Garrison Keillor in his daily blog notes that 18 July is the anniversary of the declaration of papal infallibility by the First Vatican Council in 1870. There has always been much confusion about this doctrine, even among Roman Catholics. Papal Infallibility does not state that everything the Pope says is divine truth. Nor does it claim that the Pope is a sinless person. The official statement (next paragraph) states that only when the Pope is speaking ‘from Peter’s chair’ and only when speaking on matters of faith or morals is a doctrine to be held by the whole church. In fact, the only use of papal infallibility since the 1870 Council was in 1950 when Pope Pius XII declared that Mary, the mother of Jesus, was, like Jesus, born without original sin and was taken up body and soul into heaven. There was an assumption at the time that soon would follow a similar doctrine making Mary ‘co-redemtrix of the human race.’ However events in the world and in the church make the future promulgation of that doctrine quite unlikely.
We teach and define that it is a dogma Divinely revealed that the Roman pontiff when he speaks ex cathedra, that is when in discharge of the office of pastor and doctor of all Christians, by virtue of his supreme Apostolic authority, he defines a doctrine regarding faith or morals to be held by the universal Church, by the Divine assistance promised to him in Blessed Peter, is possessed of that infallibility with which the Divine Redeemer willed that his Church should be endowed in defining doctrine regarding faith or morals, and that therefore such definitions of the Roman pontiff are of themselves and not from the consent of the Church irreformable.
The Vatican Council also was the cause of a statement that has been a cardinal principle on my journey through this less-that-perfect life: “Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” This was spoken by the British Roman Catholic Lord Acton, 1834-1902, in opposition to the work of the Council.
Acton’s words following the “Dictum” are also worth noting. Great men are almost always bad men, even when they exercise influence and not authority: still more when you superadd the tendency or certainty of corruption by full authority. There is no worse heresy than the fact that the office sanctifies the holder of it.”
When people I know have been selected or elected to positions of authority and power, I will write my congratulations, and also include a prayerful note of personal concern. More on the pervasiveness in human life (and in our personal lives) of Lord Acton’s Dictum will appear in a future blog.
Bob Tucker
18 July 2009
Bob– thanks for this Protestant-leaning clarification. I look forward to visiting with you soon. Blessings! Dave Mason Evening, Sunday, July 19th
Your website looks great. Being a blog writer myself, I truly realize the time you took in creating this post.
Although I do not support the doctrine of papal infallibility, I am very appreciative that the Foundation’s web-page has provided this clarification. Even though I am a Protestant by my upbringing (and have never been Roman Catholic), I know all too well that one way some Protestant’s falsely stereotype and deride Catholics is by saying that the Roman Catholic church believes the Pope is infallible.
Sadly, it is especially Protestants who identify themselves as “liberal” or “progressive” who employ this straw dog of “Papal infallibility” — rather than investigating the truth. Our religions are only weakened by such stereotyping, whether it comes from conservatives or from progressives.