I'm not Catholic and I want to understand the role of the Pope

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Divine law is law established by God Himself. It cannot be changed. The Church interprets divine law for us, but the Church herself has no authority to create or change divine law. Baptism, for example, was mandated by divine law.
Ecclesiastical law is law established by the Church. Jesus told the apostles “whatsoever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatsoever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven…”. The Church thus has the authority to enact laws for the good of the faithful. The Church can change Her own laws. If the institution of baptism is a matter of divine law, the exact way in which baptism is administered in the Church (who baptizes, where it happens, the prayers involved) is a matter of ecclesiastical or Church law.

To expand on your original question, the Pope is not the equivalent of the Mormon Prophet. He cannot receive new revelation. As other posters have stated, the Pope, and the bishops united with him, who are the successors of the apostles, are guided by the Holy Spirit to interpret the one revelation that was entrusted to the Church “once and for all” (Jude 1:3). The Pope and the bishops guide us to a deeper understanding of that new revelation without altering it.
 
I definitely understand now. Someone very close to me is Catholic and I can ask her as well if I have any other questions about the Catholic church. I wondered in my mind how different the Pope and my religion’s prophet were, but that confirmed my curiosity. Despite my religious differences, I still have a genuine respect for your church and I want to thank everyone for taking time out of their day to answer my question.
 
Ogie_Reeves said:
I attended a few masses, like I said, but I heard things about ecclesiastical law (or something like that) and what’s divine law?
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Just to add my two cents. Divine law is that law given by God Himself. Specifically, but not limited to the Ten Commandments and that which Jesus taught during his earthly ministry. As other poster have said, that Law is inviolate and can’t be changed.

There are wonderful teachings about the RCC faith by a man named Karl Keating (the original founder, I believe,of this forum.) Writing about revelation he used this example.
Say for instance you are seated in a room on a sofa. The room is totally dark and you only sense the sofa. A little light enters and you see a coffee table before you. A little more light and you see a pair of end tables, A little more light and you see a couple chairs across from you. A little more light and you see several more sofas and chairs. And more light and you see a whole room full of furniture. You realize your are sitting in a furniture showroom. Now, in the beginning you didn’t recognize your surroundings but as the light increased you came to understand where you were. Revelation of God’s law is a bit like that. The furniture showroom was always there, but as the light increased, so did your understanding of it. God’s truth has always been there, but as man learns and understands more and more as spiritual life reveals itself, we understand better our relationship to God and His Law.
Shalom.
 
Brittany said:
I think that’s right, yes. Divine law has been established and is unchangeable - we can come to know them better, but we can’t change them.

Then there’s ecclesiastical law, which shouldn’t be confused wih divine law. Ecclesiastical law can be changed - it’s not the doctrine that was given to us by God, it’s the things the Church chooses to implement to benefit the Church. One such example is priestly celibacy.
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Ecclesiastical law is man made, or positive, law. So is the government law.

There is an intermediate category, between Divine law and positive law, called Natural Law. Up until 100 years ago, it was pretty much accepted by almost all religions, and by most atheists as well. The Declaration of Independence reflects some of it.

The RCC still holds to it now, but not many others in the West.
 
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Development of doctrine can be controversial. If public revelation ended with the death of the last apostle, why didn’t they know everything right then?

Suppose I read the Bible every year. On the third reading, a text in Mathew reminds me of something in the Old Testament. The next time I read a verse Isaiah, something clicks, but I can’t place the connection. Years later, I fit these 2 texts together. The Church did that, only on a much larger scale.

The other thing is that Church doctrines are usually “defined” only when a commonly believed, but not explicitly written, doctrine is questioned. Then theologians consult with bishops, and provide an explanation of what is, or is not, actual doctrine. The reason some things were not explicitly written down in that form much earlier is that they were taken for granted.
 
Often you will hear people outside the Church say they only need God. But can you see God?
The Pope puts a human face on the Church.
If you are reading the Old Testament, it is Moses who leads the people through the Desert to the Promised Land. Moses leads the Israelites only as God directs him.
So it is today. Christ entrusted His Church to Peter, as stated in Scripture. “Feed my Lambs.” It is Peter who has been been given the keys to the Church. The Pope is Peter’s successor, carrying the keys of each new generation. It is his responsibility along with the magisterium to continue to lead the Flock entrusted to his care.
We are the Church, the people of God. We continue to be fed the same instruction as the very first Christians. That is what Tradition is. Tradition has been handled intact, entrusted to the magisterium and protected by the Holy Spirit so that each of us receives the same teaching that the Apostles received.
If you read Acts Ch. 2, you will find that the very first Christians submitted to the teachings of Peter and the Apostles. That is what we as Catholics continue to do to this day.
 
