Papal Infallibility

Definition and Meaning

Papal infallibility is a doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church (Catholic Church). It teaches that when the pope, under certain conditions, defines and proclaims a doctrine concerning faith or morals, he is preserved from error by the protection of the Holy Spirit. "Infallible" means "free from error."

The Catholic Church calls such a proclamation a declaration made ex cathedra, Latin for "from the chair" (that is, from the chair of Peter). The doctrine does not mean that the pope is personally without sin or that everything the pope says is correct. This point is a common source of misunderstanding.

Biblical and Historical Background

The Catholic Church cites the following passages in support of the doctrine:

• Matthew 16:18-19: Jesus promises Peter that he will be the rock of the church and gives him the keys of the kingdom of heaven
• Luke 22:32: Jesus prays that Peter's faith fail not
• John 21:15-17: "Feed my sheep"

The doctrine was defined as dogma at the First Vatican Council in 1870, during the pontificate of Pius IX. Some Catholics who opposed it broke away and formed the Old Catholic Church. The Second Vatican Council's Lumen Gentium (Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, 1964) reaffirmed this teaching. It also explained that the teaching of the entire college of bishops in communion with the pope likewise possesses infallibility. A commonly cited example of the exercise of this authority is the dogma of the Assumption of Mary, proclaimed by Pius XII in 1950.

The Eastern Orthodox Church does not recognize papal primacy (authority taking precedence over that of other bishops) at all. Since the Reformation, Protestants have held that both popes and councils can err. Martin Luther is reported to have stated this position at the Leipzig Debate in 1519. Protestants also point to Galatians 2:11, where Paul rebukes Peter at Antioch, as evidence that even Peter could err.

Practice in Korean Churches

Korean Protestant denominations are united in rejecting this doctrine. In congregations, it is usually addressed in new-member classes or doctrinal study when explaining the differences between Catholicism and Protestantism.

• Presbyterian: Chapter 25 of the Westminster Confession of Faith confesses that there is no other head of the church but Christ and that the pope cannot be its head. Presbyterians hold that infallible final authority belongs to Scripture alone, citing biblical inerrancy and sola scriptura ("Scripture alone"; see Five Solas).
• Methodist, Holiness, Baptist, and Full Gospel: These traditions share the same position, holding Scripture to be the final authority for faith and life.
• Anglican: The Anglican Church of Korea follows the tradition of the Thirty-Nine Articles, which state that councils may err and indeed have erred.

Denominations participating in the ecumenical movement have discussed their understandings of the papal office in dialogue with the Catholic Church. However, the differences over this doctrine remain unresolved.