On December 8, 1854, Pius IX declared as dogma the traditional belief that Mary had been conceived without original sin: “It is a divinely revealed truth of faith that Mary in the first moment of her conception was freed by special grace from the stain of original sin in view of the merits of Christ.” The subject of the decision was not new. It was the way it was proclaimed. This was not a decision by a council, but an ex cathedra definition by the pope. The expression means “from the chair,” the official teaching role within the Church. Questions arose from all sides. Can the pope alone,
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