If God founded a Church, it cannot err in doctrine.

Jesus Christ conferred on Saint Peter and the other apostles the power of the Church: power of magisterium, government, and priesthood. That is, he put the destiny of the Church in Peter’s hands. But for this mission, beyond human strength, the Pope needs completely supernatural and superhuman help. Because if the Pope did not have the assistance of the Holy Spirit, if in indicating to the Church of Christ the paths of dogma and morals he could err, then it would be impossible to completely prevent wounds from opening in the body of the Church, which one day or another would cause death.

But Christ says that his Church must remain until the end of the world. And even more, that “not even the gates of hell” They must prevail against it. Therefore, if the Church of Christ is not to end or make mistakes, we must say the same about its head, just as we would say that if the person in charge of the helm of a ship fails or is deceived, the ship must necessarily perish among the rocks. The helmsman of the Church, who is the Pope, successor of Peter, must be infallible in matters of faith and morals.

First we will see why the infallibility of the Church is absolutely necessary. Then why is it that, of course, it is not only “necessary”, but it actually exists, and of that we are totally sure.

Infallibility, apart from the fact that it exists because it is the gift of Christ, is necessary. Yes, it is totally necessary, since it derives from the very purpose of the Church.

When examining the mission entrusted by the Lord to his Church, we must affirm that this same mission and the very end of the Church demand the Infallibility of the Pope. They demand it: a) as well as the purity of the faith, b) as well as its unity.

a) The purity of faith requires the infallibility of the Pope. Of what use would Christ have lived on earth, taught us the knowledge of God and his worship, died for us and obtained redeeming grace for us, if his divine teachings could be adulterated in the course of the centuries, by men adding or subtracting whatever pleased them, that is, if he had not granted Peter and his successors the gift of preserving them from all error in matters of faith and morals?

The purity of faith demands that the living magisterium of the Church and its Head be exempt from the possibility of error, and that, when defining something as the teaching of Christ, there should not be room for even the slightest shadow of uncertainty.

The Catholic world knows very well that Peter and his successors are infallible teachers of the faith. Therefore, every time there was doubt as to whether or not some point was in line with the doctrine of the Gospel, the most distinguished wise men and doctors of the Church went to Rome. This happened in Corinth, still during the life of Saint John the Apostle. The faithful did not go to the Apostle Saint John, who lived nearby, in Ephesus, to speak about the matter, but to the successor of Saint Peter who was based in Rome, much further away. They went to the Roman Bishop St. Clemente. And they knew that the divine Master had prayed for Peter and his successors so that they would be free from all error in explaining and propagating his doctrine.

b) The unity of faith also demands the infallibility of the Pope. If Christ wanted his doctrine to last until the end of the world, it was necessary to found this infallible magisterium. Because what use would all the Holy Scripture have been without an official authority to explain it?It is seen very well, and in a very painful way indeed, in the struggle of the many religious confessions that exist today, which all rely on Holy Scripture to support their doctrine, which all present the same passage of the Bible in different ways.

To preserve the unity of the faith, it is absolutely necessary that there be a court whose ruling is final. But who is to be this infallible judge?A bishop?No. There were distinguished bishops who erred and had to be reprimanded by the Pope. The group of bishops?Nor, because if the individual is not infallible, neither can the group be. On the other hand, it should be noted that it was not convenient to found the Church in this way,…even for reasons of purely practical origin. How could it be possible to convene bishops from around the world as many times as their final ruling was required?Therefore, only that of the Pope, infallible and unappealable, remains as the sole and supreme instance.

What a joy to think that it is the infallible Pope who has the government of the Church in his hands!We don’t usually think about it much;We have become accustomed to walking calmly on the ship of the Church heading towards eternal life, without remembering, more than from time to time, the immense gratitude we owe to our God and to the vigorous helmsman who governs it with so much care and love.

We could well affirm it, when even the father of positivist philosophy, Augustus Comte, said it: “The infallibility of the Pope, who spat so much gall in the face of Catholicism, means a very high degree of progress in the intellectual and social field.”

