Infallibility of the Church
Objection: “The Church is not infallible. It fell into error after
Constantine when it began to teach pagan doctrines.”
The infallibility of the Church is a special supernatural prerogative given to
her by God to preserve her from teaching error in her formal definitive
dogmatic teaching in matters of faith and morals.
Infallibility involves not only the simple exemption from actual error but
also exemption from the possibility of error. It is a Divine assistance that is
not dependent on the holiness of life or the impeccability of individual
Church members or organs.
Infallibility must be distinguished from both ‘inspiration’ and ‘revelation.’
Inspiration involves more than simply preserving the author from the
possibility of error, for God Himself is the author of the utterance;
revelation involves God making known supernatural truths otherwise
entirely or morally beyond the scope of human observation.
In any discussion of infallibility it must be first acknowledged that Christ
founded a Church as a visible and perfect society to govern, teach and
sanctify His followers, and he obliged all that may come to know her to
belong to and obey her: “And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I
will build my Church” (St. Matt. 16:18); “…if he refuses to listen even to
the Church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector” (St. Matt.
18:17). The only questions that need to be addressed then are whether, in
what way, and to what extent Christ’s Church is infallible.
As the Church founded by Our Lord is made up of teachers and believers,
the gift of infallibility will protect her both in teaching and belief.
Infallibility is thus found in the ‘Church teaching’ and in the ‘Church
believing.’ The ‘Church teaching’ consists of the successors to the
Apostles, namely, the Pope of Rome and all the bishops of the world united
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