And I quote again the relatio (an official interpretation of the text that is presented to the council bishops by a man called the relator so that the bishops will know the official sense of the text on which they are voting) given by Bishop Vincent Gasser on the definition of “define” during the fourth session of Pastor Aeternus:
, of the mind of the Roman Pontiff; in such a way, indeed, that **he or she knows for certain **that such and such a doctrine is held to be heretical, proximate to heresy, certain or erroneous, etc., by the Roman Pontiff" (Gasser & O’Connor, The Gift of Infallibility [Boston: St. Paul Editions, 1986], 74 n.).
RESPONSE:
Yes. Pope Leo X
most certainly did that. Read again the highlighted portions of Exsurge.(above)
OK, JP Marat, let me show you how ambiguous
Exsurge Domine is.
You say that if
Exsurge Domine is infallible, then thesis 33,
- That heretics be burned is against the will of the Spirit.
is definitely a heresy.
Well, according to
Exsurge Domine, by believing that thesis 33 is heretical,
you have just automatically excommunicated yourself!
Read again what you posted:
"…and by the authority of almighty God, the blessed Apostles Peter and Paul, and our own authority, **we condemn, reprobate, and reject completely each **of these theses or errors
as either heretical, scandalous, false, offensive to pious ears or seductive of simple minds, and against Catholic truth. By listing them, we decree and declare that all the faithful of both sexes must
regard them as condemned, reprobated, and rejected . . . We restrain all in the virtue of holy obedience and under the penalty of an automatic major excommunication…
I point you to this: “By listing them, we decree and declare that all the faithful of both sexes must regard them as condemned, reprobated, and rejected . . .” See the ellipses at the end? That means Pope Leo X was repeating what he just said, and this statement is stated completely as:
“By listing them, we decree and declare that all the faithful of both sexes must regard them as condemned, reprobated, and rejected [as either heretical, scandalous, false, offensive to pious ears or seductive of simple minds, and against Catholic truth.]”
So thesis 33 must be regarded as
either 1) heretical, 2) scandalous, 3) false, 4) offensive to pious ears, 5) seductive of simple minds, 6) against Catholic truth. To ascribe
any or all of these characteristics, without guidance from the Magisterium, to thesis 33, or any other of the theses, will incur
automatic major excommunication.
We restrain all in the virtue of holy obedience and under the penalty of an automatic major excommunication…
So, again, because of the ambiguous definitions given in
Exsurge Domine, it cannot be deemed infallible.
Nice try, JP Marat.