Common Objections

Catholic Outlook

Catholic Outlook

Catholic Outlook

Catholic Outlook

__________ The Pope __________

“It’s ridiculous for Catholics to claim that the pope is infallible. Many popes were notorious sinners.”

Gary Hoge

Well, some definitely were. Pope Alexander VI (1492-1503) supposedly bought his way into the papacy, killed rival cardinals to steal their property, and fathered several children with a passel of mistresses. Pope Steven VI (896-897) had his predecessor, Pope Formosus, exhumed and put on “trial.” Not surprisingly, Formosus lost, and his body was dragged through the streets and thrown into the Tiber River. Steven was strangled to death a few months later. Pope Urban VI (1378-1389) supposedly ordered the killings of cardinals who had conspired against him, and was reportedly annoyed that their screams weren’t louder. Legend has it that Pope John XII (955-964) died of a stroke while carousing with another man’s wife.

Now, I don’t know how many of those stories are true, but there’s no question that there have been some corrupt, worldly popes in the Church’s long history. So, how can Catholics say the pope is sometimes infallible? Well, there’s a difference between being prevented from erring (“infallibility”) and being prevented from sinning (“impeccability”). No one has ever claimed that the pope is protected from sinning, and history bears that out. But even the best, most godly pope is still a sinner saved by grace.

What we do say is that under certain rare and specific circumstances, the Holy Spirit prevents the pope from making an error in teaching, whether the pope is personally righteous or not. It’s similar to the manner in which the Holy Spirit protected the authors of Scripture. While they were writing, it would have been impossible for them to have written anything wrong. The pope is protected — or rather, we are protected — in a similar way, and for the same reason: so that we can know that a teaching is true, and not just a man’s opinion. 

However, there is an essential difference between the authors of Scripture and the pope. The authors of Scripture were not only kept from error, but they were also directed what to write. The pope is not “inspired” by God. He gets his knowledge the same way we all do: by prayer, and study, and consultation with others. Infallibility simply means that if the pope doesn’t get it right, the Holy Spirit will see to it that he keeps his mouth shut.

Also, when we say the pope is “infallible,” that doesn’t mean that every casual comment he makes, or every private letter he writes is guaranteed to be free from error. Infallibility only exists under certain very narrowly defined parameters. That way, when controversy requires the pope to define some disputed article of the faith, the integrity of the gospel message is safeguarded. The Lord gave His Church this safeguard because He knew that there would be many controversies over the centuries, and many false teachings. Ultimately, someone has to have the final word, and so the Lord guarantees that the final word will be correct.