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To: ansel12; marshmallow
"...when [the Pope] is passing on to all Catholics, what God just told him, or that someone we knew is now with God and is a saint?"

I'm glad you brought that up, ansel12, because that is a very common but very mistaken idea of what papal infalliility is.

According to the Catholic Church, Papal infallibility has no positive content. I'm going to say that louder so everybody can hear it. Papal infallibility has no positive content.

It is entirely negative: not a matter of what the Pope can or does say, but of what he cannot say.

At no time is a pope an all-purpose oracle. It is NOT prophecy. It is NOT inspired the way Scripture is inspired. There is no guarantee that a pope will express moral/doctrinal concepts in a full, complete, clear, accurate and timely manner.

All we have is the promise that he will not make an official declaration on faith and morals, ex cathedra, intended to be irreformable and binding on the conscience of the whole Church, that leads the Church into error.

Some Catholics are disappointed that Papal infallibility is as narrow and limited as it is. Some crave that all-purpose prophecy/oracle stuff. But such is not the case. And a great many Catholics (and non-Catholics too) are glad to hear that the scope of infallibility is as narrow as it is.

This 2-minute video should raise a smile, and it actually does show how (historically) the gift of infallibility has worked out in practice.

Fun Video (LINK) --- Go ahead and click the link, it's well worth your two minutes.

46 posted on 03/04/2015 3:21:14 PM PST by Mrs. Don-o (Save us from the fires of hell; lead all souls to heaven, especially those in most need of Thy mercy)
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To: Mrs. Don-o

If he never says anything that is infallible, then how do you know when he is being infallible?


47 posted on 03/04/2015 3:27:49 PM PST by ansel12 (Palin--Mr President, the only thing that stops a bad guy with a nuke is a good guy with a nuke.)
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