> *[Church Militant](https://www.churchmilitantaction.org/) (a 501(c)4 corporation) is responsible for the content of this commentary.* If you also seek the truth, then please consider joining Church Militant today by supporting our work. Sign up for a [Church Militant Premium account](https://www.churchmilitant.com/gopremium) or simply [make a donation](https://www.churchmilitant.com/donate). Feel free to [contact Church Militant](https://www.churchmilitant.com/contact) with your questions, comments, or concerns, at anytime. And now, let's begin with today's [*Vortex*](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL91feG5gFxM80FB-x7ZBqmNbz3c7Mk0p8)... > > **Two!** > > When Our Blessed Lord made Simon Bar-Jonah the head of the Apostles, He did so by saying, "And to you I give the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven." ([Matthew 16:19](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+16%3A19&version=NCB)) Notice: *keys* — plural — more than one key. That reality is expressed on the Vatican's flag, which has two keys. One key represents the pope's spiritual authority; the other represents his temporal authority. > > And moreover, they intersect each other to show that (sometimes) both these jurisdictions overlap. The one key, the spiritual one, represents the teaching authority. And when it is challenged or attempted to be taken, that is heresy — denying a teaching or teachings of the Church. The other key, the temporal authority one, is violated when someone denies or ignores the temporal authority the pope exercises over the Church — that is schism. > > The point is, there is more than just one way to challenge the Church: either through Her teachings or Her authority. Today, both things are happening. Some challenge the teachings; others are challenging the authority. Some are engaging in heresy, others in schism. There's more than one side of the Barque of St. Peter a Catholic can fall from.  > > Schism is just as much of a threat to the life of a faithful Catholic as heresy. And they both damage the Church, sometimes severely. Just look at the schism with Eastern Orthodoxy 1,000 years ago and the effects of the Protestant heresy 500 years ago. This is why both heresy and schism need to be nipped in the bud as soon as possible — because once they gain traction, they tend to spin out of control. And once that happens, there's no real coming back, as history shows us. > > The point that both heretics and schismatics seem to miss is this: **It's not the teachings that need to be believed in or the Faith itself; it's the Church** — the Church's divine charter, Her mission — ultimately, Her authority. The teachings proceed from all that, so it is the Church that must be believed in, not the teachings or the Faith per se. The teachings flow from the Church, not the other way around.  Primary Video source and transcript continues here: https://www.churchmilitant.com/video/episode/vort-there-are-two-keys > Please consider [Church Militant Evening News](https://www.churchmilitant.com/video/archive/evening-news) for daily hard-hitting news and analysis through an authentic Catholic lens, covering the latest developments in the Church, across the nation and around the world.