Does a pope decide for himself what is to be 'ex cathedra', or is it something God instructs him to do???
> Does a pope decide for himself what is to be ‘ex cathedra’, or is it something God instructs him to do???
An excellent question — I don’t know. I’m not a Catholic yet, I’m in the process of studying.
>> Does a pope decide for himself what is to be ‘ex cathedra’, or is it something God instructs him to do??? <<
Niether is entirely wrong, neither explains it well.
The pope is vested with the authority to proclaim ex cathedra. The term, in fact, is a reference to the authority of St. Peter, whom Christ grants the authority that what he declares loosed on Earth is loosed in Heaven, and what is loosed in Heaven is loosed on Earth. But, separately, Christ also gives similar authority to all of the disciples.
Granting such an authority to the disciples presents a challenge? How can two people both authoritatively declare two contradicting things? Thus, the Catholic Church understands that such an authority is granted to the disciples when they speak in unison.
So, a pope can either proclaim something ex cathedra (from his authority as a successor to St. Peter), or he can discern that the successors to the disciples speak in unison. He can do this on his own, in the sense of the earthly authority is granted to him to do so, but he doesn’t do so whenever he wants, he must discern that it is God’s will to do so.
When unity among the disciples’ successors is apparent, the pope can speak as Pope John Paul II did. When it is not apparent, the pope can summon the bishops of the world to discuss such matters so as to achieve unity. An “ecumenical council” is a council in which the bishops of the whole world gather to achieve such unity.