Question on infallible Catholic Church teachings

[jane_doe]

Hi, I have a few questions on infallible Catholic Church teachings.

1. Is it true that there isn’t a compiled list of all the infallible teachings of the Church? If there is not, why not? If there is, could someone please link it?
2. Who are the infallible teachers of the Catholic Church and under what circumstances* are those teaching infallible? *By “circumstance” I mean is everything they say automatically infallible, or is it when it’s part of a formal decree, or part of a Council, or what not.

Thank you in advance for all your help!

 

[Horton]

Hi, I have a few questions on infallible Catholic Church teachings.

1. Is it true that there isn’t a compiled list of all the infallible teachings of the Church? If there is not, why not? If there is, could someone please link it?
2. Who are the infallible teachers of the Catholic Church and under what circumstances* are those teaching infallible? *By “circumstance” I mean is everything they say automatically infallible, or is it when it’s part of a formal decree, or part of a Council, or what not.

Thank you in advance for all your help!

forums.catholic-questions.org/search.php?searchid=26427670

The threads on your topic have been covered many times.

 

[twf]

There isn’t an easy answer because as often as the Catholic Church is criticized for being too “legalistic”, our faith is ultimately a mystical one rooted in the mystery of the Incarnation, of which the Church is herself the mystical continuation.
The Church is infallible, for the Church is the body of Christ who is Truth. In a practical sense, the Church’s infallibility is exercised in three ways:

1. Extraordinary Magisterium of the Pope - when the Pope solemnly declares “ex cathedra”, in his capacity as head of the Church, as binding on all the faithful, a dogma of the faith. This is extremely rare and has only been exercised twice in the last couple centuries.
2. Extraordinary Magisterium of Councils - when the bishops of the world assemble together, with and under the Bishop of Rome, and solemnly define dogmas of the faith as binding on all the faithful. The vast majority of dogmas have been defined in this manner.
3. Ordinary Magisterium - this one is the most difficult to pin down…the collective, consistent teaching of the bishops, united with the Pope, in every time and place. Think of this as the Church’s collective witness of her faith.

#1 and #2, defined dogmas, are easy to find as they are contained in the official documents of the Popes and Councils. There are a number of resources out there that list these. #3 can’t be reduced to a single list, though it remains infallible…true…the extraordinary magisterium exists to settle disputes when there is a dispute as to what the Ordinary Magisterium truly teaches. The Catechism of the Catholic Church is an excellent starting point and is available online:
scborromeo.org/ccc.htm

 

[otjm]

see Ludwig Ott: Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma. the 2012 edition is available on Amazon, for $199.00.

 

[commenter]

Hi, I have a few questions on infallible Catholic Church teachings.

1. Is it true that there isn’t a compiled list of all the infallible teachings of the Church? If there is not, ****why ****not? If there is, could someone please link it?
2. Who are the infallible teachers of the Catholic Church and under what circumstances* are those teaching infallible? *By “circumstance” I mean is everything they say automatically infallible, or is it when it’s part of a formal decree, or part of a Council, or what not.

Thank you in advance for all your help!

The quick answer to your question is:

1. The Bible
2. Sacred Tradition
3. The Magisterium

It is one teacher, using one text, in the light of one heritage.

I am interested in the words I bolded in your text, because they duplicate the question in so many other posts. There almost seems to be some challenge, some unmet expectation, that the Catholic Church is hiding something. I am puzzled the question gets asked with almost the same wording on CAF, and elsewhere.

Apparently it is suspicious that the RCC supposedly does not produce a list on demand (but no one could care less if other denominations can or cannot produce their own list; nobody demands to see the Presbyterian or Methodist Infallible list). Is there an anti-Catholic website out there coaching people “Go ahead! Ask them to show you the list. Watch them try to rationalize out of *this *one!” I mean, do you really care? If you are interested, follow the links earlier posted on some of the many, many times this question has come up on CAF.

