[[Image:Pius ix.jpg|thumb|[[Pius IX]], instigator of the council which affirmed his absolute authority within the [[Roman Catholic Church]].]]
The '''[[First Vatican Council]]''' (or Vatican I) was a council of the Roman Catholic Church that was summoned by Pope [[Pius IX]]. The first session was held in [[St Peter's Basilica]] on December 8, 1869. It was the 20th ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church. Nearly 800 church leaders attended. The pope's two primary purposes were to define the dogma of [[Papal Infallibility]] and to obtain confirmation of the position he had taken in his Syllabus of Errors (1864), condemning a wide range of positions associated with rationalism, liberalism, and materialism... ([[First Vatican Council|Read more]])
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