The dogma of papalphalability provides that the pontiff is considered infallible when he speaks Former cathedra Of doctrinal issues. The dogma has been approved In 1870 from the Vatican Council i by the will of the Pope Pius IX and proclaimed with the Constitution Pastor Aeternuswhich however did not define precisely on what occasions the Pope should be considered infallible. The proclamation of papalphalability made more acute the Contrast of the Church with lay states and liberals of the 1800s; However, the dogma has never been explicitly “applied”, except in one case in 1950.
What is papal infallibility
The dogma of papal infallibility is the principle according to which the Pope, when he speaks Former cathedraMeaning what in solemn and explicit formon issues related to Christian doctrine or moralitycannot be wrong, because it is inspired directly by God.
Let’s see what the Dogmatic constitution Pastor Aeternuswith which the dogma was proclaimed.
The Roman Pontiff, when he speaks ex Cathedra, that is, when he exercises his supreme office of pastor and doctor of all Christians, and by virtue of his supreme apostolic power he defines a doctrine about faith and customs, he binds the whole Church, for the divine assistance promised to him in the person of Blessed Pietro, enjoys that infallibility with which the Divine Redeemer wanted his church to be accompanied by his church. Around the faith and customs: therefore these definitions of the Roman Pontiff are immutable for themselves, and not for the consent of the Church.
There Pastor Aeternus therefore he did not define precisely On what occasions the Pope should be considered infalliblebut it is clear that the dogma can be “applied” in a few cases: the Pope must be speaking Former cathedrais referring to doctrinary or moral issues.
The emanation of the dogma
The dogma was approved by the Vatican Council, convened by Pope Pius IXand proclaimed July 18, 1870: the political context was very critical, the church was lined up on strongly conservative positions And it was in contrast with the liberal ideologies that were affirming themselves in Europe; In 1864 Pius IX had published the Syllablea list of statements in which it condemned liberalism, socialism and any other modern political movement.
Furthermore, when the dogma of thephalability was proclaimed, it still existed Papal States: the pope was sovereign of a kingdom that included Rome and Lazio (Until 1860 the state also included Umbria, the Marche and part of Emilia-Romagna, but these territories had been annexed by the Kingdom of Italy during the national unification process). Pius IX feared that the new kingdom could question his position as a sovereign and aimed at annex Romebetween the Church and modernity was developing a difficult contrast to heal.
In some cases, moreover, the authority of Pius IX had been questioning Also in the Catholic field: in 1854 the Pope had proclaimed the dogma of the Immaculate Conception of Mary (the principle according to which Mary was conceived without original sin) and some Catholics had not accepted him. With the emanation of the dogma of thephalability, Pius IX Volle strengthen its position both compared to other European states, sanctioning an alleged superiority over other sovereignsboth in the Catholic world, definitively affirming the primacy of the Pope and his pre -eminence on any other body, including ecumenical councils.
The consequences of the dogma of papalphalability
In European countries, dogma created strong concernsbecause governments should have treated with a sovereign who could declare their acts infallible. Some states, including theAustria-Hungaryafter the proclamation of the dogma the agreeds stipulated previously declared nulli with the Holy See. The Italian institutionsfor their part, considered null the dogmabut his proclamation strengthened the excommunication imposed by the pontiff to King Vittorio Emanuele II. Even in the Catholic field, papal infallibility aroused some bad moods.
Two months after the proclamation, however, the Pope lost temporal power, due to the Italian conquest of Romeand a part of the “political” concerns on the dogma failed. In the Catholic field, the dogma significantly strengthened the position of the popedefinitively sanctioning his absolute superiorityas Pius IX wanted.
Papal infallibility after Pius IX
It is not easy to establish If and when the dogma was “used”. There Pastor Aeternusas we have seen, did not define exactly in what circumstances the Pope must be considered infallible, moreover, no pontiff has ever declared that determined his actions or statements were “covered” by the dogma. Generally, it is believed that alone An act of Pius XII of 1950 falls under the dogma ofphalability: theemanation of another dogmathat ofAssumption of Mary: “The Immaculate Mother of God always Virgin Mary, after the course of earthly life, was assumed to the celestial glory in body and soul”. Pius XII, in essence, established that Mary had been hired in the sky after death and this statement, having been pronounced Former cathedra And referring to doctrinal issues, according to the dogma of thephalability, cannot contain errors.
In the 1900s, however, the secularization and the decrease in the weight of religion in society have the social and political scope limited of the dogma of thephalability.