That’s right: the gift of Infallibility in the Church is absolutely necessary. Jesus Christ gave his Church the deposit of revelation, so that she could transmit it in all its integrity to all generations. But she could not transmit it intact to the people if she were exposed to deception. And God never denying the help necessary for the fulfillment of a duty, gives the Church Infallibility, which is the indispensable grace of state so that it can always be faithful custodian of the sacred deposit of revelation. Therefore, the Church is Infallible.

Every authority, to teach, judge and govern, attributes to itself infallibility, supposed or real. Thus, for example, there is no authority in the family without the supposed infallibility of the father;there is no authority in school without the supposed infallibility of the teacher;there is no authority in the courts without the supposed authority of the magistrates;There is no authority in civil society without the supposed infallibility of the legislator. Such is the essential and fundamental basis of the social order: all power is necessarily considered infallible.

Now, the Church is not an academy that expounds, issues opinions: it is a sovereign that dictates sentences. She commands the conscience, demands the inner approval of the spirit. A supposed infallibility, sufficient to obtain external acts, is not enough for the Church, a religious and supernatural society;To subdue intelligences, real Infallibility is necessary. Conscience cannot submit except to the certain truth. To have the right to impose faith in its word, under penalty of eternal damnation, a power must be certain that it is not wrong;otherwise he would exercise stupid tyranny. Real infallibility is a logical necessity for every authority that speaks in the name of God. Malebranche says it very rightly: “A divinely instituted authority cannot be conceived without Infallibility”.
“Thus (adds Lacordaire), any religion that does not declare itself infallible is therefore convicted of error; because it confesses that it can be deceived, which is the height of both absurdity and dishonor in an authority that teaches in the name of God.” 

Naturally it is not only “necessary” but actually exists. I expose the Gospel passages that demonstrate Infallibility:

Jesus Christ says to Saint Peter: “Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven; whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”.Can more unlimited authority be granted?For binding and loosing, in the phraseology, not only Jewish, but also from the East, meant even much more than what could be literally understood. It meant allowing or prohibiting;condemn or acquit;dictate laws;In a word, give a definitive legal ruling. Because the processes were delivered to the judge on a roll of parchment: if the judge closed them and tied them, the sentence was condemnatory;If he untied them and unrolled them, it was acquittal;Furthermore, does “everything that” indicate any limitation?…. According to this promise the sentences of the Church must be approved in heaven. Thus, God cannot approve deception, therefore the sentences of the Church are Infallible.

Obviously by “everything that”, you cannot understand ABSOLUTELY everything;but “EVERYTHING THAT YOU TERMINATE” and “EVERYTHING THAT YOU SHALL LOOSE”. When something is BINDED or LOOSE on earth it is when it is something in which the adherence of the entire Church is required in definitive (irrevocable) matters, which we are obliged to believe or observe.

We are obliged to listen to the Church as to Jesus Christ himself. That’s right: obliged to listen to the Church as to Jesus Christ Himself, since He Himself said so. He gave complete authority to the Apostles when he told them: “Whoever listens to you, listens to Me; and whoever rejects you, rejects Me; and whoever rejects Me, rejects him who sent Me.” As seen here, this very direct phrase tells us that we hear His words through His Church. Therefore these words must also be applied to the Church, which is why he says with all the reason he possessed: “Whoever rejects you, rejects Me”…..Honestly, this could not be clearer…. How can it be possible that God forces us to listen to the Church as to Jesus Christ himself, if that Church can teach errors?Nobody can say that. Since it is impossible for God to force us to listen to an authority that can be deceived, it is necessary for the Church to be Infallible.

Jesus Christ adds: “I will send you the Holy Spirit, He will teach you all the truth.” Thus the Holy Spirit cannot teach the Church “the whole truth” without preserving it from all error;Therefore the Church is Infallible. Any nonconformist would say that the Holy Spirit does teach all the truth, but the men who form the teaching profession are those who teach lies… Well, in that case it would be as if the Holy Spirit did not teach the truth, since what use would it be?… If every good teacher does everything possible so that his disciples do not fall into errors, what else won’t the Holy Spirit do for His Church?… He is not just any good teacher… What use would it be for the Holy Spirit “will teach the whole truth” to his Church if he allowed the magisterium to distort it and even teach complete errors… What kind of task would the Holy Spirit be doing?Teaching the truth?What good would it do if I taught it?It would be as if I didn’t teach it. That is why the Holy Spirit preserves the doctrine of the Church from all error in order to truly teach all the truth… Would a teacher who allowed his disciples to fall into errors teach the truth?

