The biggest controversies in theology today, especially among the faithful in general rather than among theologians, are in the realm of salvation theology and also ethics. Most of the faithful have little interest in dogmatic theology. However, there is a very important question in dogmatic theology that effects salvation theology and ethics and all other question in our most holy religion:

Can the Pope, or an Ecumenical Council, or the body of Bishops fall into heresy?

The answer to this question is of the utmost importance to the Church at the present time. Most of the members of the Catholic Church worldwide — yes, the vast majority — exalt their own opinions above the teaching of the Magisterium on matters of faith, morals, and salvation. They adhere to whatever ideas they choose, and if the Magisterium teaches otherwise, they ignore that teaching, or they radically re-interpret it, or they simply claim that the Church is wrong.

And this disregard and denigration of the Church’s teaching authority extends even to those Catholics who consider themselves to be most devout, to teachers and leaders among the faithful, to priests and theologians, to conservative Catholics — who ironically pride themselves on their faithfulness to the Magisterium — and to Catholic bloggers and online commentators. Their own understanding of the Catholic Faith is treated by them as if it were identical to the Catholic Faith. Their own understanding of Scripture is seen by them as nothing other than what Scripture is saying. They consider their own understanding of Tradition and past magisterial teaching to be entirely correct. And they will not accept any teaching of a Pope, or Council, or the body of Bishops led by the Pope, to the contrary.

Their argument is “Tradition teaches this, and Tradition cannot err. Scripture teaches that, and Scripture cannot err. The Magisterium has infallibly taught something, and an infallible teaching cannot err.” The second part of each of those assertions is correct. Sacred Tradition, Sacred Scripture, and the dogmatic teachings of the Magisterium cannot err. But the first part of each assertion is predicated on an assumption that the individual believer has correctly understood what Tradition, Scripture, Magisterium has taught. And that is not necessarily the case.

And so a conflict arises, whereby a Pope or an Ecumenical Council or the body of Bishops led by the Pope teaches a doctrine that contradicts the individual believer’s own understanding of what Tradition or Scripture or the Magisterium in the past teaches.

In the case of a non-infallible magisterial teaching, there is a limited possibility of error and reform. The individual believer could be correct, and the non-infallible magisterial teaching could be mistaken. But in the vast majority of such conflicts, the individual has simply misunderstood the teachings of Tradition, Scripture, Magisterium. Even though a non-infallible magisterial teaching could possibly err, the vast majority of what is taught is correct. The individual believer errs, in many cases culpably, by rejecting a non-infallible teaching based merely on his own opinion. All the faithful are required to give the religious submission of will and intellect to the non-infallible teachings of the Magisterium. Most refuse to do so.

In the case of an infallible magisterial teaching, the situation is much worse. When the individual believer obstinately denies or obstinately doubts an infallible teaching of a Pope, or an Ecumenical Council, or the ordinary and universal Magisterium (the body of Bishops led by the Pope), he commits the sin of heresy. If this act is formal heresy, the penalty is automatic excommunication. All the faithful are required to give the full assent of faith to every infallible teaching of the Magisterium.

But what happens instead is that the individual believer continues to exalt his own thinking above magisterial teaching, just as in the case of non-infallible teachings. How then does he reconcile the disparity between definitive Church teaching and his own position? Some believers radically re-interpret the infallible teaching, so it seems to mean whatever the believer prefers. Some believers ignore the teaching, or claim that it is not infallible. But in some cases — and we are now quickly moving toward this eventuality in the case of Pope Francis — the individual believer claims that the Pope or Council or the body of Bishops has fallen into heresy.

Several Saints have expressed the theological opinion that a Pope could possibly fall into heresy. But the Magisterium has never taught this idea. And no Saint has ever accused any Pope of heresy. The exaltation of saintly opinion over magisterial teaching is a grave error. Jesus guaranteed that the Church would be indefectible, that She would never go astray, nor lead us astray from the path of salvation. He gave no such guarantee about the theological opinions of Saints, Fathers, or Doctors of the Church. But some believers, when they dislike a teaching of the Church, will seek a theological opinion of a Saint (often along with a disordered interpretation of that opinion) in order to contradict magisterial teaching. But no Saint has ever done so, neither with his own opinion, nor with the opinion of another Saint.

