The Popes on the Popes

[Svjatyj_Boze]

Pope Innocent III († 1216): “The pope should not flatter himself about his power, nor should he rashly glory in his honour and high estate, because the less he is judged by man, the more he is judged by God. Still the less can the Roman Pontiff glory, because he can be judged by men, or rather, can be shown to be already judged, if for example he should wither away into heresy, because “he who does not believe is already judged.” (St. John 3:18) In such a case it should be said of him: ‘If salt should lose its savour, it is good for nothing but to be cast out and trampled under foot by men.’” (Sermo 4)

Pope Adrian VI († 1523): “If by the Roman Church you mean its head or pontiff, it is beyond question that he can err even in matters touching the faith. He does this when he teaches heresy by his own judgement or decretal. In truth, many Roman pontiffs were heretics. The last of them was Pope John XXII († 1334).” (Quaestiones in IV Sent)

Venerable Pope Pius IX († 1878): “If a future pope teaches anything contrary to the Catholic Faith, do not follow him.” (Letter to Bishop Brizen)

[CatholicforChrist]

Thank you for these quotes. They are certainly helpful and relevant in many of the debates here. A lot of times people will rely on Papal 'authority' (in matters where he is not infallible) as a means of "proving" their point. They claim that religious submission of mind and will, etc, must be followed but ignore previous statements. This is true of official pronouncements, infallible decrees, etc, but not of personal opinions. I thank you again for another great reference, which is vital to our debates here on the phorum. God bless.

Edit: I should also add, a lot of people say that the Pope cannot be a heretic. I did not think this was true, and the words of the holy Pontiff, Pope Adrian VI, reaffirm this. Thanks again.

Edited October 22, 2004 by CatholicforChrist

[Theoketos]

These quotes are interesting, and out of context...

I had to search for a while before I could find the real context of each one.

But they do speak a truth, but, lest we be lead into error, keep this quote in mind.


[quote]Again, the proper way to answer this question is by making the proper distinction between the “person” of the pope and the “office” of the pope. This is precisely why Vatican I laid down four very strict criteria regarding what is to be considered “infallible,” that is, without error of any kind.[/quote]

[url="http://www.catholicintl.com/catholicissues/larson-part2-2.htm"]http://www.catholicintl.com/catholicissues...son-part2-2.htm[/url]