 

[po18guy]

According to Fr. John Trigilio, author of Catholicism for Dummies, the normal magisterium of the Church (the catechism) may be considered as infallible teaching. A belief need not be dogmatized before it is held to be infallible. Dogma is simply doctrine which is set in stone in response to heresy - the final word. Without dogma, the Church would still be arguing the trinity - those outside the Church still do.

In any event, it is worth pondering just how we might quantify God and His revealed truth.

 

[PJM]

Hi, I have a few questions on infallible Catholic Church teachings.

1. Is it true that there isn’t a compiled list of all the infallible teachings of the Church? If there is not, why not? If there is, could someone please link it?
2. Who are the infallible teachers of the Catholic Church and under what circumstances* are those teaching infallible? *By “circumstance” I mean is everything they say automatically infallible, or is it when it’s part of a formal decree, or part of a Council, or what not.

Thank you in advance for all your help!

Which Church teachings have been declared infallible?
catholic.com/quickquestions/which-church-teachings-have-been-declared-infallible

Full Question
I have had some heated discussions recently about what teachings of the Church have been formally defined as infallible. I believe that under the definition of infallibility set forth at the First Vatican Council and affirmed at the Second Vatican Council in Lumen Gentium, the following teachings have been infallibly taught: the Immaculate Conception, the Assumption, the reservation of priestly ordination to men, and the immorality of abortion and other deliberate killing of innocent persons. So, which teachings of the Church are in fact formally defined?

Answer
The Church has not yet compiled a list of all infallible teachings or dogmatic definitions. However, all of the teachings you name are infallible.

Some of them—the Immaculate Conception and the Assumption—have been infallibly taught by a definition of the extraordinary magisterium (i.e., in a definition of a pope or an ecumenical council). Others—the male priesthood, the intrinsic evil of abortion and the deliberate killing of innocents—are infallibly taught, without a definition, by the Church’s ordinary magisterium.

Tests for whether a definition has been made include: (a) if a pope is writing, does he use the phrase “I define”? and (b) if a council is writing, does it use the phrase “let him be anathema”? If either of these is the case, it’s probably an infallible definition, especially as this language has been used in recent centuries. There are other ways popes and councils can issue definitions, but these are phrases commonly used to do so.

---

Answered by: Catholic Answers Staff End Quote

FROM THE CURRENT CANON LAW

BOOK III : THE TEACHING OFFICE OF THE CHURCH

Can. 747 §1 It is the obligation and inherent right of the Church, independent of any human authority, to preach the Gospel to all peoples, using for this purpose even its own means of social communication, for it is to the Church that Christ the Lord entrusted the deposit of faith, so that by the assistance of the Holy Spirit, it might conscientiously
guard revealed truth, more intimately penetrate it, and faithfully proclaim and expound it

§2 The Church has the right always and everywhere to proclaim moral principles, even in respect of the social order, and to make judgements about any human matter in so far as this is required by fundamental human rights or the salvation of souls.

Can. 748 §1 All are bound to seek the truth in the matters which concern God and his Church; when they have found it, then by divine law they are bound, and they have the right, to embrace and keep it.

§2 It is never lawful for anyone to force others to embrace the catholic faith against their conscience.

Can. 749 §1 In virtue of his office the Supreme Pontiff is infallible in his teaching when, as chief Shepherd and Teacher of all Christ’s faithful, with the duty of strengthening his brethren in the faith, he proclaims by definitiveact a doctrine to be held concerning faith or morals.

§2 The College of Bishops also possesses infallibility in its teaching when the Bishops, gathered together in an Ecumenical Council and exercising their magisterium as teachers and judges of faith and morals, definitivelydeclare for the universal Church a doctrine to be held concerning faith or morals; likewise, when the Bishops, dispersed throughout the world but maintaining the bond of union among themselves and with the successor of Peter, together with the same Roman Pontiff authentically teach matters of faith or morals, and are agreed that a particular teaching is definitively to be held
.
§3 No doctrine is understood to be infallibly defined unless this is manifestly demonstrated

I hope you find this useful?
GBY

 

[TMC]

Hi, I have a few questions on infallible Catholic Church teachings.