Already, some conservative Catholics have committed heresy and have fallen under a sentence of automatic excommunication because they claim that “Vatican II taught heresy”. They exalt themselves above an Ecumenical Council, one that was led by two Popes successively, approved by every Pope since then, and approved continuously by the body of Bishops dispersed through the world. They speak as if they have the authority and ability to judge the Magisterium and its teachings. They never consider the possibility that their own understanding of Tradition, Scripture, and past magisterial teachings might be in error. Their understanding of Catholicism is oversimplified and distorted; and yet they have dogmatized their own understanding.

And this attitude of self-exaltation, above the Magisterium, continues today among many conservative Catholic bloggers and online commentators. They judge every word and deed of Pope Francis. They speak as if their own understanding of Church teaching is inerrant. But they also acknowledge that Popes and Councils can teach infallibly. So how will they resolve any conflict between their own understanding and a future infallible teaching of a Pope or Council? They will accuse that Pope or Council of heresy.

The Magisterium will eventually have to settle this type of dispute by teaching that:

Neither a validly-elected Pope while he is in office, nor a validly-convened Ecumenical Council led by the Pope, nor the body of Bishops dispersed through the world but remaining in communion with the Pope, can ever fall into the sin of apostasy, or heresy, or schism. The providence and grace of God absolutely protects the Church in this way, so that even the gates of Hell cannot prevail over the Church, and so that the path of salvation for all the faithful will remain secure.

To say otherwise is to contradict the teaching of Jesus that the Church is indefectible.

[Matthew]
{16:16} Simon Peter responded by saying, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
{16:17} And in response, Jesus said to him: “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father, who is in heaven.
{16:18} And I say to you, that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it.
{16:19} And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. And whatever you shall bind on earth shall be bound, even in heaven. And whatever you shall release on earth shall be released, even in heaven.”

As for those Catholic bloggers who even now are in the process of leading their readers away from Church teaching by their words and example, Jesus has this to say:

[Matthew]
{5:17} Do not think that I have come to loosen the law or the prophets. I have not come to loosen, but to fulfill.
{5:18} Amen I say to you, certainly, until heaven and earth pass away, not one iota, not one dot shall pass away from the law, until all is done.
{5:19} Therefore, whoever will have loosened one of the least of these commandments, and have taught men so, shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever will have done and taught these, such a one shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
{5:20} For I say to you, that unless your justice has surpassed that of the scribes and the Pharisees you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.

And the Apostles have this to say:

[2 Timothy]
{4:1} I testify before God, and before Jesus Christ, who shall judge the living and the dead through his return and his kingdom:
{4:2} that you should preach the word urgently, in season and out of season: reprove, entreat, rebuke, with all patience and doctrine.
{4:3} For there shall be a time when they will not endure sound doctrine, but instead, according to their own desires, they will gather to themselves teachers, with itching ears,
{4:4} and certainly, they will turn their hearing away from the truth, and they will be turned toward fables.

[James]
{3:1} My brothers, not many of you should choose to become teachers, knowing that you shall receive a stricter judgment.

Beloved children of God, do not be led astray by false teachers, who exalt themselves above the Church. The three pillars of truth in the Catholic Faith are Sacred Tradition, Sacred Scripture, and the Magisterium. But you must never put your own understanding and interpretation of Tradition, Scripture, Magisterium above the definitive interpretation of the Magisterium.

The great apostasy draws near. Soon most Catholics will leave the Church, first the conservatives and next the liberals. Who, then, will be left? Only those who adhere to the teachings of the Magisterium, apart from liberalism, conservatism, secularism and any other source of teaching that contradicts the Church.

See my previous posts:
Why neither the Pope, nor the body of Bishops, can commit heresy
Can a Pope commit the sin of heresy?
Could Pope Francis fall into heresy?

by
Ronald L. Conte Jr.
Roman Catholic theologian and
translator of the Catholic Public Domain Version of the Bible.