I am a Protestant and would like to know what the Catholic faith teaches concerning what a person is suppose to do if he disagrees with a Church teaching. Is there suppose to be complete loyalty to the Church’s teaching or is there room for disagreement?
It would depend on how forcefully the Church teaches on a particular issue. Within Catholic teaching there is a spectrum of teaching authority that ranges from theological opinion at the low end to de fide (Latin, “of faith”) dogma at the high end. The more forcefully the Church teaches on an issue, the more imperative it becomes for a Catholic to believe it. So, while an informed and educated Catholic might disagree with something that is merely a theological opinion, all Catholics must believe defined dogma. Within that range, the Church can still teach authoritatively and the Catholic should accept it. For a helpful resource in determining how authoritatively the Church teaches on particular issues, please see the book linked below.
It would also depend on whether or not the teaching in question were a doctrine or a discipline. As a general rule of thumb, doctrine is what we believe and *discipline *is how we live out what we believe. Doctrine does not change but discipline might. So, while the Church’s teaching that women cannot be accepted for holy orders is a doctrine that will not change and thus a Catholic should believe it, a Catholic might in good conscience hold that the discipline of mandatory celibacy for Latin-rite priests might not be a good idea.
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