1. Is it true that there isn’t a compiled list of all the infallible teachings of the Church? If there is not, why not? If there is, could someone please link it?
2. Who are the infallible teachers of the Catholic Church and under what circumstances* are those teaching infallible? *By “circumstance” I mean is everything they say automatically infallible, or is it when it’s part of a formal decree, or part of a Council, or what not.

Thank you in advance for all your help!

The Church has never published a list of the infallible teachings. You will find various lists compiled by various people, of varying degrees of expertise and authority, but the fact is that the Church has declined to provide a definitive list. To complicate things further, teachings that are widely considered to be infallible can sometimes evolve or shift somewhat. As a result, even where a teaching is considered infallible, it can be difficult to discern what is the infallible ‘core’ of the teaching, and what is not.

The good news for Catholics is that whether something is infallible or not is mostly a technical issue for theologians and ecclesiastics to debate. Whether a Church teaching is “infallible” or not does not change a Catholic’s duty vis-à-vis that teaching.

 

[1pppp]

The counsal of Trent defined a number of doctrunes is a example of infallanable dogma; doctrine. And if u don’t believe it then you are anamithized ( spelling error)

 

[jane_doe]

Thank you everyone for your helpful responses.

Admittedly, I am surprised that the Catholic Church has not compiled a list of official declared infallible teachings. As two pointed out, the CC does have a reputation for being highly legalistic. The naive knew jerk reaction is to think that CC would like to make a list to keep track of such important things. I am now aware that the actual thinking is different. Good to know.

As to who’s teachings are considered infallible… that I’m less sure of. Pope in official statements and Ecumenical councils is clear. But I’m confused on the magistrate part. I point of clarification-- PJM posted a section of the CCC saying.

" The College of Bishops also possesses infallibility in its teaching when the Bishops, gathered together in an Ecumenical Council and exercising their magisterium as teachers and judges of faith and morals, definitivelydeclare for the universal Church a doctrine to be held concerning faith or morals; likewise, when the Bishops, dispersed throughout the world but maintaining the bond of union among themselves and with the successor of Peter, together with the same Roman Pontiff authentically teach matters of faith or morals, and are agreed that a particular teaching is definitively to be held"

I highlighted two words therein. There’s a semicolon in there, indicating some continuation of thought. But would it make more sense to have it be a period, indicating that they described Ecumenical Councils (item #2 of twf’s list) and will now describe item #3 (ordinary magisterium)? … Did that question make sense at all?

 

[twf]

Thank you everyone for your helpful responses.

Admittedly, I am surprised that the Catholic Church has not compiled a list of official declared infallible teachings. As two pointed out, the CC does have a reputation for being highly legalistic. The naive knew jerk reaction is to think that CC would like to make a list to keep track of such important things. I am now aware that the actual thinking is different. Good to know.

As to who’s teachings are considered infallible… that I’m less sure of. Pope in official statements and Ecumenical councils is clear. But I’m confused on the magistrate part. I point of clarification-- PJM posted a section of the CCC saying.

" The College of Bishops also possesses infallibility in its teaching when the Bishops, gathered together in an Ecumenical Council and exercising their magisterium as teachers and judges of faith and morals, definitivelydeclare for the universal Church a doctrine to be held concerning faith or morals; likewise, when the Bishops, dispersed throughout the world but maintaining the bond of union among themselves and with the successor of Peter, together with the same Roman Pontiff authentically teach matters of faith or morals, and are agreed that a particular teaching is definitively to be held"

I highlighted two words therein. There’s a semicolon in there, indicating some continuation of thought. But would it make more sense to have it be a period, indicating that they described Ecumenical Councils (item #2 of twf’s list) and will now describe item #3 (ordinary magisterium)? … Did that question make sense at all?

