"The Pope said the Chiefs are going to win the Super Bowl! It must be true, he's infallible!"
Wrong. Papal Infallibility is extremely limited. It has only been used explicitly ("Ex Cathedra") twice in the last 200 years.
What It Is NOT
- It is not Impeccability (meaning the Pope cannot sin). Popes go to Confession too. Some Popes were terrible sinners.
- It is not Inspiration (like the Bible writers). The Holy Spirit doesn't whisper new things to him.
- It doesn't apply to his interviews, tweets, homilies, or books.
What It IS
It is a protection from error given by the Holy Spirit, but ONLY when 3 conditions are met:
- He is speaking in his capacity as supreme Shepherd and Teacher of all Christians (not as a private person).
- He is defining a doctrine concerning Faith or Morals (not science, sports, or politics).
- He intends to hold this doctrine as definitively to be held by the whole Church (Ex Cathedra - from the Chair).
If any condition is missing, it's not infallible.
The Two Times It Was Used
- 1854: The Immaculate Conception (Pope Pius IX).
- 1950: The Assumption of Mary (Pope Pius XII).
That's it.
Why Do We Need It?
Without a final umpire, the game falls apart. Look at Protestantism: 30,000+ denominations, all reading the same Bible but disagreeing on what it means. Jesus gave Peter the keys (Matthew 16:18) to ensure that the Church would never officially teach error on the core truths of salvation.
The Rock stands firm. Learn more about the Papacy on the MyPrayerTower app.