80 Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture, then, are bound closely together and communicate one with the other.
81 "Sacred Scripture is the speech of God as it is put down in writing under the breath of the Holy Spirit."[42]
"And [Holy] Tradition transmits in its entirety the Word of God which has been entrusted to the apostles by Christ the Lord and the Holy Spirit. It transmits it to the successors of the apostles so that, enlightened by the Spirit of truth, they may faithfully preserve, expound and spread it abroad by their preaching."[43]
82 As a result the Church, to whom the transmission and interpretation of Revelation is entrusted, "does not derive her certainty about all revealed truths from the holy Scriptures alone.
Both Scripture and Tradition must be accepted and honoured with equal sentiments of devotion and reverence."[44]
" The task of interpreting the Word of God authentically has been entrusted solely to the Magisterium of the Church, that is, to the Pope and to the bishops in communion with him. Article 3"
bible interpretation the sole right of pope and bishops
882 The Pope, Bishop of Rome and Peter's successor, "is the perpetual and visible source and foundation of the unity both of the bishops and of the whole company of the faithful." "For the Roman Pontiff, by reason of his office as Vicar of Christ, and as pastor of the entire Church has full, supreme and universal power over the whole Church, a power which he can always exercise unhindered."
891 The Roman Pontiff, head of the college of bishops, enjoys this infallibility in virtue of his office, when, as supreme pastor and teacher of all the faithful--who confirms his brethren in the faith--he proclaims by a definitive act a doctrine pertaining to faith or morals. ... The infallibility promised to the Church is also present in the body of bishops when, together with Peter's successor, they exercise the supreme Magisterium," above all in an Ecumenical Council. ... This infallibility extends as far as the deposit of divine Revelation itself.
100 The task of interpreting the Word of God authentically has been entrusted solely to the Magisterium of the Church, that is, to the Pope and to the bishops in communion with him.
Catholic Catechism
It is whatever they say it is, or as one of my favorite singers says
"A Roman Catholic, I respect other Christians. We are especially close to those who value apostolic tradition as well as Scripture. But even in this we face further debates that are obstacles to complete Christian unity. THIS IS WHY THE CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH INSISTS THAT SCRIPTURE, TRADITION AND MAGISTERIUM ARE NECESSARY FOR A FULLY UNIFIED PEOPLE. WE ROMAN CATHOLICS FIND THIS IN THE POPE AS BISHOP OF ROME, TOGETHER WITH THE BISHOPS OF THE CHURCHES IN FULL COMMUNION WITH ROME. This has theologically freed us to develop the greatest mystical and functional unity in Christendom. It has also given us an authority that enables us to enter into interfaith and ecumenical dialogue without defensiveness. … May we all hear these ancient truths and experience real conversion of heart" (John Talbot, "Our Fathers, and Our Divided Family," New Covenant, September 1997, p. 21).
Sorry if I changed the subject regarding the Canon - but just clarifying to some others who believe that one must be a Roman Catholic to be "in" the Church. (including some Catholics)
You are free to attempt to claim some abstract spiritual authority over Protestants for your church if you like, but many of us do not only not agree with that we actively reject it and deny anything more than a historic tie to the Roman church.
The invisible church is made up of the saved, to that extent any saved within the Catholic church are members of the invisible church, beyond that we have no spiritual connection. To that end anyone that has believed in Christ alone for their salvation is my brother in Christ.
Ma'am, you should have continued reading paragraph 80, which you quoted so nicely. "Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture, then, are bound closely together and communicate one with the other. FOR BOTH OF THEM, FLOWING OUT OF THE SAME DIVINE WELL SPRING, COME TOGETHER IN SOME FASHION TO FORM ONE THING AND MOVE TOWARDS THE SAME GOAL."
That is why Catholics give Apostolic Tradition its due reverance - it is from God! However, it doesn't follow that we hold it as "equal" to Scripture. Take out your handy-dandy Catechism and read Paragraph 103-108, the section on "Christ - the Unique Word of Sacred Scripture". Within these paragraphs, you will find that the Scripture has God as its author, that it has always been venerated as the Church venerates the Lord's Body (the Eucharist) {103}. "She never ceases to present to the faithful the bread of life, taken from the one table of God's Word and Christ's Body." The Council of Trent made the effort to NOT equate the two (Tradition and Scripture). However, they do come from the same source... Jesus Christ. Are you not rejecting part of Jesus Christ, then?
bible interpretation the sole right of pope and bishops
Paragraph 100 is not to mean that no one can read the Scriptures, but rather, that no one can come into opposition with the Holy Spirit, who guides the Church's Magesterium. When two opposing views come from Scripture, we are to accept the view of the Church. Rather than reading a paragraph that is a summary (100), perhaps you should glance at paragraph 91-95. For example, from paragraph 94:
through the contemplation and study of believers (Protestants are not excluded) who ponder these things in their hearts, it is particular "theological research which deepens knowledge of revealed truths.
from the intimate sense of spiritual realities which believers (Protestants not excluded) experience, the Sacred Scripture grow with the one who reads them.
You are encouraged to read the Bible... But when you disagree with the "...preaching of those who have received, along with their right of succession in the episcopate, the sure charism of truth", know that you are incorrect, and the Spirit of Truth is correct. Paragraph 100 correctly states WHO is tasked with ensuring we have the correct interpretation, when people disagree.
You are free to attempt to claim some abstract spiritual authority over Protestants for your church if you like, but many of us do not only not agree with that we actively reject it and deny anything more than a historic tie to the Roman church.
Wonderful!! Can you point me to the Church Christ refers to in Matthew 16 and 18? If I have a problem with another Christian, where can I find "the Church" if it is invisible ONLY??? We disagree on the Scriptural teaching of the Eucharist. How can we ever find out the truth? There is only one correct stance - we both cannot be correct. Good thing there is a visible Church in where we can learn the correct answer...
The invisible church is made up of the saved, to that extent any saved within the Catholic church are members of the invisible church, beyond that we have no spiritual connection. To that end anyone that has believed in Christ alone for their salvation is my brother in Christ.
You are free to make some claim of an abstract invisible Church that has practically no basis in Scriptures. You are part of the Church as a result of your Baptism, a Catholic belief done using Catholic words and ritual. Certainly, a visible person baptised you using visible words and visible water, correct?
Regards