Is the Pope Christ’s vicar on Earth? Can the Pope make new doctrine?

[Bob_K]

What is a valid Catholic response to this particular claim?

Is the Pope Christ’s vicar on Earth? Can the Pope make new doctrine?

“No. The Bible was complete in the first century, and we are not allowed to add or subtract from it.”

Revelations 22:18-19
18I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book. 19And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.

“Therefore, when the Pope does things such as proclaim that Mary was assumed into Heaven, he is directly violating the word of God.”

 

[Jim_Blackburn]

The Pope is the Vicar of Christ but he does not “make new doctrine”. The deposit of faith “was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3) and it includes Sacred Tradition as well as Sacred Scripture. But this does not mean that doctrine cannot develop as the Church comes to understand it more clearly. This is the case with Mary’s assumption.

For more on this see Can Dogma Develop? catholic.com/library/Can_Dogma_Develop.asp