Jesus Christ promises that “the gates of hell will not prevail against her (the Church)”.But if she could err in indicating the paths of dogma and morals, then hell could prevail against her;which would oppose the promise of its divine Founder. Don’t our separated brothers believe that hell prevails against the Catholic Church because of so many errors they believe it has?Well, that, as we see, cannot happen with the true Church of Jesus Christ.

Our Lord Jesus Christ said to Peter and the apostles: “Go teach all nations…I am with you always until the end of the ages”.With these words Jesus Christ promised his apostles, until the end of the world, his particular assistance in the exercise of his teaching. This expression is very familiar in God. God says to Isaac: “Stay in this country. I will be with you”, and Jacob: “Go back to your parents’ house, I will be with you.” In the book of Exodus, God orders Moses to appear before Pharaoh. Moses fears; God answers him: I will be with you, etc. This familiar expression of God reveals his presence and his protection. In these examples, as in all those that come in the Bible, it is seen without a doubt that God promises a person his assistance, extends his protective hand over him, and assures him of success…(“Do not be afraid, I will be with you”). Success is proven in the Bible when completing the mission entrusted by God. Now, in the case of Jesus Christ and the Apostles He promises to be with them every day, assisting them in that special way in the exercise of teaching. It is evident how God’s responsibility is compromised in this passage. If Infallibility were not necessary in the exercise of teaching, then this passage would prove nothing, but since it is absolutely inherent to this divinely entrusted mission, and does not depend on men (who are fallible by nature) but only on God, it is clear that this divine assistance brings with it infallibility;Otherwise, Jesus Christ would be responsible for the error… If not, then why does he tell them that he will be with them?To be with them without helping them?These words mean that God extends his protective hand over the Church, that he watches over her, that he provides her with his assistance and that he ensures her success. Therefore they cannot deceive themselves, and the Church is Infallible. That is why Protestants who say that the Church that Jesus Christ founded moved away from the truth or apostatized (some say it was after the death of the last Apostle) call Jesus a liar for this promise, since He promised his daily attendance in the Church (without periods of 1500 years, not even one day,) and until the end of the world.

Jesus entrusted Peter with the care of his flock. He gave him that mission. He told him to feed his sheep, that is, to guide them along the right path so that they would not go astray. Now, I do not believe that any believer thinks that God is so clumsy (pardon the word) as not to provide INDISPENSABLE help for the fulfillment of a duty, (for the fulfillment of a mission entrusted by Himself). I don’t think any Christian believes that God isn’t wise enough not to do that. His will is for Peter to guide the Church along the right path, therefore, without the special assistance of God, without the gift of Infallibility, which is essential to fulfill this mission, Peter and the other Popes could not fulfill it well no matter how good their intentions were, since if they could err, it would be impossible to completely prevent sores from opening in the body of the Church, which one day or another would cause death. And obviously the sheep would not be pastured correctly, as God intended. If He had not given the gift of Infallibility to Peter, then with great reason Saint Peter could complain to God for the fact that He had entrusted him with this mission, (which is inconceivable), and could say to him “How do you want, my God, for me to fulfill that mission if I CANNOT carry it out as you want, since as a man that I am, I can teach errors to your sheep. Instead of feeding them, I can lead them astray!”…. Evidently, it is absolutely necessary. This gift in the Church, therefore, God, never denying the help necessary for the fulfillment of a duty, gives the Church Infallibility, which is the grace of indispensable state so that it can always be faithful custodian of the sacred deposit of revelation.

“The Church is the column and bastion of truth”.(1 Tim. 3:15). I wonder why our separated brothers won’t believe this, if the word of God itself says so.

These are some of the passages that demonstrate the Infallibility of the Church.

