Ultramontanism
in Church his tory, a name improperly given by some theologians, N. of the Alps, before the Vatican Council in 1870, to the generally received opinion of the Church in all ages, that the Papal utterances ex cathedrâ on matters of faith or morals are irreformable. The word was used in contradistinction to Gallicanism, which attributed infallibility and supreme authority in matters of faith, morals, and discipline to the entire Church, personi fied in a General Council. Since the definition of the Vatican Council in 1870 concerning the infallibility of the Pope, Gallicanism has become a heresy.