The Church is most appropriately named "Catholic", signifying her universality. The unity of the Faith is to be held by all who cling to her bosom. The definition of the Faith can therefore never be restricted to historically formed borders of the nation state. A local bishop has a jurisdiction limited to his own diocese, therefore he can not define the Faith of the universal Church. One Faith was delivered to the Apostles, once and for all nations and for all times. It belongs to the solemn function of the Roman Pontiff who has universal and immediate jurisdiction over the Catholic Church to bind the faithful in the orthodox Faith. In addition, a General Council may share in his office when their decrees are approved by Peter. A decentralised Church is one detached from the Apostolic Faith.
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