How can a group of catholic men elect a fallible man as their leader who then becomes infallible?

Question

The Vatican leader who then becomes infallible through the election.

J.P.

Read your Catechism before you answer my question.

Catechism: Papal infallibility means the pope is never wrong when he speaks or acts ex- cathedra on behalf of the Church as its leader, in religious and spiritual matters.

Fallible comes from the word "to fail". Therefore, something or someone that is infallible cannot fail. More specifically, in Latin "infallibilis" means to be free from error. This is what infallible means when we talk about the Pope.

If the Pope is Infallible, he can't commit a sin.

The Pope is Infallible, and this ensures that what he says is true, but he could still commit a sin and go to hell. So, even though the Pope is Infallible, he could still be a bad Pope.

If this is true,
then what the Pope says is NOT Infallible

Answer 1

Just like U.S. citizens elect a civilian as the President and, upon taking office, he immediately becomes the Commander and Chief of the Armed Forces, there are privileges, rights, and responsibilities that go with the office.

One of the great responsibilities of the Pope is the use or non-use of the gift of Papal Infallibility.

The Catholic Church teaches that the Pope is infallible at closely defined times.

The Pope is only infallible when he, in union with the body of bishops, solemnly teaches that a doctrine as true.

This comes from the words of Jesus to Peter (the first Pope) and the Apostles (the first bishops), "Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven" (Matthew 18:18) and "He who hears you hears me" (Luke 10:16).

At all other times the Pope can be just as wrong or sinful as you and me and be in need of forgiveness.

With love in Christ.

Answer 2

You need to understand the context of the Vatican's hasty move to make the Pope infallible towards the end of the 19th Century.

Up until then, no state was powerful enough to destroy the Vatican and the concept of international law was a matter of "might is right". However by the middle of the 19th century an incredible movement had swept European and Western powers concerning the secular concept of human rights and international law.

This was totally against the interests of the Papacy and the perpetuation of slavery. Two major events, however placed the Pope in an extremely vulnerable position- the failure of the confederacy to win the Civil war which the Vatican started.

So directly involved were the Papacy in causing the war that President Abraham Lincoln himself did write and say: “This war would never have been possible without the sinister influence of the Jesuits. We owe it to Popery that we now see our land reddened with the blood of her noblest sons. Though there were great differences of opinion between the South and North, on the question of slavery, neither Jeff Davis nor any one of the leading men of the Confederacy would have dared to attack the North, had they not relied on the promise of the Jesuits, that, under the mask of Democracy, the money and the arms of the Roman Catholics, even the arms of France, were at their disposal if they would attack us.”

The second was the direct Vatican involvement in the assassination of Lincoln at the end of the war around 1865.

So in 1871 Pope Pius IX through the Papal Bull Pastor aeternus created a brilliant strategy to avoid being arrested by the American Government for crimes against humanity- he made himself "above the law".

It is amazing that any American supports the Vatican, let alone defends its history. It is even more of a tragedy that few good christians read the history of the Pope's involvement in the politics of the United States.

So that is why the Pope originally claimed to be infallible. The rest is history.

Answer 3

Actually, your question would be more accurate if it read:

"How can a group of -fallible- catholic men elect a fallible man as their leader who then becomes infallible?"

And here's another:

If the Holy Ghost and God are called upon to assist these fallible men in making their choice, why does it take more than one vote, and why isn't it always unanimous?

Some of these men weren't listening?

Answer 4

Considering that in 2000 years, the doctrine of papal infallibility has only been invoked twice... I think you must have entirely the wrong idea of infallibility.

It does not mean the Pope is perfect.

---------------------

Correct. When he speaks EX-CATHEDRA... which has only occured TWICE.

And you'll also notice in the Catechism that he alone cannot invoke it. He is the figurehead of the Conclave which as a whole comes to the decision that the Pope then declares ex-cathedra.

Answer 5

Supposedly the pope is only infallible in matters concerning the Catholic faith/doctrine....so, he still sins just like everybody else.

Peace, Love, and Blessings
Greenwood

Answer 6

I am not religious, but I know that the pope is only believed to be infallible in matters of dogma.

If you believe in God, why do you find it impossible to believe that He guides his chief servant on earth? In any case, I think it is better to have that, than the free for all muddle that exists in the Protestant church.

Answer 7

I do not believe in papal infallibility...

however the authors of the Bible were all fallible men and God used them to produce an infallible book in the original manuscripts

grace can do that

Answer 8

The same way Jesus Christ took a fallible man, the Apostle Simon, and told him, "whatsoever you bind upon earth is bound in heaven". The charism of infallibility conferred upon Simon Peter is passed to his successors, which is why the Church Christ founded has not fragmented into thousands of conflicting, contradicting manmade denominations after 2,000 years. Christ recognized that the truth is essential; and that we cannot have genuine truth without unity; and that we cannot have unity without genuine authority. Which is why Simon and his successors alone hold the keys to the kingdom, the universal symbol of supreme authority.
.

Answer 9

I don't think you know what infallible even means.

it is necessary to explain exactly what infallibility is not. Infallibility is not the absence of sin. Nor is it a charism that belongs only to the pope. Indeed, infallibility also belongs to the body of bishops as a whole, when, in doctrinal unity with the pope, they solemnly teach a doctrine as true.

Guess how many infallible statements have ever been made??




YOU read - JP is competely correct.

Answer 10

Hence the reason Catholics are misguided and need to be save. There is only one high priest and that is Jesus Christ. Hebrew 7:26 "He is the kind of high priest we need because He is holy and blameless unstained by sin. He has been set apart from sinners and has been given the highest place of honour in Heaven."