Saints LightWhat Does Papal Infallibility Really Mean?
Infallibility means the Holy Spirit keeps the Church, and the pope when he solemnly defines a doctrine, from teaching error on faith and morals; it does not mean the pope is sinless or always right.
What this lesson teaches
- Infallibility is protection from error in definitive teaching, not personal sinlessness.
- A pope speaks infallibly only when defining a doctrine of faith or morals for the whole Church.
- Solemn papal definitions are rare; the clearest are 1854 and 1950.
- The gift binds the pope to the faith handed down rather than freeing him to change it.
Catechism paragraphs this lesson cites
- CCC 86
- CCC 889-891
- CCC 2035
CCC means the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Saints Light teaches it in its own words and never quotes it. Look up any paragraph in a printed copy or at vatican.va. See every lesson by paragraph in the Catechism index.
Scripture read in this lesson: Luke 22:32; John 16:13; Matthew 28:20.
A sample question from this lesson
Which statement about papal infallibility is correct?
- The pope cannot commit sin
- Everything the pope says in an interview is infallible
- The pope is protected from error when he solemnly defines a doctrine of faith or morals for the whole Church
- The pope can create new doctrines whenever he wishes
Show the answer
The pope is protected from error when he solemnly defines a doctrine of faith or morals for the whole Church. The lesson explains that infallibility covers definitive teaching on faith or morals, not personal holiness or every statement (CCC 891).
The lesson in the app has three questions, each with an explanation.
Words to know
- Infallibility
- The gift of the Holy Spirit that keeps the Church from error when she definitively teaches on faith or morals.
- Ex cathedra
- Latin for from the chair: the pope solemnly defining a doctrine as shepherd of the whole Church.
More terms in the Catholic glossary. More passages in the Scripture index.
Read the full lesson in the app
"What Does Papal Infallibility Really Mean?" is lesson 6 of Answers to Hard Questions. In Saints Light you get the whole teaching, the Scripture quoted in full, all three questions and a step to live it this week.
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- How God Speaks: Scripture, Tradition and the Church (Start Here, free)
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- Revolutions, Vatican I and the Modern Popes (Church History)