Papal Infallibility Essay

Papal infallibility is a doctrine of the Catholic Church that teaches the pope is incapable of error in pronouncing dogma within a specific circumstance. Those outside the Church generally misunderstand the Catholic teaching on papal infallibility. In particular, fundamentalist Christians often confuse the charisma of papal infallibility as something that affects the pope’s status. They imagine Catholics believing the pope to be sinless or unable to sin. Some people believe papal infallibility to be a fairly new concept. They also speculate it was invented as a means to defend the church against the emerging threats of scientific innovation. Others insist Catholics believe every statement by the pope to be infallible, whereas some believe a
teaching of the church can only be infallible when the pope uses a magical incantation to explicitly define it. Almost everyone insists the pope has the power to reverse or change the church’s teachings on moral law. Papal Infallibility is a doctrine deeply rooted in history that has been rarely used formally. Infallibility does not make a pope faultless, nor is everything the pope says infallible.
Papal infallibility is a doctrine subtly evident in scripture and one that was very implicit in early Christianity. It is a doctrine based on Jesus Christ’s mandate. Christ commissioned the Church to preach all his teachings (Matt. 28:19–20 NRSV), promising to be with the Church always and guaranteeing that the Holy Spirit would "guide you into all the truth" (John 16:13 NRSV). His mandate and promise guarantee the Church will never break away from God’s teachings (1 Tim. 3:15 NRSV, Matt. 16:18 NRSV), even if certain individuals do. Specifically with the Apostle Peter, Christ bestowed infallibility on him and his successors. We find evidence of this in Scripture. For example, Jesus told Peter, “Simon, Simon, listen! Satan has demanded to sift all of you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your own faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” (Luke 22:31-32 NRSV) “And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Matt. 16:18-19).
Early Christians understood Christ’s teaching on the primacy of the pope, which involved papal infallibility. But the doctrine of papal infallibility was not infallibly defined until the First Vatican Council, as it was not necessary to formally define it until it was disputed. (Infallible pronouncements are usually made only when a doctrine has been challenged.)

It is clear in the beginnings of the early Church, Christians understood the teaching authority of the Church and the primacy of the papacy.
As the centuries passed, their understanding of the pope’s infallibility became more clearly defined. For example, St. Cyprian of Carthage in AD 256 wrote, “[the heretics] still dare… to set sail and to bear letters from schismatic and profane persons to the throne of Peter, and to the chief church whence priestly unity takes its source; and not to consider that these were the Romans whose faith was praised in the preaching of the apostle, to whom faithlessness could have no access.” (Epistles 54, 14) In context, St Cyprian is stating no error can come from the “throne of Peter”. St. Augustine of Hippo concisely and briefly expressed this attitude with his written statement in the 5th century, "…for already on this matter two councils have sent to the Apostolic See, whence also rescripts have come. The cause is finished." (Sermons 131, 10) Over the years, this statement has been famously paraphrased as, "Rome has spoken, the matter is finished." These two early Christians writers clearing had some understanding that the successor of peter possessed infallibility. Thus it is certain papal infallibility is not a new concept. It is only our understanding of it that has grown and become more tunly over time. Until finally becoming dogmatically defined in 1870 by the First Vatican
Council.
The pope isn’t always speaking infallibly when he says something; in fact, the Roman Pontiff has only exercised papal infallibility twice since the time it was dogmatically defined.
Both are about the Virgin Mary. In 1854, Pope Pius IX infallibly declared her conception to be immaculate (this teaching was grandfathered-in after the First Vatican Council’s declaration of papal infallibility in 1870). And in 1950, Pope Pius XII infallibly declared that her body was assumed into heaven. Although only two doctrines have been declared ex cathedra (from the chair), there are many other doctrines the Church recognizes as being a must-be-believed by the faithful. Interest in papal infallibility has been rising because of recent examples of dispute over some of these other doctrines, like the male priesthood, contraceptives, and homosexual acts. These doctrines are still infallibly taught, without a definition, by the Church’s ordinary magisterium (teaching
authority).
Over the course of time, there have been various developments in Catholic doctrine, but never has there been a reversal of anything that has been infallibly defined. An infallible declaration, made by an ecumenical council, such as the First Vatican Council, or by the pope, is usually only made when some dogma (doctrine) has been called into question. Moreover, the large majority of Catholics has never doubted most doctrines. Similarly, there are many teachings within the Catechism of the Catholic Church, most of which have never been formally defined, yet they are still considered doctrine. To that end, there are many major topics a pope could not infallibly define without repeating one or more infallible pronouncements from earlier ecumenical councils or the ordinary magisterium of the Church. Furthermore, doctrine cannot be changed. The doctrines of the Catholic Church are considered the deposit of faith revealed by God, taught by the apostles, and completely handed down to the successors. Since revelation cannot change, and because the deposit of faith is comprised of revelation, the deposit of faith cannot change. The Pope does not have the power to do the impossible, to alter or remove divinely revealed truth that forms the deposit of faith. In other words, the pope cannot change doctrine. Christ said the gates of hades (hell) would never prevail against his Church (Matt. 16:18 NRSV), meaning that his Church can never be destroyed. But if the pope, the leader of the Church, ever apostatized the Church by teaching heresy, then it would cease to exist and thus cease to be Christ’s Church. Therefore, the Church and the pope cannot teach heresy, and thus anything that he or the Church solemnly outlines for the faithful to believe is true.
In conclusion, there are many misunderstandings of the Catholic teaching on papal infallibility. Papal infallibility is not a fabricated teaching, invented only a century and a half ago. Rather, papal infallibility is an ancient dogma, implicitly found throughout scripture and tradition. A doctrine does not have to be ex cathedra to be infallible, nor is everything the pope believes or says without error. In fact, there are very few examples when a pope has actually exercised infallibility. And despite popular belief, the Roman Pontiff cannot change or erase doctrine, because not even the successor of the Apostle Peter can do the impossible.