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What is Papal Infallibility? |
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This teaching of the Church is a cause of never ending confusion and often ridicule. Even Catholics may have a difficult time explaining it. I will start by offering a simple definition from the Catholic Encyclopedia. The Roman Pontiff, when he speaks ex cathedra, from the chair, in the exercise of his office as pastor and teacher of all Christians he defines, by virtue of his supreme Apostolic authority, a doctrine of faith or morals held by the whole Church- is, by reason of the Divine assistance promised to him in blessed Peter, possessed of that infallibility with which the Divine Redeemer wished His Church to be endowed in defining doctrines of faith and morals, and consequently that such definitions of the Roman Pontiff are irreformable of their own nature (ex sese) and not by reason of the Church’s consent. |
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Did Jesus create the Church and give it power to teach? |
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In order to understand this teaching, we must understand the way the Church understands truth. Catholics believe in an absolute and unchangeable truth rooted in God. This truth is revealed in Christ who is the Word become flesh (Jn 1: 4) and he who has seen Christ Jesus has seen the Father (cf Jn 14: 9). Jesus also instructed the apostles to await the Holy Spirit who would make clear all that Jesus, the Way the Truth and the Life, had taught them, and would be with them always. ( Jn 14: 16, 17, 26). The Holy Spirit guides the Church, which we have from the apostles who were commissioned by Christ Jesus to do specific things: preach, teach, and shepherd (Mk 10.45; Lk 10: 16 Lk 22.24-26 , Jn 13:20), forgive sins (Mt 16: 19; 18: 18; Jn 20: 23), offer up the Eucharist (Jn 6; Last Supper accounts of Mt, Mk & Lk), cure the sick, expel demons, and baptize (Mt 16: 15). Sometimes we may hear someone say, “Well, the Church says…” By this we understand the teaching magisterium of the Church. The Second Vatican Council, in the Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation, Dei Verbum, asserted, "The task of authentically interpreting the Word of God, whether in its written form or in that of tradition, has been entrusted only to those charged with the Church's living magisterium, whose authority is exercised in the name of Jesus Christ" (DV 10). The purpose of the magisterium—the teaching authority of the Church—is thereby to preserve the deposit of faith handed on to us from Christ Himself and to apply its principles of truth to our modern day situation so that each Catholic can live an authentically Christian life. The Catechism of the Catholic Church highlighted that "it is the magisterium's task to preserve God's people from deviations and to guarantee them the objective possibility of professing the true faith without error" (No. 890). |
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Does the Pope work alone or with the entire Church and bishops? |
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Christ has given the charism of infallibility to the Church. This charism, or gift, can be seen in two ways. First, in an ecumenical council where the college of bishops speaks in union with the Pope. An example of an ecumenical council could be Nicea (325) Lateran IV (1215) or Vatican II (1965). The decisions of faith and morals in an ecumenical council become the teaching authority of the Church, the deposit of faith. Second, the charism of infallibility is given to the Pope when speaking on matters of faith and morals. In this manner the pope is said to speak from the chair, ex cathedra, from the authority given to the office of the pope by our Lord. The pope declares ex cathedra of his office as pope, not on his human person. These declarations are binding on the entire faithful and become part of the deposit of faith. Only twice has the pope spoken ex cathedra: Pius IX on the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception (1854) and Pius XII on the Dogma of the Assumption (1950). Both of these declarations addressed principles of theology, or more appropriately Mariology, that had been discussed for centuries and even held as norms for many parts of the Church. E.g., the faithful have believed that Mary assumed into heaven body and soul since the early days of the Church. Pope Pius XII simply declared it to be so. It might be said, that it was an “easy” declaration as everyone already believed it. |
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Do Catholics blindly follow the Pope? |
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The pope exercises leadership over the bishops. This can be seen in the Acts of the Apostles. To resolve the question concerning the terms on which Gentiles were to be admitted into the Church, the Church of Antioch sent Paul, Barnabas, and some others to confer, not with Peter alone, but with all the apostles and presbyters in Jerusalem. Although Peter spoke at the council which followed, the plan of action finally adopted was not proposed by him but by James, and the decision was made, not by Peter alone, but by the whole assembly (Acts 15.7‑11, 13‑20, 28f). These observations in no way detract from Peter's authority, but show how from the beginning it was exercised in a collegial manner. In a world filled with relativism, where truth is thought of as nothing more than personal opinion, the teaching of infallibility may seem peculiar. It is a blessing to know that truth is unchangeable and that we have a magisterium that courageously teaches the truth. In conforming to this truth, each of us finds genuine freedom in living the life God has called us to live. St. Paul captured this notion well in his first letter to St. Timothy: "I am writing you about these matters so that...you will know what kind of conduct befits a member of God's household, the Church of the living God, the pillar and bulwark of truth" (3:14-15). |
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