First and foremost the Pope is the Bishop of Rome. In that sense, he is a bishop like any other and his diocese (the location of his particular church) is the city of Rome. He is also the chief bishop, like Peter was the chief Apostle and therefore he has a primacy of jurisdiction (government) and teaching within the universal Church. The point of this primacy is to serve the unity of the Church in faith and charity.

Because the Church as a whole is infallible (the Holy Spirit ensures the truth revealed by God will always be taught and believed in all its integrity in the Church) and the Pope, as chief teacher, has the final say as to whether doctrines do or do not belong to that faith, he is also infallible in those final judgments. In that way, he serves the unity of faith (this is not as uncommon as some make it out to be). He is to use his primacy of jurisdiction to serve the unity in peace and charity within the Church.

The Pope is not personally impeccable or always prudent or the most wise and learned member of the Church. He is not an oracle. He is not the only bishop with authority to teach, govern, and sanctify from Christ. He cannot change the truths of the faith or the moral law once delivered to the saints or introduce new truths. Nor can he use his governmental authority to abolish anything of divine right in the Church (e.g. he can’t abolish the sacraments or decide the Church should no longer have bishops, etc., etc.). He is subject to Christ, the Lord or lords, like the rest of us, but he is the chief servant of Christ with the grave duty to feed and pastor His sheep in truth and charity.
 
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The Catholic Church believes in the Visible Church, visible as the Incarnation was visible. The Pope is the head of this visible church on Earth. He can be called a viceregent or a diplomat of Jesus. That is his office. This does not say anything about the personal holiness of the one holding the office. The pope is the successor of St Peter, who is the Rock like how Abraham was the Rock in Jewish tradition.
Of course, Jesus is truly the Rock, but in these exhortation we find not contradiction but concord with the role of the pope.
We believe Jesus promised the gates of Hell would never prevail against the Church, and that there is one Church that has persisted since Jesus founded Her. After St Peter was St Linus, etc, for an unbroken line of popes into modernity. The bishop of Rome. Peter was clearly having authority even beyond those of other apostles. His name is mentioned more than all the other apostles in the Gospels COMBINED.

So he teaches and exhorts. He is protected in certain circumstances from pronouncing error by the Holy Spirit. This is a special circumstance and does not extend to his private life or all public declarations.
 
You could think of the papacy (magisterium) as the third leg of the tripod, along with the bible and Sacred Tradition (capital T). Protestant groups tend to say they rely only on the Bible, and some add to a lesser extent, Tradition.

But I think all Christian groups implicitly rely on some kind of Magisterium.
Protestants will describe how the bible, “rightly divided”, will yield a certain interpretation. The problem is who decides what the proper interpretation is of that biblical text, or the bigger problems, who decides which biblical text applies to this particular question. So there is some kind of implicit magisterium behind the scenes, so to speak. The bible alone, or even the Bible-seen-in-light-of-tradition, or in context of foundational Confessions or Articles, does not interpret itself.

So the papacy is unique, not in its existence (every group has one, really, somewhere) but in its visible, explicit operation.
 
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In Matthew 16:18 Jesus says, “You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church.” It is at this moment that our Lord establishes St. Peter as the first pope and leader of the Church by giving him the “keys to the kingdom of heaven.” (16:19)

There is actually an earlier reference regarding the Pope’s responsibility in the Book of Isaiah (22:21-22). God promises that he will appoint a new master of the royal household. Peter is given the keys, the responsibility to care for the household.

We know that Jesus is the Good Shepherd who lays down His life for His sheep. It is through the Cross that we have salvation. Three times, Our Lord asks Peter, “Do you love me?” Each time Peter answers, “Yes, Lord, you know I do.” and with each reply, Our Lord tells Peter to “Feed my Sheep.” The care of the Sheep, the Church has been handed over to Peter.

Of course, Peter is answerable to God. The Pope sits in Peter’s chair, and takes on Peter’s responsibilities, the Papal responsibilities.
That does not take away personal responsibility or culpability for personal actions contrary to Church teachings or conscience.
 
Which translation of the Bible does the Catholic church use?
 
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In the United States, the Church uses the New American Bible. I have a copy of the Catholic Answers Bible which answers many of the questions that many non-Catholics have regarding Catholic teachings and relates them back to Scripture.
The Revised Standard Version is used by many mainstream denominations. It is also the translation that was used for liturgical purposes when I lived in the Middle East. I have a copy of the Didache Bible. The Didache Bible provides commentary by linking the Scriptural readings to the Catechism of the Catholic Church. It too has separate pages that answer some of the most common questions that non-Catholics may have regarding Catholic teaching.

I have pocket book copies of both the NAB and RSV Bibles. I carry the RSV that I most often carry with me living as I do in the middle of the Bible Belt.
 
I am surprised the Catholic Church itself does not publish “the” bible.
 
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