Yes, the CCC is describing two exercises of infallibility: the extraordinary magisterium of Ecumenical Councils and the ordinary magisterium of the bishops in general. The two thoughts are linked because both pertain to the college of bishops as a whole - either solemnly assembled in council or spread across the world exercising their teaching office. As I mentioned in my first post, Ecumenical Councils give us definitive clarity so there is no dispute. While the ordinary magisterium is also infallible, it is more difficult for us as individual Christians to “pin down”…some things are obvious. There is no dogma defining that abortion is evil, yet no one doubts that the Church’s teaching on this matter is infallible. The witness of the Ordinary Magisterium is clear and beyond dispute…for 2000 years the bishops in every time and place have taught this doctrine. There is no need for a pope or council to define a dogma through the extraordinary magisterium. On the other hand, the doctrine of the Trinity became a major point of contention among the bishops. The bishops of the first couple centuries infallibly taught this truth of the faith, but as that witness was challenged, it was prudent for a Council to define it as dogma.
Does that make sense?

 

[Evan]

Hi, I have a few questions on infallible Catholic Church teachings.

1. Is it true that there isn’t a compiled list of all the infallible teachings of the Church? If there is not, why not? If there is, could someone please link it?
2. Who are the infallible teachers of the Catholic Church and under what circumstances* are those teaching infallible? *By “circumstance” I mean is everything they say automatically infallible, or is it when it’s part of a formal decree, or part of a Council, or what not.

Thank you in advance for all your help!

The difficulty in your request is that there is so much that is infallibly taught and the Church, presently, does not believe anyone would doubt it.

Here might be some:

• Jesus was human, not an alien. He had 2 hands, 2 legs. He was not a witch. He did not need a broomstick to fly.
• Time runs forward for all humanity, but God is not limited in the same way man is.
• God is neither left nor right handed and does not love either kind of people more.

The church waits for a truth that is known to all to be doubted before it declares it infallibly. Though it is usually infallible by Sacred Tradition before a council or pope declares it:

Lumen Gentium Paragraph 12:

The holy people of God shares also in Christ’s prophetic office; it spreads abroad a living witness to Him, especially by means of a life of faith and charity and by offering to God a sacrifice of praise, the tribute of lips which give praise to His name. The entire body of the faithful, anointed as they are by the Holy One, cannot err in matters of belief. They manifest this special property by means of the whole peoples’ supernatural discernment in matters of faith when “from the Bishops down to the last of the lay faithful” they show universal agreement in matters of faith and morals. That discernment in matters of faith is aroused and sustained by the Spirit of truth. It is exercised under the guidance of the sacred teaching authority, in faithful and respectful obedience to which the people of God accepts that which is not just the word of men but truly the word of God. Through it, the people of God adheres unwaveringly to the faith given once and for all to the saints penetrates it more deeply with right thinking, and applies it more fully in its life.

 

[thistle]

Thank you everyone for your helpful responses.

Admittedly, I am surprised that the Catholic Church has not compiled a list of official declared infallible teachings. As two pointed out, the CC does have a reputation for being highly legalistic. The naive knew jerk reaction is to think that CC would like to make a list to keep track of such important things. I am now aware that the actual thinking is different. Good to know.

As to who’s teachings are considered infallible… that I’m less sure of. Pope in official statements and Ecumenical councils is clear. But I’m confused on the magistrate part. I point of clarification-- PJM posted a section of the CCC saying.

" The College of Bishops also possesses infallibility in its teaching when the Bishops, gathered together in an Ecumenical Council and exercising their magisterium as teachers and judges of faith and morals, definitivelydeclare for the universal Church a doctrine to be held concerning faith or morals; likewise, when the Bishops, dispersed throughout the world but maintaining the bond of union among themselves and with the successor of Peter, together with the same Roman Pontiff authentically teach matters of faith or morals, and are agreed that a particular teaching is definitively to be held"

I highlighted two words therein. There’s a semicolon in there, indicating some continuation of thought. But would it make more sense to have it be a period, indicating that they described Ecumenical Councils (item #2 of twf’s list) and will now describe item #3 (ordinary magisterium)? … Did that question make sense at all?

It makes no difference if a Church teaching is infallible or non-infallible as Catholics are BOUND by both.

