Pontifical Infallibility

For the Catholic church, the pontifical infallibility is a Dogme according to which the Pape cannot be mistaken when it is expressed ex cathedra (i.e. as a supreme Doctor of the Church and by engaging its full apostolic authority), and this, as regards Foi and of Morale.

This dogma was defined solemnly in 1870 at the time of the Ier council of the Vatican though the Church confers old origins to him. It is at the origin of the minor schism of the Église old woman-catholic. It is on the other hand a point of major obstacle in the oecumenical dialog in particular with the Protestant Églises and the Église Anglican and a final point of rupture for the rationalist Philosophie which sees there the top of the Argument of authority.

The dogmatic constitution Lumen gentium (November 21st 1964) proclaimed by the 2nd council of the Vatican, explicit:

“ the Roman Pontiff, chief of the college of the bishops, enjoys, of the fact even of its load, this infallibility when, as a Pasteur and supreme doctor of all faithful, and charged one to confirm his/her brothers in the faith, it proclaims, by a final act, a point of doctrines concerning the faith and manners. ”

Conditions of pontifical infallibility

A declaration of a pope who exerts pontifical infallibility is regarded as a solemn pontifical definition or teaching ex will cathedra . One should not confuse such a type of declaration with lesson which are infallible because of a solemn definition of a ecumenical Council, or with lesson which is infallible owing to the fact that they come from the magistère ordinary and universal.

See also: Amorce=Pour of the details on these other kinds of infallible lesson, Infallibility of the Church

According to the teaching of the Council the Vatican I and catholic tradition, the requirements for teaching ex will cathedra are the following ones:

1. “The Roman pontiff”

2. “ex speaks will cathedra” (i.e. in the achievement of its function like Pasteur and teacher of all the Christians, and under the terms of his authority supreme Apostolique….)

3. “it defines”

4. “that doctrines concerning the faith or manners”

5. “for true in all the Church”

must be held

So that a teaching of a Pape or a ecumenical Council is recognized like infallible, teaching must return the fact clearly that the Église regards it as final and engaging. There is no particular expression for that, but the pope uses usually one or the other of the following expressions:

1. a verbal formula which indicates that teaching is final (as “ We let us declare, issue and define… ”),

2. an anathema which declares that whoever disapproves it deliberately place apart from the Catholic church.

For example, in Munificentissimus Deus , the infallible definition of the Pope Pie XII concerning the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, the following formulas are indicated in conclusion: “ That it is not allowed anyone to destroy or attack or contradict, by a daring temerity, this writing of Our declaration, decision and definition. If somebody had the presumption to make an attempt on it, that it knows that it would incur the indignation of God the Almighty and the happy apostles Pierre and Paul. ”

An “infallible” teaching of a Pope or a ecumenical Council can contradict former lesson of the Église, insofar as they themselves are not regarded as infallible. In this case, the former fallible lesson is immediately repealed. Obviously, an infallible teaching cannot contradict an infallible former teaching, including the infallible lesson of the Bible or the Tradition. Also, because of the sensus fidelium , an infallible teaching cannot be contradicted later on by the Catholic church.

Ex will cathedra

In the catholic Theology, the Latin expression ex will cathedra , meaning “pulpit literally”, refers to a teaching of the pope which one considers that it for calling upon infallibility.

Let us recall that the Dogme of pontifical infallibility was formulated only with the Concile the Vatican I (1870) by Pie IX, that he is only exerted very seldom, and that the Magistère of the Church is exerted not only in the form of the extraordinary Magistère, but also in the form of the universal ordinary Magistère.

The “pulpit” to which one refers is not literally a Chaire, but refers symbolically to the position of the Pape as an official teacher of the catholic doctrines: the pulpit was the Symbole of the teacher in the old world, and the bishops until today have a Cathèdre ( Cathedra ), a seat or throne, like symbol of their teaching and their authority of government. It is often said that the pope occupies the “pulpit of holy Pierre”, since the Catholics hold it of the Apôtre S, among which Pierre had a special role as a guard of the unit. Thus, the pope as a successor of Pierre saint plays the part of spokesperson of all the Église among the bishop S, successors of the Apôtre S.

Theological history

Base of infallibility in the Writings

The dogma roman catholic founds the legitimacy of the apostolic authority of the bishop of Rome in interpretation Théologique of a certain number of passages of the Évangiles - the Écritures -, from which would rise the theological dogma from its infallibility, namely:

, “Jesus, having looked at it, having said: You are Simon, wire of Jonas; you will be called Céphas (what means Pierre)”.
" Here twelve that it establishes: Simon, whom it named Pierre; …”
“And me, I say to you that you are Pierre, and that on this stone I will build my Église, and that the doors of the stay of dead will not prevail against it”;
, “This is why, whoever hear these words which I say and the met in practice, will be similar to a careful man who built his house on the rock”.
“Jesus says to him: Feed my ewes (or lambs). ” (declared three times)
“That which listens to you listens me, and that which rejects you rejects me; and that which rejects me rejects that which sent to me. ”
“But I requested for you, so that your Foi does not weaken; and you, when you are converted, strengthens your brothers”
“Because it appeared good with the Saint Spirit and us to only impose to you of another load what is necessary,…” (the Apostles speak with the voice about the Saint Spirit)
“Here the names of the twelve apostles. The first, Simon called Pierre,…” (Pierre is the first).

