Did the Catholic Church Change the Sabbath?
The Catholic Church openly admits it changed the day of worship from Saturday to Sunday. This is not a Protestant accusation. Cardinals, catechisms, and official church publications have stated for centuries that Sunday observance rests on church authority, not on any command in Scripture. The quotes below come from Catholic sources themselves.
When hostile witnesses testify against their own interest, their testimony carries special weight. What follows are not allegations from outsiders but admissions from the institution itself.
The Admissions
These statements span over a century of official Catholic publications. Together they form a clear pattern: the Church claims it changed the Sabbath by its own authority, and regards Protestant Sunday observance as an acknowledgment of that authority.
"The Catholic Church... by virtue of her divine mission, changed the day from Saturday to Sunday."
Catholic Mirror, September 2, 1893"You may read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, and you will not find a single line authorizing the sanctification of Sunday."
James Cardinal Gibbons, The Faith of Our Fathers (1917)"The observance of Sunday by the Protestants is an homage they pay, in spite of themselves, to the authority of the Catholic Church."
Monsignor Louis Gaston de SĆ©gur, Plain Talk About the Protestantism of Today (1868)These are not obscure documents. Cardinal Gibbons was the most prominent American Catholic leader of his era. The Catholic Mirror was the official newspaper of the Archdiocese of Baltimore. These were mainstream Catholic voices stating what the Church has never hidden.
The Modern Catechism
Some might dismiss nineteenth-century sources as outdated. But the Catechism of the Catholic Church (1992), the official doctrinal summary promulgated by Pope John Paul II, confirms the same claim:
"Sunday is expressly distinguished from the sabbath which it follows chronologically every week; for Christians its ceremonial observance replaces that of the sabbath."
Catechism of the Catholic Church, Ā§2175The word "replaces" is decisive. The Church does not claim Scripture changed the day. The Church claims it changed the day by its own authority. The nineteenth-century admissions were not rhetorical flourishes; they stated official doctrine that the modern catechism confirms.
The "Mark" of Authority
Some Catholic sources go further, calling Sunday observance a "mark" of the Church's authority over Scripture:
"Of course the Catholic Church claims that the change was her act... And the act is a mark of her ecclesiastical power and authority in religious matters."
H. F. Thomas, Chancellor for Cardinal Gibbons (1895)"Sunday is our mark of authority.... The church is above the Bible, and this transference of sabbath observance is proof of that fact."
The Catholic Record, London, Ontario, September 1, 1923The language of "mark" and "authority" takes on prophetic significance when compared with Revelation 13:16-17 and the warning about receiving the mark of the beast's authority.
What Scripture Actually Says
The Fourth Commandment is explicit:
"Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God."
Exodus 20:8-10The Sabbath was established at Creation (Genesis 2:2-3), before any ceremonial law, before Israel existed, before any church. Jesus kept it (Luke 4:16). The apostles kept it after the resurrection (Acts 13:42-44, Acts 17:2). And Isaiah prophesied it will be kept in the new earth (Isaiah 66:22-23).
No verse in Scripture transfers the sanctity of the seventh day to the first. Even the Catholic Church admits this. The question is: whose authority do you follow?
Frequently Asked Questions
Did the Catholic Church change the Sabbath to Sunday?
Yes. The Catholic Church openly admits it changed the day of worship from Saturday to Sunday by its own authority, not by any command in Scripture. Cardinal Gibbons wrote: "You may read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, and you will not find a single line authorizing the sanctification of Sunday."
What did the Catholic Church say about changing the Sabbath?
The Catholic Mirror stated: "The Catholic Church... by virtue of her divine mission, changed the day from Saturday to Sunday." The Catholic Record declared: "Sunday is our mark of authority... The church is above the Bible, and this transference of sabbath observance is proof of that fact."
Does the modern Catholic Church still claim it changed the Sabbath?
Yes. The Catechism of the Catholic Church (1992) states that Sunday "replaces" the Sabbath (Ā§2175). This confirms the nineteenth-century admissions represent ongoing official doctrine.
Is there a Bible verse that changed the Sabbath to Sunday?
No. Even Catholic authorities admit there is no biblical command for Sunday worship. The change rests on church tradition, not Scripture. This is exactly what the Roman Catholic Church claims as evidence of its authority.
Go Deeper
Full Documentation
- Appendix C: Catholic Admissions ā Complete collection of sources
- Quote Wall ā Interactive explorer with 89 hostile witness quotes
Related Topics
- When Was the Sabbath Changed? ā Historical timeline
- Chapter 3: They Admit Everything ā Full chapter on hostile witness testimony
- Chapter 8: The Mathematical Prophecy ā Daniel 7:25 and the 1260 years
Interactive Studies
- 1260 Timeline ā Prophetic timeline fulfilled
- Sabbath vs Sunday ā Complete comparison