An authority with which Jesus Christ is always present cannot be deceived without Jesus Christ himself being deceived;a power whose acts heaven must confirm cannot fall into error without compromising God’s responsibility.

The Gospel passage about the first meeting of Jesus Christ with Peter is of great interest. This event took place at the beginning of the Redeemer’s public activity. The Lord addressed Saint John the Baptist, and when he saw him, he exclaimed with enthusiasm: “Behold the Lamb of God.” With the Baptist were two of his disciples: Andrew and John, who would later become apostles and who were then able to see the Lord and became enthusiastic. Andrew, beside himself, ran to bring his brother Simón Peter this news: “We have found the Messiah. His words moved Peter. “How?Have you found the Messiah?Where is?…”, and Peter went with his brother to visit Jesus.

There is something very worthy of attention in this Gospel story. When the two disciples of the Baptist, Andrew and John, went to see Jesus, the Gospel tells us nothing special. And yet, certainly Jesus would look with deep love into the pure, virginal eyes of Saint John, whose gaze would one day rest on the divine body hanging on the cross. He would also look with deep love at Andrew’ eyes, full of ardor and enthusiasm, and which one day would be closed forever in the torture of the cross for love of his Master. However, the Gospel says nothing about these profound views of Jesus.

But now, when it is Simon who comes to see him, the Gospel tells us explicitly: “Jesus fixed his eyes on him.” The words of the Greek text, as well as the Latin one, mean a penetrating look that reaches to the soul. “Intuitum autem eum Jesus.” It is not “aspexit” or “vidit”, (which simply means to look), but “intuitus”, which means to look at a person with great consideration and in a very attentive way. The Lord looked deep into Simon’s soul and gave him a new name: “You are Simon, son of Jonah: You will be called Cephas: which means Peter, or stone.”

Christ gives Simon a new name!And when God gives a new name, it is because he gives the qualities that are necessary to realize it. Men are not capable of such a thing. We can call a person Blanca who never will be;Pink, and not be beautiful;Consistency without even having that quality. This does not happen with God. If he gave Abram the name Abraham, he fulfilled the meaning of this name in him: that he became the father of all believers, father of the Hebrew people. And if he wanted to give Simón this name “Peter”, that is, “Stone”, it is because then he gave him the necessary strength to be a stone, to be a rock.”You will be the stone!”Can the stone foundation be moved???If the foundation is weak, the building would collapse.

“Intuitum eum Jesus”, the Lordr “he fixed his eyes on Peter”, more than Michelangelo when he fixed his gaze on the block of marble from which he drew his “Moses.”This deep and penetrating look of Jesus Christ was the first blow he gave to the statue of this Moses of the New Testament. Because Peter had to be like Moses, the one who, without deviating from the straight path, led the people of the New Law through the deserts of life.

It is said that when Michelangelo finished his magnificent statue and saw it so sublime, he became enraged, and taking the hammer he hit the statue’s knee, saying: “Talk, Mose!”, “Talk Moses!”.The magnificent statue, despite the life it appeared, could not speak. The Lord truly triumphed in his “Moses.”He said to Peter: ““Peter speaks!”, and has been saying: “Speak, Linus!”, “Speak, Cletus!”, “Speak, Benedict!”, “Speak, John Paul!”…., and they speak and teach and show the way, and they are infallible, because they continue to be the stone, the firm rock of the Church.

After his first meeting with Jesus, Peter must have probably reflected a lot on the Lord’s intentions in giving him such an unexpected name; Christ did not want to give him the explanation at that time. He let the Apostle’s soul mature. He waited two years.

And one day, after two years, in a conversation they had near Caesarea, Jesus asked his disciples what men thought of him. They answered “Some believe you are Elijah; others say John the Baptist, or perhaps another prophet.”– “And you, who do you say I am?” – the Lord asked them. In the name of everyone, Peter answered, and this answer from Peter was rewarded by these words of the Lord: “And I tell you that you are Peter, and that on this rock I will build my Church; and the gates of hell will not prevail against it. And to you I will give the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth will also be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth will also be loosed in heaven.”

