Sacred Heart Parish

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Our Personal Assent

Excerpt from the Dogmatic Constitution n the Church, Lumen Gentium (Pope St. Paul VI, 1964)

In matters of faith and morals, the bishops speak in the name of Christ and the faithful are to accept their teaching and adhere to it with a religious assent. This religious submission of mind and will must be shown in a special way to the authentic magisterium of the Roman Pontiff, even when he is not speaking ex cathedra; that is, it must be shown in such a way that his supreme magisterium is acknowledged with reverence, the judgments made by him are sincerely adhered to, according to his manifest mind and will. His mind and will in the matter may be known either from the character of the documents, from his frequent repetition of the same doctrine, or from his manner of speaking.

Frequently Asked Questions About the Pope

Does the Holy Spirit Elect the Pope?

No. The College of Cardinals elects the pope at the conclave which follows the death or resignation of the previous pope. Nonetheless, the cardinals have a grave duty to seek the counsel of the Holy Spirit in making their decision; but they are not enjoined by the Holy Spirit from ignoring His counsel, either. It can also be said, however, that God at least permits each pope who is elected.

How Can the Church Claim the Pope Is Infallible When There's Been So Much Scandal Going Back to the Beginning?

It's important to understand the difference between two important words:

Infallibility -- the belief that the Roman Pontiff cannot err when exercising his teaching authority on behalf of the universal Church, in matters of faith and morals.

Impeccability -- the belief that someone is incapable of committing sin.

The Pope, it cannot be said enough, is human, not divine. No human being has enjoyed an immaculate conception like the Blessed Mother enjoyed. Catholics believe the Holy Spirit teaches through him when he exercises the "office" of pope, but the Holy Spirit does not shield him from making bad personal choices -- sometimes incredibly evil and indefensible choices. The pope needs a savior just like you and me, so while there have been countless saintly popes, the presence of some bad apples along the way does not invalidate the office of the papacy anymore than the presence of Judas invalidated the calling of the Apostles.

I'm Catholic, but I Don't Understand and Greatly Dislike the Pope's Teaching on "X". Am I Free to Disagree?

You can disagree on matters of "prudential judgment", but not on matters of faith and morals that are universally accepted by the Church -- even if they are not formally defined. For example, Catholics may agree to disagree on what constitutes "Just War". This is a matter of prudential judgment -- literally on a case-by-case basis. Although the Church is leading us in a direction of coming to a universal understanding of the Just War priniciple, we are allowed to debate its merits, or lack thereof, for now.

Conversely, as a Catholic you may *not* openly disagree with the Pope on the Church's official teaching on issues such as the Sanctity of Life, or the male priesthood, or sexual morality, or any other universally taught matter of faith and morals.

Does That Mean I Can Just Ignore Him on Those 'Prudential' Matters?

No. Even when the Pope speaks outside the bounds of the Ordinary Magisterium, baptized Catholics owe their conscientious assent to the Holy Father's teaching -- even when we may passionately disagree. We must always strive to conform our conscience with the instruction of the pope as a sign of the same obedience Jesus showed His Father in Heaven.

What About My Conscience? Doesn't the Church Teach That Our Conscience Is the Highest Authority?

Yes. However, the specific phrase is, "a rightly formed conscience". Our conscience doesn't have veto power over what constitutes evil. A person may have a disordered conscience; for example, an individual who lives by the idea that "the ends justify the means" (the idea that sin is okay because I expect something objectively good that will come of it in the end). There is no limit to what can be rationalized by a disordered conscience, and history is littered with devastation because of it.