 

[commenter]

Admittedly, I am **surprised **that the Catholic Church has not compiled a list of official declared infallible teachings. As two pointed out, the CC does have a reputation for being highly legalistic.

All religions, or even atheistic ideologies, have many “infallible” assumptions, not usually spoken. For instance, the Law of Non-Contradiction, or other philosophical guidelines for logical thinking and expression that they **require **be followed. Even religions that teach “No creed here” **always **have infallible teachings (assumed) that violence against other members, or stealing from the congregation, is evil.

Having infallible teachings, and being “legalistic”, are two different things - again, I wonder about your sources of the CC’s “reputation”. The difference between the CC and Protestant denominations is that the CC’s Magisterium is explicit, a highly visible process. In Protestantism, whether it be Baptist, Methodist, liberal mainline, or whatever, the working of the magisterium is inferred, indirect, and sometimes changeable from one generation to another, but it is still there. Their infallible teachings are mostly assumed, not expressed, and the assumptions can change over the decades, but some infallible teachings are still operative.

 

[twf]

All religions, or even atheistic ideologies, have many “infallible” assumptions, not usually spoken. For instance, the Law of Non-Contradiction, or other philosophical guidelines for logical thinking and expression that they **require **be followed. Even religions that teach “No creed here” **always **have infallible teachings (assumed) that violence against other members, or stealing from the congregation, is evil.

Having infallible teachings, and being “legalistic”, are two different things - again, I wonder about your sources of the CC’s “reputation”. The difference between the CC and Protestant denominations is that the CC’s Magisterium is explicit, a highly visible process. In Protestantism, whether it be Baptist, Methodist, liberal mainline, or whatever, the working of the magisterium is inferred, indirect, and sometimes changeable from one generation to another, but it is still there. Their infallible teachings are mostly assumed, not expressed, and the assumptions can change over the decades, but some infallible teachings are still operative.

Though in this case the OP is a Mormon, not a Protestant. I would venture that many parallels could be drawn between the Catholic Magisterium and the Mormon General Authorities… maybe that should be its own thread.

 

[commenter]

Admittedly, I am surprised that the Catholic Church has not compiled a list of official declared infallible teachings. As two pointed out, the CC does have a reputation for being highly legalistic.

Actually, having well defined teachings, and being “legalistic” are not the same thing, and are even opposing things.
Catholic dogmas are pretty explicit; a layperson can see what they are, for instance in the Catechism. The average layperson can see who is involved in the Magisterium, and has a general idea of what infallibility is. A moderately informed Catholic can see something about the history of the Assumption, for instance, how belief grew and how, when, and by whom, it was defined as infallible. They would have an (incomplete) understanding of what it means, and would have an idea of where to learn more.

Without well defined dogmas, the average Christian layman has to rely on various sources whose credibility is uncertain and often, if not always, contradictory. This means a televangelist over here, a book over there, a some other kind of interpreter always. In other words, lawyers.

In an era of relativism, with no infallibly defined dogmas, there is multiplication of experts to explain. In other words, legalism. There is more liberty for the laity in Catholicism, with a very few infallibly defined permanent things, than there is in Protestantism, where almost anything or almost nothing can be considered infallible, this year or next year (can change by year).

Imagine a playground surrounded on 3 sides by a cliff. The children can play a little near the center, but they are always cautious and nervous as they move towards the edges. Suppose some authority puts up a fence on those 3 sides. Then they can run, chase, play anywhere on the playground, without worry. If they go too far, they bump into the fence, a little bumped but still really safe, not really hurt. They are much freer than the children without the fence. That fence is the Magisterium.

 

[PRmerger]

There isn’t an easy answer because as often as the Catholic Church is criticized for being too “legalistic”, our faith is ultimately a mystical one rooted in the mystery of the Incarnation, of which the Church is herself the mystical continuation.

Yes, this is correct.

That would be like asking a geologist to compile a list of all the geological facts in existence.

Compiling a list of infallible teachings would necessarily require including Sacred Tradition…and that’s a living Tradition.