Then Peter understood that name received two years before from the lips of the Lord. And we also understand the existing relationship: “You are Simon; you will be called Cephas”;”You are Joachim Pecci; you will be called Leo XIII”;”You are Giuseppe Sarto; you will be called Pius X”;”You are Eugenio Pacelli; you will be called Pius XII; “You are Karol Wojtyła;”You will be called John Paul II.” . And  “the gates of hell will not prevail against the Church, whose cornerstone you will be.””If you could err, they would certainly prevail; but they will not prevail because you will not err!”

Y “Whatever you bind on earth will also be bound in heaven.” –“If you could err, if you taught a false doctrine, if you forced men to believe erroneous commands, then God Himself would ratify an error; but you will not err!”

Y “Whatever you loose on earth will also be loosed in heaven.”–”If you could err and give wrong judgments in matters of faith and morals, then God himself would have to ratify your mistake; but you will not err!”

The Lord said to Saint Peter after the Resurrection: “Feed my sheep.”

It is the solemn investiture of the supreme pastoral power. To shepherd means to guide.”Feed”, that is, “guide on the right path; I entrust them to you so that they do not go astray.” – “If you yourself could go astray, they would go astray; but you will not go astray!”

If the shepherd is lost, what will become of the sheep?If the Pope were wrong in pointing out issues of faith and morals, how could Saint Paul’s words be realized, which assure that the Church is “the pillar and support of the truth”?????

If there is still any doubt as to whether or not Christ intended to confer infallibility on the Pope, it will be completely dispelled by other clear and conclusive words from the Lord:

“Simon, Simon…” –said Christ looking at Peter.

What new promise would be this that begins like this?Perhaps the one who will never be exposed to temptation?Are you going to promise him an always triumphant and joyful life in this world?No; none of that, because precisely it tells him:

“When you have turned back,…..” What does this mean if not that you too will fall?

What then is the promise made to Peter?

“Simon, Simon, see that Satan is coming after you to sift you like wheat, But I have prayed for you, so that your faith may not perish; and when you convert, confirm your brothers.”.I have prayed that your faith may not perish. So that your faith remains so right and true that, even when you yourself may fall, you can confirm your brothers in this right and true faith.

And what is this, in the end, if not the clear and conclusive promise of pontifical infallibility, made by Jesus Christ to Saint Peter, the first of the Popes?

Naturally, with this I do not mean that confirming others in the faith means infallibility. The important thing is that ONLY Peter was told by Jesus to confirm his brothers in the faith. It should be noted that Jesus says “Behold, Satan is coming after you to sift you like wheat.” He said “you” (plural). And then he says “But I have prayed for you”.He said “for you” (singular). “so that your faith does not perish; and when you convert, confirm your brothers”…Peter and only Peter is the one whom Jesus commissions to confirm his brothers in their faith. Satan is going to sift all the Apostles like wheat, and Jesus prays for Peter, so that his faith does not perish, and thus, he confirms others in their faith. How is Peter going to confirm others in their faith if he could teach them errors?Jesus does not pray only that Peter’s faith would not die in that important test he was going to have and in which he denied him three times. Pray that he confirms others in their faith… In this passage, Jesus does not promise Peter freedom from error (absolute freedom from error is not affirmed by the dogma of Infallibility), but rather grace to persevere in faith to the end, to truly confirm others in faith.

This obviously does not mean that some Popes cannot fall into heresies, because no matter how much Jesus prays for them, man’s rebellion or even negligence is capable, due to the freedom we have, of causing even Popes to fall into heresies. Jesus’ words mean that even when the Pope goes wrong, he will confirm his brothers in the true faith. And if he is a heretic, at least he is not going to declare his heresies as part of the doctrine of the magisterium, that is, things that we are obliged to believe and observe. The Holy Spirit has never allowed this. And infallibility, no matter how heretic a Pope may be, cannot be denied by Christ. Well, the Church has it not because of its merits, but because Jesus promised it to it because it is a prerogative inherent to its powers and its mission.

 

Authors: T. Tóth, A. Hillaire and A. L. Rascón
Source: Apologetica.org