Pope's Infallibility

Catholicism believes that the pope is infallible, meaning that in terms of doctrine he is incapable of error. Catholics believe that when the pope asserts his authority on moral issues or matters of faith, the Holy Spirit guards against any error. This does not mean that the pope personally is perfect. He's not infallible in geographical, scientific, historical, and political matters (or anything else besides faith and morals) In essence, it's all about trust. Catholics think that the Holy Spirit protects them from false or erroneous doctrines by not letting the pope issue them.

Whether it's a subtle change of the mind or a dramatic sudden heart attack (joking!), Catholics believe God will use any means necessary to intervene and prevent a false teaching by the pope. It also doesn't mean that, personally, the pope is never in error. He can hold an incorrect opinion just as long as he does not try to impose it on the church, because the Holy Spirit would theoretically intervene.

Infallibility is widely misunderstood, even by Catholics. It differs from the beliefs of inspiration and impeccability. Inspiration (a belief shared by most Protestants) holds that the Holy Spirit gave a special gift to the sacred authors who wrote the New Testament. They recorded only what God wished to be recorded - no more, no less. The pope is not inspired, but St. Paul was when he wrote his letters to the Church.

Impeccability is the inability to commit sin. Only two people have ever had this privilege-Jesus Christ and His Blessed Mother. Mary's impeccability came because of the grace of God, whereas Jesus was the Son of God. Popes are not impeccable, meaning that they are quite capable of sin. Every pope since St. Peter (who lied about knowing Jesus in order to protect himself) has had this very human weakness.

Everything written by the sacred authors in the Bible is considered inspired, but not everything the pope says is infallible. Infallibilty means that the Holy Spirit will prevent the pope from teaching false doctrines to the faithful. So no pope can declare that there are 9 commandments, instead of 10, or that Jesus was just a man.

Infallible statements aren't perfect statements-they can be improved by subsequent popes who can make clearer or more specific language. However, infallible statements can never be contradicted, refused, or rescinded. So, according to Catholic belief, an immoral pope (there are several in the Church's history) can sin and will still answer to God for his deeds. However, as head of the Church, he still retains his infallibilty on matters of faith.

In nearly 2,000 years, no pope has ever taught a false doctrine. While some have been lousy writers and philosophers, and others had false ideas about science, these are not associated with infallibility, because they do not affect the beliefs of individual Catholics.

The pope can excercise his infallibility in two ways. The first is called the Extraordinary Magisterium and the other is called Ordinary Magisterium. The word magisterium comes from the Latin word for "teacher," so the Magisterium can be interpreted literally as the teaching authority of the Church, which resides only in the pope and with the pope and his bishops.