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Fast Fact - Papal Infallibility |
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Defense of the Papal Infallibility. |
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The following references that directly support Papal Infallibility or its foundations. (The hyperlinks will open an online NASB to the chapter referenced) Major Texts
Matthew 16:18 - "You are Peter.... and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it." Matthew 16:19 - "Whatever you bind on earth shalt be bound in Heaven." (also see Matthew 18:18) Luke 22:32 - "I have prayed for you [Peter] that your faith will not fail... confirm you bretheren."
Minor Texts Matthew 10:20; Luke 12:12 - "He who hears you, hears me." Matthew 28:17-18 - "I will be with you until the end of the age." John 17:17 - "Consecrate them in the truth; Your word is truth." 1 Timothy 3:15 - "... [the Church] is the pillar and foundation of truth." owing to the sudden and repeated calamities and misfortunes which have befallen us...Accept our counsel and you will have nothing to regret... If anyone disobeys the things which have been said by him [God] through us [that you must reinstate your leaders], let them know that they will involve themselves in transgression and in no small danger...You will afford us joy and gladness if being obedient to the things which we have written through the Holy Spirit, you will root out the wicked passion..." (Clement of Rome, 1 Clement 1:1, 58:2-59; 63:2 written c. AD 80-96) "... to the Church also which holds the presidency, in the location of the country of the Romans, worthy of God, worthy of honor, worthy of blessing, worthy of praise, worthy of success, worthy of sanctification, and, because you hold the presidency in love, named after Christ and after the Father" (Ignatius of Antioch, Letter to the Romans 1:1 written ca. AD 108) "Would the heretics dare to come to the very seat of Peter whence apostolic faith is derived and whither no errors can come?" (Cyrian of Carthage, Letter 59 (55), 14 written ca. AD 256) "[T]he Lord says to Peter: 'I say to you,' he says, 'that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of hell will not overcome it. And to you I will give the keys of the kingdom of Heaven... On him [Peter] he build the Chuirch, and to him he gives the command to feed the sheep, and although he assigns a like power to all the apostles, yet he founded a single chair, and he established by his own authority a source and an intrinsic reason for that unity. Indeed, the others were also what Peter was, but a primacy is given to Peter, whereby it is made clear that there is but one Church and one chair. So too, all [the apostles] are shepherds, and the flock is shown to be one, fed by all the apostles in single-minded accord. If someone does not hold fast to this unity of Peter, can he imagine that he still holds the faith? If he [should] desert the chair of Peter upon whom the Church was built can he still be confident that he is in the Church?" (Cyprian of Carthage, Unity of the Church 4 written c. AD 251)
Papal Infallibility is built upon the infallibility of the Christ and the infallibility of the Church. Matthew 16:19 establishes that whatever Peter binds or loose will be bound and loosed in Heaven. Since Christ nor Heaven can command or permit error, Peter's actions, when governing the Church, must also be free of error. Likewise, if the Church is the "pillar and foundation of the truth" (1 Timothy 3:15) then he who is appointed to shepherd his Church cannot led it into error. God must protect his governance. It is important to note that infallibility only exercised only then three conditions are met: (1) The Pope is speaking in virtue of this office, (2) The Pope decides definitively on a matter that is binding upon the whole Church, and (3) The Pope's pronouncement is on faith and morals. (See CCC 891) |
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