wolfpup
What exactly do Catholics have to believe - is it limited to those things defined by a council? Can they for instance disagree with a papal encyclical? To what extent are encyclicals infallible? What part do moral truths play as opposed to truths about the faith?
I guess what I am asking is - “what is considered ex cathedra?”
Only what is defined on faith or morals by an Ecumenical Council confirmed by the Pope is infallible dogma or doctrine. Catholics must assent to ALL dogma and doctrine defined by a confirmed Ecumenical Council or from the Pope himself. See below for the three categories as defined by
Ad Tuendam Fidem.
The Vatican I dogma on papal infallibility declares:
Vatican I (
Pastor Aeternus, Chap 4, #9,
an infallible dogma) is the basis for understanding papal infallibility.
“9. Therefore, faithfully adhering to the tradition received from the beginning of the Christian faith, to the glory of God our saviour, for the exaltation of the Catholic religion and for the salvation of the Christian people, with the approval of the Sacred Council, we teach and define as a divinely revealed dogma that when the Roman Pontiff speaks EX CATHEDRA, that is, when, in the exercise of his office as shepherd and teacher of all Christians, in virtue of his supreme apostolic authority, he defines a doctrine concerning faith or morals to be held by the whole Church, he possesses, by the divine assistance promised to him in blessed Peter, that infallibility which the divine Redeemer willed his Church to enjoy in defining doctrine concerning faith or morals. Therefore, such definitions of the Roman Pontiff are of themselves, and not by the consent of the Church, irreformable.”
Vatican II, reiterated the teaching of Vatican I on papal infallibility, and its documents are readily available [from the EWTN Library (
http://www.ewtn.com/vlibrary/search.asp) or the Vatican Library].
Infallibility for dogmas or definitions by Bishops in an Ecumenical Council is dependant on the approval of the Pope.
For infallibility to be exercised the Pope must teach:
(a)
ex cathedra (from the Chair of Peter), that is as Shepherd and Teacher of all Christians,
(b)
speaking with Peter’s apostolic authority to the whole Church,
(c)
defining a doctrine of faith and morals.
Therefore only dogmas or definitive doctrinal teaching are infallible, not arguments nor any other declarations outside of definitive statements.
The updated CCC #88 is complemented by Canon 750 #2 for a truth proposed definitively (definitive proponuntur) which must be firmly accepted and held.
Ad Tuendam Fidem, John Paul II, Apostolic Letter (Motu Proprio = on his own authority), 1998].
Thus CCC #88 clearly combines exactly with Pope John Paul’s Motu Proprio 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].
Also, 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.
With the 1997 update of the CCC, # 88 reads: “The Church’s Magisterium exercises the authority it holds from Christ to the fullest extent when it defines dogmas, that is, when it proposes truths contained in divine Revelation or having a necessary connection with them, in a form obliging the Christian people to an irrevocable adherence of faith, or also when it proposes in a definitive way, truths having a necessary connection with these.”
Answer by David Gregson of EWTN on Nov-22-2002:
“You are correct in stating that the Pope exercises his charism of infallibility not only in dogmatic definitions issued, ex cathedra, as divinely revealed (of which there have been only two), but also in doctrines definitively proposed by him, also ex cathedra, which would include canonizations (that they are in fact Saints, enjoying the Beatific Vision in heaven), moral teachings (such as contained in Humanae vitae), and other doctrines he has taught as necessarily connected with truths divinely revealed, such as that priestly ordination is reserved to men. Further details on levels of certainty with which the teachings of the Magisterium (either the Pope alone, or in company with his Bishops) may be found in Summary of Categories of Belief.”
