From the bulletin of August 16, 2020
Continuing our study of Papal Infallibility, this week we’ll consider the way this has been misunderstood and misused. You may recall that some of the people who objected to the decision of Vatican I to proclaim this doctrine did so because they were worried about it being misunderstood. They believed the Holy Spirit infallibly protected the teachings of the Church and that the pope had a special charism to carry out this protection. What they feared was that people would interpret this declaration to mean that everything the pope said had to be believed. They also worried that it would over-emphasize his role in the Church and make it more difficult for non-Catholic Christians to understand and accept the Catholic faith. The concern was that it would make the pope look like some kind of superstar or dictator whose every desire had to be followed.
As it turns out, their concerns were justified. To this day, many Christians will accuse Catholics of thinking the pope never makes mistakes and that we sacrifice our own intelligence to do whatever he says. There is also a kind of obsession with the pope’s teachings. Every homily, letter, and document has the potential to start a controversy or get a lot of attention. Both “liberals” and “conservatives” in the Church fall into the trap of picking a pope they like and turning their every word into dogma. This has a rather opposite of effect of what was intended in defining this teaching. The point of the charism of Infallibility is to bring unity to the Church by providing a final authority to settle disputes. The pope is the visible sign of the unity of the Catholic Church and Christ very clearly intended the Church to remain united and “consecrated” in the Truth, as we see in his prayer at the Last Supper in the Gospel of John (chapters 14-17). So, using the teachings of different popes as weapons against the “other side” is very contrary to the purpose of this teaching.
The first thing to realize is that the protection of the Holy Spirit applies to the Church as a whole. When the bishops as a whole teach something, it is part of the magisterium. When the Church has an Ecumenical Council, it is part of the magisterium. The pope’s power to define something ex cathedra (from the chair) is something of a last resort that has rarely been used. This also means that infallibility applies to the Church throughout history. We cannot interpret a teaching in isolation and assume that the latest document or council has every answer. The tradition of the Church provides a context for newer clarifications and is the safeguard against extreme interpretations. For example, the Church’s teaching that human beings have a right to freedom of conscience has to be interpreted alongside the Church’s teaching that Jesus Christ is the only way to heaven. Just because we believe it’s wrong to force someone to believe in Jesus does not mean we believe that other religions are just as good as ours.
Another thing to realize is that infallibility is a negative belief. What I mean by that is that it means it is more focused on what doesn’t happen. It does not mean every word and teaching is perfect. Councils, popes, and documents are often incomplete or unclear. It means that the Church, and the pope, can never formally teach a theological error. Remember, this also only applies to faith and morals – there is no such guarantee for science or temporary political arrangements. It means the Holy Spirit will not let the pope and bishops solemnly define a doctrine that is false. For example, the Church will never officially teach that Jesus is not God, that gay “marriage” is okay, or that racism is okay. This does not mean that individual bishops won’t ever say such a thing. It doesn’t even mean a pope will never think or say such a thing. It means he can never use his teaching authority to define it as a doctrine. So, it doesn’t apply to every homily, letter, or interview. For most of our history, Catholics had no idea what the pope said on a daily basis and they didn’t need to know. Obsessive attention to his every word is bad for us and for the pope. We should consider his guidance as a bishop and teacher, but always with the teaching of the whole Church in mind. His general guidance and teaching are not just another opinion and we owe a certain amount of deference to them, but there is a spectrum of authority. Certain kinds of teachings have more or less weight to them and infallible doctrine is the highest – one that is only used in specific circumstances.
At this point, the best way to deepen our understanding is to look at some of the more authoritative teachings of recent popes and see how it is usually in cooperation with the whole Church and the tradition. That is what we’ll start to do next week.
In Christ,
-Fr. Albert
Thank you for this lesson today.