“If you count all Papal Bulls as Church doctrine - which even most RCs do not do - then we have even more problems. Yet the stamps are sppsd to assure what they express.”
Papal Bulls are specifically pronouncements that the Pope gives from the Chair of Peter. This is not stuff he says off the cuff like, say, stating contrary to Church doctrine that gay marriage is good during an interview with some reporter, to use a fairly recent example.
A time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine.
I see. So such Bulls as below are indeed Church doctrine, perhaps even ex cathedra (an ultramontanist view):
Dum Diversas (English: Until different) is a papal bull issued on 18 June 1452 by Pope Nicholas V. It authorized Afonso V of Portugal to conquer Saracens and pagans and consign them to "perpetual servitude".[1][2] Pope Calixtus III reiterated the bull in 1456 with Inter Caetera (not to be confused with Alexander VI's), renewed by Pope Sixtus IV in 1481 and Pope Leo X in 1514 with Precelse denotionis. The concept of the consignment of exclusive spheres of influence to certain nation states was extended to the Americas in 1493 by Pope Alexander VI with Inter caetera.[3][4][5][6]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dum_Diversas
Papal Bull Dum Diversas 18 June, 1452 It authorised Alfonso V of Portugal to reduce any “Saracens (Muslims) and pagans and any other unbelievers” to perpetual slavery. This facilitated the Portuguese slave trade from West Africa. The same pope wrote the bull Romanus Pontifex on January 5, 1455 to the same Alfonso.
“We weighing all and singular the premises with due meditation, and noting that since we had formerly by other letters of ours granted among other things free and ample faculty to the aforesaid King Alfonso — to invade, search out, capture, vanquish, and subdue all Saracens and pagans whatsoever, and other enemies of Christ wheresoever placed, and the kingdoms, dukedoms, principalities, dominions, possessions, and all movable and immovable goods whatsoever held and possessed by them and to reduce their persons to perpetual slavery, and to apply and appropriate to himself and his successors the kingdoms, dukedoms, counties, principalities, dominions, possessions, and goods, and to convert them to his and their use and profit — by having secured the said faculty, the said King Alfonso, or, by his authority, the aforesaid infante, justly and lawfully has acquired and possessed, and doth possess, these islands, lands, harbors, and seas, and they do of right belong and pertain to the said King Alfonso and his successors”. https://doctrineofdiscovery.org/dum-diversas/
Pope Eugene IV and the Council of Florence: "The sacrosanct Roman Church...firmly believes, professes, and proclaims that..not only pagans, but also Jews and heretics and schismatics cannot become participants in eternal life but will depart into everlasting fire...unless before the end of life the same have been added to the flock; and that..no one, whatever almsgiving he has practiced, even if he has shed blood for the name of Christ, can be saved, unless he has remained in the bosom and unity of the Catholic Church.” — Pope Eugene IV and the Council of Florence (Seventeenth Ecumenical Council), Cantate Domino, Bull promulgated on February 4, 1441 (Florentine style), [considered infallible by some]
Pope Boniface VIII, Bull Unam Sanctam, promulgated on November 18, 1302:
“We declare, say, define, and pronounce [ex cathedra] that it is absolutely necessary for the salvation of every human creature to be subject to the Roman Pontiff.”
"If, therefore, the Greeks or others say that they are not committed to Peter and to his successors, they necessarily say that they are not of the sheep of Christ, since the Lord says that there is only one fold and one shepherd (Jn.10:16). Whoever, therefore, resists this authority, resists the command of God Himself." — Pope Boniface VIII, Unam Sanctam (Promulgated November 18, 1302) http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/b8-unam.html
Pope Innocent IV, Ad extirpanda, papal bull, promulgated on May 15, 1252:Pope Innocent IV, Ad extirpanda>:
(32)The head of state or ruler must, within ten days after the accusation, complete the following tasks: the destruction of the houses, the imposition of the fines, the consigning and dividing-up of the valuables that have been found or seized,
These are just a minute sample:
Think of how many human laws nearly 300 so-called popes could make through the centuries. The following quotation states that only two of them issued nearly nine thousand. "Alexander III is said to have issued thirty-nine hundred and thirty-nine decrees and Innocent II over five thousand." (General Legislation in the New Code of Canon Law, p. 42; H.A. Ayrinhac, Longmans, Green & Co., New York, 1969).
