Infallibility
Q: “Do Catholics believe that the Pope is infallible? Isn’t Scripture the only infallible source?”
A: This was another question recently submitted and which I appreciate. Let’s understand that infallible means without error and does not mean without sin. The Pope, as a Successor of St. Peter, is infallible, and Scripture reveals it. The main verse, in my opinion, is verse 19 of Matthew’s Gospel, chapter 16. I’ll include the verses before it and emphasize 19:
Jesus replied, 'Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood have not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father. And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the underworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of Heaven: whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.'
Jesus gives Peter, the first Pope, the power to act for Heaven. There is no error or imperfection of any kind in Heaven. Binding involves teaching and upholding the law; loosing would include loosening the law when possible and appropriate. The authority, then, that Peter was given by the Lord was to teach without error. This does not apply to anything the Pope says; he’s not infallible on his view of sports or politics! Infallibility only applies to his teaching on faith and morals. Papal infallibility has continued with all the Successors of Peter because it is the authority of the office of Pope under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. For other Scripture verses and more explanation of this infallibility, please read an article from Catholic Answers.
Two quotes from Vatican II help to clarify when the Pope and Bishops carry infallibility:
(The pope) “enjoys in virtue of his office, when, as the supreme shepherd and teacher of all the faithful, who confirms his brethren in their faith (Luke 22:32), he proclaims by a definitive act some doctrine of faith or morals. Therefore his definitions, of themselves, and not from the consent of the Church, are justly held irreformable, for they are pronounced with the assistance of the Holy Spirit, an assistance promised to him in blessed Peter.”
“Although the individual bishops do not enjoy the prerogative of infallibility, they can nevertheless proclaim Christ’s doctrine infallibly. This is so, even when they are dispersed around the world, provided that while maintaining the bond of unity among themselves and with Peter’s successor, and while teaching authentically on a matter of faith or morals, they concur in a single viewpoint as the one which must be held conclusively. This authority is even more clearly verified when, gathered together in an ecumenical council, they are teachers and judges of faith and morals for the universal Church. Their definitions must then be adhered to with the submission of faith” (Lumen Gentium 25).
