Editing Infallibility of the Church (section)

==Ecumenical councils==
The [[Roman Catholic Church]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: General Councils |url=https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04423f.htm |access-date=2023-01-01 |website=www.newadvent.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Washburn |first=Christian D. |date=2010 |title=St. Robert Bellarmine on the Infallibility of General Councils of the Church |url=https://www.academia.edu/36244015 |journal=Annuarium Historiae Conciliorum |volume=42 |issue=1 |pages=171–192 |doi=10.30965/25890433-04201011 |issn=0003-5157}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Philip Schaff: NPNF2-14. The Seven Ecumenical Councils - Christian Classics Ethereal Library |url=https://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf214.iii.ii.html |access-date=2023-01-01 |website=www.ccel.org}}</ref> and the [[Eastern Orthodox Church]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Confession of Dositheus, Synod of Jerusalem (1672) |url=https://www.crivoice.org/creeddositheus.html |access-date=2024-06-14 |website=Christian Resource Institute}} "Moreover, when any man speaks from himself he is liable to err, and to deceive, and be deceived; but the Catholic Church, as never having spoken, or speaking from herself, but from the Spirit of God — who being her teacher, she is ever unfailingly rich — it is impossible for her to in any wise err, or to at all deceive, or be deceived; but like the Divine Scriptures, is infallible, and has perpetual authority." (Decree 2)</ref> hold the doctrine that the [[Ecumenical council|ecumenical councils]] are infallible. However, the Eastern Orthodox churches accept only the [[First seven ecumenical councils|seven ecumenical councils]] from [[First Council of Nicaea|Nicaea I]] to [[Second Council of Nicaea|Nicaea II]] as genuinely ecumenical, while Roman Catholics accept twenty-one. Only a very few [[Protestantism|Protestants]] believe in the infallibility of ecumenical councils,{{Source needed|date=July 2024}} and these usually restrict infallibility to the [[Christology|Christological]] statements of the first seven councils.{{Source needed|date=July 2024}} [[Lutheranism|Lutherans]] recognize the first four councils,<ref>''See, e.g.'' Lutheran-Orthodox Joint Commission, Seventh Meeting, The Ecumenical Councils, Common Statement, 1993, ''available at'' http://www.helsinki.fi/~risaarin/lutortjointtext.html#ecum ("We agree on the doctrine of God, the Holy Trinity, as formulated by the Ecumenical Councils of Nicaea and Constantinople and on the doctrine of the person of Christ as formulated by the first four Ecumenical Councils.").</ref> whereas most [[High Church]] [[Anglican]]s accept all seven as persuasive but not infallible.<ref>''See'' The Conciliar Anglican, Ask An Anglican: The Ecumenical Councils, Aug. 3, 2011, ''available at'' http://conciliaranglican.com/2011/08/03/ask-an-anglican-the-ecumenical-councils/ {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130414054724/http://conciliaranglican.com/2011/08/03/ask-an-anglican-the-ecumenical-councils/ |date=2013-04-14 }} ("While it is possible for a Council to err, it is so manifestly unlikely in the event of a truly Ecumenical Council that the conclusions of such a Council should be treated as final.").</ref>