To me, their gesture says "I can't see my own beauty, can't recognize my talents and treasures".
Why advertise your flaws in the public square? It's like hanging a sign around your neck saying "I am woman, I am pathetic".
Some poor creature in Australia has come up with a doozy - Ordinatio Sacerdotalis is "creeping infallibility".
Creeping infallibility” is precisely what is at issue here -- a papal document that made no claim to infallibility raised to the level of infallibility by a Vatican congregation’s statement that has no competence to make such a determination, and now almost casually described as infallible in a disciplinary letter to a bishop by the current pope.
Look, let's cut to the chase.
These are people who believe their own thoughts trump the Catechism. They are the they in they shall be like Gods.
Why the quibble about a Pope's Apostolic Letter?
8 comments:
Okay, Carol.
I've been reading about this over at Fr. Z's and a few things need to be addressed on the whole infallibility issue.
From the Catechism:
CCC 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. When the Church through its supreme Magisterium proposes a doctrine "for belief as being divinely revealed," and as the teaching of Christ, the definitions "must be adhered to with the obedience of faith." This infallibility extends as far as the deposit of divine Revelation itself.
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Kevin: Get that? Infallibility extends to the "deposit of divine Revelation itself"!
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CCC 892 Divine assistance is also given to the successors of the apostles, teaching in communion with the successor of Peter, and, in a particular way, to the bishop of Rome, pastor of the whole Church, when, without arriving at an infallible definition and without pronouncing in a "definitive manner," they propose in the exercise of the ordinary Magisterium a teaching that leads to better understanding of Revelation in matters of faith and morals. To this ordinary teaching the faithful "are to adhere to it with religious assent" which, though distinct from the assent of faith, is nonetheless an extension of it.
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Kevin: What is this saying? Even when a pope proposes for us (the faithful) "without arriving at an infallible definition and without pronouncing in a 'definitive manner,'" - the faithful are to adhere to it (i.e. a Papal encyclical, apostolic letter, Wednesday audiences, etc.). If he expounds for us on an issue of faith and morals he is excercising his ordinary Papal magisterium - which is infallible.
He has been given the guarantee of the Holy Spirit to guide him in these two issues (faith and morals). (see John 14:26, 15:26, 16:13, Acts 15:28, Mt. 16:17, Mt. 10:40, Lk. 10:16)
Catechist Kevin
(See next post)
Infallibility extends to moral issues, too!
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CCC 2035 The supreme degree of participation in the authority of Christ is ensured by the charism of infallibility. This infallibility extends as far as does the deposit of divine Revelation; it also extends to all those elements of doctrine, including morals, without which the saving truths of the faith cannot be preserved, explained, or observed.
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To sum it up: Infallibility is *not* limited to Papal ex-Cathdera statements and Conciliar documents.
The Universal Ordinary Magisterium (the Pope and the bishops in union with him) protects, upholds, teaches the deposit of divine Revelation infallibly (see CCC 891 above, also see 1 Tim 3:15, Eph. 3:10, and CCC 85).
The Universal extra-Ordinary Magisterium further defines/clarifies the faith via Church Councils infallibly
(there have been 21). (see Mt. 18:18)
The Universal Ordinary Papal Magisterium is infallible, too, via, again, when the pope expounds (teaches)upon issues of faith and morals using Papal encyclicals, apostolic letters, Wednesday audiences, etc. (also, canonization of saints are infallible declarations of the Ordinary Papal Magisterium).
Finally, the Universal extra-Ordinary Papal Magisterium is infallible - further definign and clarifying a teaching of the faith - and has only been used twice: The declaration of Mary's Immaculate Conception by Pius IX's "Ineffabilis Deus," (1854) and the declaration of Mary's Assumption into heaven by Pius XII's "Munificentissimus Deus" (1950).
(Whew! Sorry for the length, Carol)
For further reading on this see the following article by Dr. Mark Lowery:
http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?recnum=2697
Catechist Kevin
Catechist Kevin, then how do you explain the "creeeping infallibility" of the Church's abolitionist position on capital punishment, even for murder, a position that contradicts both Scripture and Tradition and was arbitrarily promulgated by the late Pope?
Read this: http://archive.frontpagemag.com/readArticle.aspx?ARTID=1463
Joseph,
I am not a moral theologian, I am a catechist.
I would ask a good moral theologian that question.
God love you,
Catechist Kevin
The pope's use of His authority to bind the faithful, i.e., ex cathedra declarations, is much more numerous than just twice. Two examples suffice. One, Ven. Pope Pius IX at Vatican I spoke ex cathedra as he defined ex cathedra. And Pope Boniface VIII defined ex cathedra that there is no salvation apart from personal submission to the Roman Pontiff, beginning "we declare, we proclaim, we define that it is absolutely necessary..."
To be clear, the pope teaches infallibly in the ordinary Magisterium as long as he intends to teach what has been taught from the beginning. Novelty is excluded, like when John Paul II said that aborted babies are "living in the Lord" in Evangelium Vitae. (Fortunately that was eventually struck, but remains in my original copy.)
Finally, Pope John Paul II's teaching on the non-ordination of women is ex cathedra, to my mind. "In virtue of my ministry of confirming the brethren (cf. Lk 22:32) I declare that the Church has no authority whatsoever to confer priestly ordination on women and that this judgment is to be definitively held by all the Church's faithful." He made clear that his teaching is "the constant and universal Tradition of the Church," and hence falls under His purview to bind the faithful, which he did.
Wow. I am blown away by these responses.
Thank you!
I just read this tonight - my Peter and John post works for this, don't you think?
Terry, its a perfect fit.
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