When it was decided that the Pope was infallible, was this applied retroactively and if not, who was considered to be the first Pope to be infallible?

star_gazer

Papal infallibility was declare at the First Vatican Council in the late 19th century. It was applied to the first Pope, who Roman Catholics believe was St. Peter, and all and every Pope since. The First Vatican Council taught that three conditions must be met in order for a pronouncement to be considered infallible: 1. The pope must speak ex cathedra (from the Chair of Peter) in his official capacity. 2. The decision must be binding on the whole Church. 3. It must be on a matter of faith or morals. The first two conditions can be reasonably deduced from Matthew 16:19: "I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." The acts of binding and loosing in the context of the verse would by necessity be something more than casual remarks. The passage begins with Jesus saying, "You are Peter and upon this rock I will build my Church" (16:18). The acts of binding or loosing would have to be official and meant for the whole Church. The third condition stems from the obvious fact that Christian teaching is primarily a matter of faith and morals. Christianity's main objectives have always been getting people to heaven (faith) and teaching them how to live here on earth (morals). http://www.staycatholic.com/papal_infalibillity.htm May 01 12, 10:57 PM

wickezee

A very informative answer, george48. Thanks! May 02 12, 6:51 AM