Magisterium Infallibility

[Millie123]

I think that when people talk about infallibility they only talk about Papal Infallibility. I just want everyone to know that this is not another thread about Papal infallibility. My thread is about the infallibility of the Ordinary Magisterium (The Bishops). I understand that they can teach infallibly as well, although this is a concept that is confusing to me. Can someone tell me how and when our Bishops teach infallibly?

 

[Todd977]

Infallibility is discussed in paragraphs 890-892 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

The Compendium of the Catholic Church says:
185. When is the infallibility of the Magisterium exercised?
891
Infallibility is exercised when the Roman Pontiff, in virtue of his office as the Supreme Pastor of the Church, or the College of Bishops, in union with the Pope especially when joined together in an Ecumenical Council, proclaim by a definitive act a doctrine pertaining to faith or morals. Infallibility is also exercised when the Pope and Bishops in their ordinary Magisterium are in agreement in proposing a doctrine as definitive. Every one of the faithful must adhere to such teaching with the obedience of faith.

 

[dmar198]

I think that when people talk about infallibility they only talk about Papal Infallibility. I just want everyone to know that this is not another thread about Papal infallibility. My thread is about the infallibility of the Ordinary Magisterium (The Bishops). I understand that they can teach infallibly as well, although this is a concept that is confusing to me. Can someone tell me how and when our Bishops teach infallibly?

The extraordinary Magisterium makes a definition when they say something definitively in a Council or when the Pope does in a papal proclamation. But papal documents have only declared something infallibly twice (once with Mary’s immaculate conception and once with her Assumption) and ecumenical councils have only met 21 times.

Believe it or not, those councils and two papal letters did not address every Catholic dogma. Just the ones that were in controversy at the time.

The other Catholic dogmas are identifiable by their history. Denzinger’s Sources of Catholic Dogma is a resource that is used by the Vatican for identifying that history. It is a compilation of authoritative decrees of not just the 21 ecumenical councils and the two papal documents that infallibly declared something, but of many hundreds of smaller regional councils that hammered out something regionally which then became the standard treatment worldwide, and of statements from the Church Fathers and medieval scholars whose statements came to be regarded as definitive on their various subjects. Denzinger’s Sources of Catholic Dogma is now so popular among Catholic scholars that it is cited by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and by the Catechism as a go-to book for identifying Catholic dogmas as proposed by the ordinary magisterium.

A good book for navigating through all of that is Ludwig Ott’s “Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma.” It goes through the history of Catholic doctrine identifying various statements from the ordinary Magisterium throughout history and rating them on a scale that illustrates how definitive they are in Catholic theology. Using his book it is easy to identify what is dogmatic and what is not; by comparing it with Denzinger’s Sources of Catholic Doctrine, you can identify which dogmas have been defined by the 21 councils. Everything else would be something from the ordinary Magisterium. (Except the dogmas of Mary’s assumption and immaculate conception, which were defined in two somewhat recent papal documents.)

 

[Abu]

dmar198 #3
But papal documents have only declared something infallibly twice (once with Mary’s immaculate conception and once with her Assumption)

Incorrect. Two papal dogmas are infallible – The dogma of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin, and the dogma of the Immaculate Conception of Mary.

Further, Vatican I (Pastor Aeternus, Chap 4, #9, an infallible dogma) is the basis for understanding infallibility.
So The Pope’s ‘ex cathedra’ definitions may be either of revealed dogma, to be believed with divine faith, or of other truths necessary for guarding and expounding revealed truth. Vatican Council II and the post-conciliar Magisterium have explicitly affirmed that both ecclesial and papal infallibility extend to the secondary doctrinal truths necessary for guarding and expounding revelation. Thus *Humanae Vitae *(Encyclical against contraception) and *Ordinatio Sacerdotalis *(Apostolic Epistle on male only priesthood) contain infallible doctrinal definitions, to remove all doubt.

The CCC #88 clearly combines exactly with Pope John Paul’s *Motu Proprio *(= on his own authority) Apostolic Letter Ad Tuendam Fidem, 1998 (ATF) which requires the assent of divine and Catholic faith to believe (credenda sunt) dogmas (a category one truth) (Canon #750.1).

A category two truth requires the assent of ecclesial faith, as a secondary truth, “proposed definitively” (definitive proponuntur) to be “firmly embraced and held” (now Canon 750.2). So both the dogmas and the infallible (definitive) doctrines that are secondary truths, require an assent of faith, though there is a distinction between theological faith and ecclesial faith.

The category 3 truths are non-definitive (non-infallible) and require intellectual assent (“loyal submission of the will and intellect”, *Lumen Gentium *25), not an assent of faith. [See the Explanatory Note on ATF by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith].

That is precisely why the 1983 revision of Canon Law replaced in Canon 749:3 “dogmatically (‘dogmatice’) declared or defined” with “infallibly defined”. This removes any occasion for equating “infallible” with “dogmatic”, an equation which unduly limits papal infallibility. Such a limitation is clearly not contained in the Vatican I dogma on papal infallibility.

Thus the three levels of teaching are:
**1) Dogma – infallible **(Canon #750.1) to be believed with the assent of divine and Catholic faith.
**2) Doctrine – infallible **(Canon #750.2) requires the assent of ecclesial faith, to be “firmly embraced and held”.
3) Doctrine – non-definitive (non-infallible) and requires intellectual assent (“loyal submission of the will and intellect”, Vatican II, *Lumen Gentium *25), not an assent of faith. [See the Explanatory Note on Ad Tuendam Fidem by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith]
[ewtn.com/library/CURIA/CDFADTU.HTM]](http://www.ewtn.com/library/CURIA/CDFADTU.HTM])

 

[Abu]

Millie123 #1
My thread is about the infallibility of the Ordinary Magisterium (The Bishops). I understand that they can teach infallibly as well, although this is a concept that is confusing to me. Can someone tell me how and when our Bishops teach infallibly?

