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The doctrine of papal infallibility began with the decision of the First Vatican Council in 1870, documented in Pastor Aeternalis, chapter 6:
9. Therefore, faithfully adhering to the tradition received from the beginning of the christian faith, to the glory of God our savior, for the exaltation of the Catholic religion and for the salvation of the christian people, with the approval of the Sacred Council, we teach and define as a divinely revealed dogmathat when the Roman Pontiff speaks EX CATHEDRA, that is, when, in the exercise of his office as shepherd and teacher of all Christians, in virtue of his supreme apostolic authority, he defines a doctrine concerning faith or morals to be held by the whole Church, he possesses, by the divine assistance promised to him in blessed Peter, that infallibilitywhich the divine Redeemer willed his Church to enjoy in defining doctrine concerning faith or morals. Therefore, such definitions of the Roman Pontiff are of themselves, and not by the consent of the Church, irreformable. [My emphasis in bold]
Bishop Geoffrey Robinson (Confronting Power and Sex in the Catholic Church) asks how a council can infallibly declare the infallibility of the pope unless we assume in advance that the council was itself infallible. In the absence of infallibility on the part of the First Vatican Council, the pronouncement in Pastor Aeternalis is no more than an opinion.
In the same document, the council appears to have limited that infallibility, by limiting the pope to jealously guarding and explaining what was handed down through the apostles, and not the ability to disclose a new doctrine by revelation (chapter 4):
6. For the Holy Spirit was promised to the successors of Peter not so that they might, by his revelation, make known some new doctrine, but that, by his assistance, they might religiously guard and faithfully expound the revelation or deposit of faith transmitted by the apostles.
The council may not have intended to have one clause limit the other in this way. The pope's pronouncement on the Assumption of the virgin Mary was certainly not handed down through the apostles, so even if the pope is indeed infallible on certain matters Robinson believes this clause means that the pope was assuming an infallibility he did not have in this case.
In summary: (i) the notion of infallibility begins in 1870; (ii) there is reasonable doubt whether Catholics really ought to hold the pope to be infallible; and (iii) there is further doubt as to whether the pope ought to be regarded as infallible when making pronouncements such as on the Assumption of Mary.
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Is a pope infallible in retirement?
No, he would then be Pope Emeritus and not pope.
Will the pope still be infallible after his resignation?
No, Benedict XVI is no longer the reigning pope so is not considered as infallible.
Is the Pope infallible and therefore an equal to Jesus?
The Pope is only infallible when he speaks ex cathedra on matters of faith and morals.
Who is infallible when teaching solemnly and officially on faith or morals?
The Pope is said to be infallible in these circumstances.
What is a belief that is consistent with catholicism?
That the Pope is infallible.
What is the word for the pope not being able to make mistakes when he is talking about matters of faith and morals?
Infallible is the word to describe when a pope speaks ex cathedra in matters of faith and morals.
Roman Catholic Church believed that the Pope is incapable of error?
This is actually an incorrect assertion. Catholics believe that the Pope is infallible when speaking Ex Cathedra, or From the Seat of Peter. This means that when the Pope is speaking as the Head of the Catholic Church on Catholic Doctrine then the Pope is infallible. For example if the Pope were to say tomorrow that the sky is purple, this would not count as Ex Cathedra and would not be infallible. The idea comes from the belief that the Pope is chosen by the Holy Spirit as St. Peter's successor.
Will pope Benedict xvi in retirement still be infallible?
probably, or probably not.......
What conditions are the teachings of the pope considered infallible?
The pope is only infallible when speaking ex cathedra(from the chair) and only in matters of faith and morals and only after years of study and consultation with all the bishops. It has only been invoked twice in recent centuries - the doctrine of the Assumption of Mary and the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception of Mary. However, when a pope declares a person to be a saint it is also considered infallible.
What is meant by the gift of infallibility given to the Pope?
When the pope speaks ex cathedra - from the chair - on matters of faith and morals he is considered as infallible. In other words, he cannot pronounce an erroneous statement. It has been invoked only a few times in history. However, it also is an infallible statement when the pope declares a saint.
Why do some people think that the church gives infallible guidance when making moral decisions?
A:Infallibility is a claim that only the Catholic Church makes. During the Middle Ages, it decided that it should regard decisions made by Ecumenical Councils as infallible. Then, in 1870, the first Vatican Council decided, at the request of Pope Pius IX, that the pope is infallible when speaking ex cathedra on matters of faith and morals. This, of course, requires that the Council was infallible in making that decision. Some recent quasi-official opinions have told us that when popes constantly repeat the same teaching, there is a point at which this repeated teaching becomes infallible. Bishop Geofrey Robinson (Confronting Power and Sex in the Catholic Church) says that one problem with this is that through its many discontinuities for the sake of a greater continuity with the Great Tradition, the Second Vatican Council set aside many things that had been consistently taught for more than a thousand years and would by this criterion have been infallible. Another opinion holds that when the pope canonises a saint, he does so infallibly, but Robinson says this can never be truly infallible, since the pope is relying on information and advice, both of which are not infallible.Ultimately, people think that the Church gives infallible guidance because the Church itself says that it gives infallible guidance.
How do you use infallibility in a sentence?
The Pope's observations, when delivered ex cathedra, are considered to have infallibility, that is the impossibility of error.The child was infallible after his poor grade on the test.