Ludwig Ott points the many indications in the Écritures according to which holy Pierre accepted a role of primacy compared to the others Apôtre S: , and.

Early middle ages

Although the doctrinal authority of the bishop of Rome became official since the 5th century, the superiority of the authority of the pope on that of the council was essential only tardily. At the time of the IIe council of Constantinople, in 553, the debates reflect in obviousness the indéfinition of the authority of the pope vis-a-vis that of the Empereur and to that of the brought together bishops. The doctrinal authority of the pope was then put at evil by the judgment for heresy of Honorius in 680 with the IIIe council of Constantinople, was taken again in 692 then in 787 with the IIe council of Nicée, and finally the cadaveric Concile of 897 (policy options of the pope Formosa being indeed claimed Morale).

The low Middle Ages

It is only starting from the Great Schism of the East, in 1054, that the doctrinal authority will refer on the pope alone. But this increasing centralization of the pontifical capacity will not be done without crises and flashbacks.

The episode of the Great Schism of Occident, with the turning of, where two then three popes disputed the supreme authority by showing heresy mutually and by excommunicating in turn, was the occasion to reaffirm the superiority of the council on the pope at the time of the Concile of Constancy. Marsile de Padoue and Guillaume d' Occam counted among the theorists of the conciliarism.

Definition of 1870

Historical context

August 1st

Council the Vatican I

The definition of pontifical infallibility like a dogma of the Catholic church, wanted by the pope Pie IX was decided during the fourth and last session of the Concile the Vatican I following a violent confrontation. The definition was finally voted unanimously less two votes against, with the favor of the rapid departure of the French and German bishops because of the diplomatic context (the war free-Prussian being about to burst). At the preparatory meetings, the French bishops (in particular Mgr Dupanloup), German and Swiss had largely decided against this definition. The correspondence of the future Cardinal Newman seems to indicate its initial opposition but its final rallying.

Conclusion of the fourth chapter of its Dogmatic Constitution on the Church Pastor Æternus , solemnly promulgated by the Pope Black and white IX, the Council the Vatican I in 1870:

This capacity of Sovereign pontiff by no means makes obstacle with the capacity of jurisdiction episcopal ordinary and immediate, by which the bishops, establish by the the Holy Spirit (ac, 20,28) successors of the Apôtre S, feed and control in truths pastors each one the herd with him entrusted.

we teach and proclaim like a revealed dogma of God:

the Roman pontiff, when he speaks ex cathedra , i.e. when, filling his load of Pasteur and doctor of all the Christians, he defines, under the terms of his supreme apostolic authority, that doctrines, as regards faith or morals , must be allowed by all the Church, enjoys by the divine assistance to him promised in the person Pierre saint, of this infallibility whose divine Rédempteur wanted that the Church was provided, when it defines the doctrines on the faith or morals. Consequently, these definitions of the Roman Pontiff are irreformable from themselves and not under the terms of the assent of the Church.

If somebody, which God does not like, had the presumption to contradict our definition that it is anathema.

Implications

According to the catholic Theology, this is an infallible dogmatic definition by an ecumenical council. The infallibility of the pope was thus officially defined in 1870. However, the thesis of the traditional position tardily codified was disputed by Hans Küng and August Bernhard Hasler in the years 1970.

The Dogmatic Constitution Lumen Gentium of the ecumenical Council the Vatican II, reiterates the definition of pontifical infallibility explicitly:

This saint Synod, the following the example of Council the Vatican I, sign with him and declares that Jesus-Christ, Pasteur eternal, built holy Église by sending the Apôtre S as itself had been sent by the Père (cf Jn 20,21), and wanted that their successors, i.e. the bishop S, were in its Église pastors until the end of the centuries. And so that the episcopate itself was one and without crack, it put at the head other Apostles the happy Pierre saint whom it established like principle and perpetual base as much as visible of the unit of the faith and the communion (1). These doctrines of the institution, perpetuity, the value and the reason of crowned the primacy of the Roman Pontiff and his infallible magistère, the Concile saint again propose it with all the faithful ones so that it is raw firmly; and continuing the same intention, it decided to profess and proclaim publicly the doctrines relating to the bishop S, successors of the Apôtre S, which, with the successor of Pierre, Vicaire of the Christ (2) and visible Chief of all the Church, manage the firm of alive God.

Because the definition of 1870 is not seen by the catholics like the creation of the Église, but like the dogmatic revelation of a Truth on the pontifical magistère, the pontifical lesson made before the proclamation of 1870 can, if they fill the criteria indicated in the dogmatic definition, being regarded as infallible. Ineffabilis Deus is an example.

Use of pontifical infallibility

A Pape can call upon pontifical infallibility when he proclaims a Dogme. That occurred only once since 1870, for the Dogme of the Assomption of the Virgin Mary, proclaimed by the pope Pie XII in 1950. The pope employs also pontifical infallibility as regards manners: it was done in 1968 by Paul VI in the encyclical Humanae Vitae condemning artificial contraception, and in 1995 by Jean Paul II in the encyclical Evangelium vitae condemning the caused Avortement and the Euthanasie.

Dissensions with these doctrines

Churches orthodoxe Old woman-catholics
Churches
Churches Anglicans
Méthodisme
reformed Churches

Errors of comprehension on pontifical infallibility

The pontifical infallibility, which thus relates to the veracity of the pontifical acts Foi morals, is often confused with the pontifical Primauté, which concerns, when with it, jurisdictional authority of the pope in the Church.

Appendices

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