Vatican II defined the exercise of collegial infallibility by bishops in an Ecumenical Council (LG 25), – “a turning point in doctrinal history.” [See Fr John Hardon, S.J., *The Catholic Catechism, 1975, Doubleday, p 232-233].

Vatican II declares that bishops, individually, only possess infallibility when they preserve with Peter’s successor the bond of communion, they agree on matters of faith and morals in their authentic teaching that a particular teaching be held definitively and absolutely. (LG 25).

“Although the individual bishops do not enjoy the prerogative of infallibility, they nevertheless proclaim Christ’s doctrine infallibly whenever, even though dispersed through the world, but still maintaining the bond of communion among themselves and with the successor of Peter, and authentically teaching matters of faith and morals, they are in agreement on one position as definitively to be held.(40*) This is even more clearly verified when, gathered together in an ecumenical council, they are teachers and judges of faith and morals for the universal Church, whose definitions must be adhered to with the submission of faith.(41*)”
Notes:
40 1 Pt. 2:5.
41 Rev. 21:16.
See the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church (Lumen Gentium, 25) at:
vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_const_19641121_lumen-gentium_en.html

 

[dmar198]

Incorrect. Two papal dogmas are infallible – The dogma of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin, and the dogma of the Immaculate Conception of Mary.

Further, Vatican I (Pastor Aeternus, Chap 4, #9, an infallible dogma) is the basis for understanding infallibility.
So The Pope’s ‘ex cathedra’ definitions may be either of revealed dogma, to be believed with divine faith, or of other truths necessary for guarding and expounding revealed truth. Vatican Council II and the post-conciliar Magisterium have explicitly affirmed that both ecclesial and papal infallibility extend to the secondary doctrinal truths necessary for guarding and expounding revelation. Thus *Humanae Vitae *(Encyclical against contraception) and *Ordinatio Sacerdotalis *(Apostolic Epistle on male only priesthood) contain infallible doctrinal definitions, to remove all doubt.

The CCC #88 clearly combines exactly with Pope John Paul’s *Motu Proprio *(= on his own authority) Apostolic Letter Ad Tuendam Fidem, 1998 (ATF) which requires the assent of divine and Catholic faith to believe (credenda sunt) dogmas (a category one truth) (Canon #750.1).

A category two truth requires the assent of ecclesial faith, as a secondary truth, “proposed definitively” (definitive proponuntur) to be “firmly embraced and held” (now Canon 750.2). So both the dogmas and the infallible (definitive) doctrines that are secondary truths, require an assent of faith, though there is a distinction between theological faith and ecclesial faith.

The category 3 truths are non-definitive (non-infallible) and require intellectual assent (“loyal submission of the will and intellect”, *Lumen Gentium *25), not an assent of faith. [See the Explanatory Note on ATF by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith].

That is precisely why the 1983 revision of Canon Law replaced in Canon 749:3 “dogmatically (‘dogmatice’) declared or defined” with “infallibly defined”. This removes any occasion for equating “infallible” with “dogmatic”, an equation which unduly limits papal infallibility. Such a limitation is clearly not contained in the Vatican I dogma on papal infallibility.

Thus the three levels of teaching are:
**1) Dogma – infallible **(Canon #750.1) to be believed with the assent of divine and Catholic faith.
**2) Doctrine – infallible **(Canon #750.2) requires the assent of ecclesial faith, to be “firmly embraced and held”.
3) Doctrine – non-definitive (non-infallible) and requires intellectual assent (“loyal submission of the will and intellect”, Vatican II, *Lumen Gentium *25), not an assent of faith. [See the Explanatory Note on *Ad Tuendam Fidem

by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith*]
[ewtn.com/library/CURIA/CDFADTU.HTM]](http://www.ewtn.com/library/CURIA/CDFADTU.HTM])

Vatican II defined the exercise of collegial infallibility by bishops in an Ecumenical Council (LG 25), – “a turning point in doctrinal history.” [See Fr John Hardon, S.J., *The Catholic Catechism

, 1975, Doubleday, p 232-233].

Vatican II declares that bishops, individually, only possess infallibility when they preserve with Peter’s successor the bond of communion, they agree on matters of faith and morals in their authentic teaching that a particular teaching be held definitively and absolutely. (LG 25).

“Although the individual bishops do not enjoy the prerogative of infallibility, they nevertheless proclaim Christ’s doctrine infallibly whenever, even though dispersed through the world, but still maintaining the bond of communion among themselves and with the successor of Peter, and authentically teaching matters of faith and morals, they are in agreement on one position as definitively to be held.(40*) This is even more clearly verified when, gathered together in an ecumenical council, they are teachers and judges of faith and morals for the universal Church, whose definitions must be adhered to with the submission of faith.(41*)”
Notes:
40 1 Pt. 2:5.
41 Rev. 21:16.
See the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church (Lumen Gentium, 25) at:
vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_const_19641121_lumen-gentium_en.html Thank you, Abu. Your technical corrections do not go unappreciated.

 

[Abu]

Thank you dmar198. Your appreciation is much appreciated.
God bless your apologetic endeavours and your family.