[Campion]

The Papacy is essentially a dictatorship, and the Pope can steer the Church in any direction he chooses.

Depending on what you mean by "steer the Church" this can either be essentially true or very false.

The Pope can't negate something that has been infallibly taught. If he announced tomorrow that Jesus wasn't really God in the flesh, he would cease to be Pope because he would cease to be a Catholic.

If we're talking in terms of administrative powers, he has a lot of freedom. He's supposed to follow canon law, but he also has the authority to change canon law.

[who_would_fardels_bear]

Is Prof. Feser going to have to recant?

A Catholic Defense of Capital Punishment

[Buckeye McFrog]

The Pope can't negate something that has been infallibly taught. If he announced tomorrow that Jesus wasn't really God in the flesh, he would cease to be Pope because he would cease to be a Catholic.

Just like how they can never pass a law mandating that Americans buy health insurance because it would violate the Constitution and the Supreme Court would throw it out.

Wait a minute...