?
Don't you think Chrysostom had the above sayings of Jesus in mind? Is it surprising that he didn't think much of bishops who didn't belong in their office? Does this mean anything more than there are a few bad people serving in the Church?
Regards,
St. John Chrysostom was himself a bishop. So he obviously didn't mean all bishops. What he wrote was a warning to all bishops of the gravity of their office. It is their moral duty to maintain the faith, and that the price of their failure to uphold that morality was graver beyond all imagination. He was warning them that their office didn't shield them from damnation, but rather their acceptance of that office played their soul in grave danger because of the amazing spiritual responsibilities that came with it.
But like most ignorant Catholic-bashers, you fail to recognize that the Catholic church never said that bishops, or even the Pope, are impeccable.
For his scathing condemnation of the bishops of Rome, the bishops of Rome have seen to it that he remains one of the saints most studied by bishops and preists.
You realize these people were made saints because they won, don't you? The church, as it stands now, sided with these men, and eventually the heresies these saints were railing against were dispelled.