Infallibility of the Church
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Infallibility of the Church is the belief that the Holy Spirit will not allow the Church to err in its belief or teaching under certain circumstances. This belief is held in a variety of forms by different Christian groups, including the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox churches. It can be distinguished from the idea of infallible sources such as the infallibility of scripture (accepted by all Christians except some liberal protestants) and the infallibility of Sacred Traditions (accepted by the Catholic and Orthodox Churches and some Anglo-catholics) as it refers to a present, rather than historical, infallibility.
Contents |
Different views on infallibility
The following channels of infallibility are accepted by some Christian groups:
Infallibility of all believers
Roughly, the doctrine of the infallibility of all believers states that those issues of faith or morals accepted by all Christians (or all members of a specific church) are infallible. This doctrine refers to beliefs held in common by all; it does not say that each individual is infallible.
Some Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Christians have believed in this doctrine to some extent, although it is not officially taught by either, except to the extent that it is part of the infallibility of the Church as a sacred institution (in the forms discussed below). It has also been professed by some Protestant theologians, and was commonly taught by the reformers as an alternative infallibility to the more traditional Catholic forms (below), although it is not generally any longer regarded as part of the Protestant faiths, and in any event Protestants rarely if ever use the term "infallibility".
Some Pentecostals and Charismatics (in various denominations) believe that each Christian possesses this ability to infallibly discern the answers to certain religious questions. This is not the same as the doctrine of the infallibility of all individuals; rather, this is related to the belief that the Holy Spirit will enable each Christian to discern the truth.
Infallibility of the ordinary and universal magisterium
The infallibility of the ordinary and universal magisterium, like infallibility of all believers, is a general rather than specific infallibility. It cannot be used to show a particular document or pronouncement is infallible (unlike the doctrines on the infallibility of the Pope and Ecumenical Councils, which can) but rather it looks to the institution of the Church, its traditions, its teachings, its scriptures, its apostolic origins, and those things that have always been accepted as essential, and declares that where the Church's bishops (as successors of the apostles) teach or pronounce consistently with these things and with one another, they exercise a judicial magisterial authority in so doing. The doctrine professes that the Holy Spirit, guiding the Church as a whole, will not let these traditions and commonly accepted doctrines of faith fall into error. The doctrine is closely linked to a particular beleif as to the role of the bishops and the institutional Church in Christ's plan for mankind until the second coming.
This belief in the magisterium of the Church is a fundamental part of Catholic teaching and practice, and is the primary authority used by the Pope and other bishops when discussing many controversial issues relating to sexual morality and social teaching (although many such teachings also draw on other types of infallibility).
As the authority here claimed is associated with the doctrine of apostolic succession and necessarily compels one to draw on scripture and tradition, it is also not entirely foreign to the Orthodox Churches (as discussed below under the infallibility "Consensus Patrum"). The Anglican Church at its origins claimed this type of authority over the people of England, but the idea is no longer popular within the Church, owing in particular to a lack of commonly accepted traditions and to disputes as to the doctrine of apostolic succession. It is still, however, accepted in some Anglo-catholic circles in a modified form. It is not otherwise found in the Protestant traditions.
Infallibility of the Consensus Patrum
"Consensus Patrum" is a Latin phrase used by the Catholic and Orthodox Churches to refer to the Consensus of the Fathers of the Church or, in other words, the Sacred Traditions of the Church. As such it is not necessarily a doctrine of present infallibility but rather a source of revelation and wisdom, as Sacred Scripture is a source of revelation and wisdom. The Orthodox Churches have, however, drawn on this doctrine to arrive at an understanding of the present infallibility of the Church that is virtually indistinguishable from the Catholic doctrine of the Magisterium discussed above. The Orthodox Church believes that the bishops are responsible for preserving the faith, the dogmatic truths and traditions. This does not equate however to them being ontologically infallible but that in consensus, in combined agreement, they are charged with the Universal faith.
"The infallibility of the Church does not mean that the Church, in the assembly of the Fathers or in the expression of the Conscience of the Church, has already formally expressed all the truths of faith and norms. The infallibility of the Church is confined to the formulation of truths in question. This infallibility is not wholly a God-inspired energy which would affect the participants of the synod to such an extent that they would be inspired to pronounce all the truths at one time as a whole system of a Christian catechism. The Synod does not formulate a system of beliefs encompassing all Christian teachings and truths, but only endeavors to define the particular disputed truth which was misunderstood and misinterpreted. The Church of Christ and its divine nature, as set forth above, is the foundation upon which the Eastern Orthodox Church continues to administer and nourish its faithful, thereby protecting its fundamental essentials." (Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America - Rev. George Mastrantonis)
Infallibility of ecumenical councils
Roughly, the doctrine of the infallibility of ecumenical councils states that definitive decrees of ecumenical councils which concern faith or morals are infallible. The criteria for determining which decrees are definitive are complex.
Catholics and the Greek Orthodox Church accept this doctrine. However, the Orthodox churches accept only the first seven general councils as genuinely ecumenical, while Catholics accept twenty-one. The Orthodox Church believes in Concensus Patrum, that the conciliar and synodical authority of the Church is equal to that of Holy Scripture. Some Protestants believe in the infallibility of ecumenical councils, but they usually restrict this infallibility to the Christological statements of the first seven councils.
While the Russian Orthodox Church does recognize the first seven ecumenical councils as valid, some Russian Orthodox theologians believe that the infallibility of these councils' statements derived from their acceptance by the faithful (and thus from the infallibility of all believers), and not from the acts of the councils themselves.
Papal infallibility
- Main article: Papal Infallibility
Roughly, the doctrine of papal infallibility states that definitive decrees of Popes which concern faith and morals are infallible. The criteria for determining which decrees are definitive are complex; an infallible decree by a pope is often referred to as an ex cathedra statement.
This doctrine, which dates back to the early Church, is clearly taught by the Catholic Church and was definitively defined at the First Vatican Council in 1870. The rejection of this doctrine is a common definitional element of Protestantism and is the only belief that unites all the various Protestant denominations. In the Orthodox Churches, the doctrine is also not generally accepted, although the doctrine is not necessarily inconsistent with the beliefs of those Churches and consequently some Orthodox theologians have professed it.
Consequences for ecumenism
Christian churches are divided by their different views on infallibility. The ecumenical movement, which hopes to reunify all of Christianity, has found that this is one of the most divisive of issues between churches. This term unfortunately has often been misunderstood by most Christian denominations. Infallibility cannot be understood properly unless a sound comprehension of the administration and theology of each Christian group has firstly been understood.
