Continuing with the exploration and reflection through a series of articles written in a conversational language about Catholicism, about God, about Jesus, about the Church and many other faith related topics. Here we present:
Question 30 – Could the pope be mistaken?
In the Catholic* Church* you sometimes hear about the infallibility of the pope*. This can make eyebrows arch. Does this mean that Catholic Christians believe that the pope can never be mistaken? Of course not. Everyone can make a mistake, including the pope. Only God* is never mistaken. Nevertheless, Catholic Christians believe that there are exceptional circumstances in which the pope speaks infallibly about a point of faith.
The conditions for this are strict. It must be about the core of the Christian faith, as it can be found in the Bible* and the faith of the early Christians. In addition, the pope must speak on behalf of the whole Church and with the Church’s consent. Finally, he must make it clear that he chooses to speak with this exceptional authority.
Over the past 150 years, there has been one statement by a pope that is considered infallible: the one about the Assumption of Mary*, in 1950.
Belief in the infallibility of the pope means, first and foremost, that Catholic Christians trust that God will help his Church in a very special way to deepen their faith in Jesus*.
– Have you ever had the experience that someone helped you to strengthen your faith?
– Who or what helps you to deepen your knowledge of your faith?
Watch this space! Coming up: Question 31 – What is the difference between an ordinary person and a saint?
Follow these links to go back to previous questions
If you wish to learn more about this resource follow this link “52 Questions and Answers about faith”
About the author:
Nikolaas Sintobin, SJ, joined the Society of Jesus in 1989, following a short career as a lawyer. He was trained as a Jesuit in Brussels, Paris, and Santiago de Chile. Today he is a spiritual director who is keenly interested in online ministry and discovering new ways to help people find God.
This text is republished with the permission of Messenger Publications, Ireland. To buy a hard copy of the book click here.
