From the bulletin of August 23, 2020
Now that we’ve learned a little about Papal Infallibility, let’s look at some examples. You may recall I wrote that Papal Infallibility only applies in very specific circumstances and that it doesn’t extend to everything he says and does. In fact, the circumstances are so specific that there are only two examples of an undisputed infallible teaching from the Pope. This doesn’t mean that nothing else they’ve said and done has any authority, but that there are only two examples where he used the power of teaching doctrine ex cathedra (from the Chair of St. Peter). I want to start with these for two reasons. One, because we just celebrated one of them last week (Saturday, Aug 15) and, two, because it gives a clear example of what to look for when determining if the Pope is using his special charism (spiritual gift) of Infallibility.
The first is in a document named Ineffabilis Deus, which is Latin for “Ineffable God.” Blessed Pope Pius IX wrote this document in 1854 to officially decree that Mary was conceived without sin. Again, when a doctrine is decreed, it does not mean it is a new belief. Doctrinal statements are generally made when there is a controversy around a belief that has always been part of the Church’s faith. In response, after some discussion, the Church puts together a statement, usually in an Ecumenical Council. In this case, the Pope exercised his particular authority to resolve the debate. In fact, the document does not just say “Mary was Immaculately Conceived.” Most of it actually lays out the historical foundation for this belief and gives reasons the belief makes sense with the rest of Catholic theology. The pope lays out the history of it as a special feast day in the Church, as something already spoken of in a variety of prayers, the teachings of previous popes, the foundation of the belief in Scripture, the reference to it in the Council of Trent, and the many theologians who had already explained it. Only after establishing the foundation of this belief in the Church does the pope then write these words:
“We declare, pronounce, and define that the doctrine which holds that the most Blessed Virgin Mary, in the first instance of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege granted by Almighty God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the human race, was preserved free from all stain of original sin, is a doctrine revealed by God and therefore to be believed firmly and constantly by all the faithful.”
The words “declare, pronounce, and define” are keywords which mark the use of papal infallibility. Popes almost never use this kind of language by themselves and this is the first undisputed time that it is done. Similar phrases get used more often by whole ecumenical councils to denote doctrine/dogma. In short, it is impossible for a legitimate pope or ecumenical council to invoke this kind of authority to teach what is not true. Again, it is not the only teaching authority the Church has, but it is the final trump card when a disagreement about the faith gets to certain point.
The only other time we see this kind of declaration is almost a hundred years later in 1950, when Pope Pius XII wrote the document Munificentissiums Deus, which is Latin for “the most bountiful God.” Like the other document, this one spends time looking at tradition and scripture as the foundation for the belief in Mary’s Assumption into Heaven, including the teaching that Mary was immaculately conceived. It then says
“by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, of the Blessed Apostles Peter and Paul, and by our own authority, we pronounce, declare, and define it to be a divinely revealed dogma: that the Immaculate Mother of God, the ever Virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory.”
So, it settles any debate and makes it clear that accepting the Catholic faith includes accepting this belief, which is why it is also a universal feast day and a Holy Day of Obligation in most years. Again, this is not a new belief nor is it the only time we have to listen to the pope, but it is one example of how the pope can have a final say when a debate about the faith gets to a certain point. At this point, we’ll start to work our way through other important papal teachings and look at the varying levels of authority that they use to help us know and practice our Catholic Faith.
In Christ,
-Fr. Albert