Another example of how burdensome and perplexing this maze of human doctrine has become, just the "Bulls" of the popes from 540 to 1857 fills forty-one volumes. This does not include the countless laws formulated by synods and councils. It is no wonder that a cry of despair went up from the Catholic bishops for relief from this babel of confusion.
"Moreover, not a few ordinances, whether included in the Corpus Juris or of more recent date, appear to be contradictory; some have been repealed, others had become obsolete by long disuse; others, again, had ceased to be useful or applicable in the present condition of society. Great confusion was thus engendered and correct knowledge of the law was rendered very difficult even for those who had to enforce it." (General Legislation in the New Code of Canon Law, p. 70).
It is very evident and has long been recognized by all and proclaimed everywhere that some revision and reformation of Canon Law is necessary and very urgent. For, owing to the changes that have taken place in society, many laws have become useless and others very difficult if not impossible to observe; of others it is doubtful whether they are still in vigor or not. Finally in the course of centuries, their number is so multiplied and they have been heaped up in voluminous collections that, in a sense, we may say, we are buried beneath the laws. Hence it is that the study of Canon Law is beset with almost inextricable difficulties, the door is open to disputes and litigations, consciences are troubled with a thousand anxieties, and people are driven to despise the law." (Ibid, p. 71; see also Catholic Encyclopedia, Vol. I, p. 645 and Vol. IX, p. 64).
- http://oakridgechurch.com/riggs/interpre.htmAnd in addition to papal bulls, you have,
Papal Encyclicals
Papal Briefs
Apostolic Exhortations
Apostolic Constitutions
Apostolic Letters
Motu Proprios (“Catholicism for Dummies”)You may now want to argue that not all papal bulls are binding, but which opens up a can of worms, that of ascertaining what magisterial level each teaching - or parts thereof - falls under, and thus what decgree of dissent. As well as the meaning of each. For the relatively unknown reality is that,
The weight of authority behind a teaching of the Papal Magisterium depends on the dogmatic history of the teaching and the intention of the Supreme Pontiff. Papal addresses and documents invariably contain teachings in several categories of authority. https://www.ewtn.com/holysee/pontiff/categories.asp#authority
Which problem led to the exasperated reply by this seeker: rrr1213: Boy. No disrespect intended…and I mean that honestly…but my head spins trying to comprehend the various classifications of Catholic teaching and the respective degrees of certainty attached thereto. I suspect that the average Catholic doesn’t trouble himself with such questions, but as to those who do (and us poor Protestants who are trying to get a grip on Catholic teaching) it sounds like an almost impossible task. - https://forums.catholic.com/t/catechism-infallible/55096/30
The response to which is just obey everything:
Well, the question pertained to theology. The Catholic faithful don’t need to know any of this stuff to be faithful Catholics, so you are confusing theology with praxis. Praxis is quite simple for faithful Catholics: give your religious assent of intellect and will to Catholic doctrine, whether it is infallible or not. That’s what our Dogmatic Constitution on the Church demands, that’s what the Code of Canon Laws demand, and that is what the Catechism itself demands. Heb 13:17 teaches us to “obey your leaders and submit to them.” This submission is not contingent upon inerrancy or infallibility. - https://forums.catholic.com/t/catechism-infallible/55096/31
Some Catholics contend that,
"EVERY Papal Bull is ex cathedra, unless the Pope does not sign it with the Fihserman's ring. The Ring is a sign of His authority and power. Not only that, but even Encyclicals that are sealed with the fishermans ring and which have to do with faith and morals are ex cathedra.".. And another thing: the Pope does not speak ex cathedra ONLY hwne defining a doctrine on faith and morals but also when He speaks as Pope and teacher of all Catholics without defining any article of faith. Canonizations are infallible, not like how some crazy heretics who call Pius X an anti-pope say; encyclicals are infallible (most of them anyway); Bulls are infallible. https://forums.catholic.com/t/does-papal-bull-ex-cathedra/142005/23 Others opine,
A Papal Bull (ie, bulletin) is a very low-level form of communication. It is unlikely that a Pope would use a Bull to express a teaching which requires the “religious assent” of all of the Faithful (I cannot think of an example where this has ever happened - and if it ever did, it would probably be a long time ago). Teaching requiring “religious assent” would usually be promulgated through an Encyclical or an Apostolic Constitution. https://forums.catholic.com/t/we-dont-have-to-believe-every-papal-bull/285482/3
I think you may now see at least one of the problems I warned of.