The idea that every word uttered by a Pope is carved in stone for all time, is very much a modern construct and superstition. We see the traditional view below:
PopeWatch: Has Certainly Happened Frequently in the Past
- Donald R. McClarey
Donald R. McClarey
Cradle Catholic. Active in the pro-life movement since 1973. Father of three, one in Heaven, and happily married for 43 years. Small town lawyer and amateur historian. Former president of the board of directors of the local crisis pregnancy center for a decade.
Amen. There are credible voices pointing out in recent times that the “infallibility” pronouncement of the First Vatican Council was a mistake that led directly to the “hyperpapalism” (h/t Prof. Peter Kwasniewski) we experience today. I suppose it will take another Council to clarify what V1 intended to say, but that’s not on my wish list either, not with the current hierarchy in place anyway.
Infallibility is actually very narrowly defined by Vatican I and most of the popes up to Francis have been very cautious about applying it to anything but a traditional teaching. The first problem is Francis. We had a string of pretty good popes from Pius VII though Benedict XVI and now we have a clunker of the sort who was much more common in the Middle Ages and Renaissance. The second problem is a left-wing clique in the Church (abetted by the media) who are happy to selectively focus on things popes say (often without regard to context) to advance their own political preferences. The third problem (per Fr. Z) is that modern popes talk too much, and are expected to. Old interrogators know that if you get a man to talk enough and you record it, you can make it appear he’s saying almost anything you want.
No disagreement there, Tom B. As you noted, the biggest problem is Francis now, but he has highlighted what may well be a problem for any other pope who lacks the caution of the “pretty good” popes. (I don’t personally place Paul VI in that category, Humanae Vitae notwithstanding, but that’s neither here nor there.) The other problem is that most of the laity are essentially clueless as to what papal infallibility is supposed to mean. Combined with a pope who, like Francis, suffers from severe logorrhea, it’s a dangerous cocktail.
Couldn’t agree more with this post. I wouldn’t put weight on the weak words of Francis as they lack sticking power because they depart from the Truth. Gods Truths are good like that. So for me it’s been in through one ear and out the other.
I dunno, Francis has been handing out red hats like candy on Halloween … Undoing all that might be an unprecedented move.
If the next Pope declares infallibly that Francis was an antipope, would that immediately render all his episcopal appointments null?
A profile of the next Pope, writes Cardinal
Two years after the text signed ‘Demos’ (later revealed to have been written by Cardinal Pell) a new anonymous document, linked to the first, defines the seven priorities of the next Conclave to repair the confusion and crisis created by this Pontificate.
https://newdailycompass.com/en/a-profile-of-the-next-pope-writes-cardinal
May God Almighty depose and anathematize Pope Francis, his homo-erotic effeminate clergy, and all his works of manifest heresy.
and executive orders by prsidents.that are rotten to the core and unconstitutional