The Degrees of Authority of the Papal Magisterium
The Doctrinal and Pastoral Authority of the Pope
Christ entrusted Peter with confirming his brothers in the faith, as He had taught. In this way, Peter, assisted by Christ, the vicar of Christ, and in the name of Christ, was established by Christ as the teacher and master of the doctrine of Christ.
Therefore, when he sits on this chair ("ex-cathedra Petri"), when he teaches the Church what Christ has taught for our salvation and proposes it for our belief, he enjoys a special gift, exclusively belonging to the Pope. This gift ensures that he, according to the various degrees of authority outlined in the Code of Canon Law (cann. 749-752) regarding faith and morals, is always truthful; that is, he always teaches and infallibly conveys the truth of the Gospel, never errs, is never deceived, and does not deceive others. He cannot change or retract what he has stated, nor can his successors do so. He cannot alter, reform, revise, reinterpret, or correct what he has proclaimed; he can only disseminate, reiterate, deepen, develop, clarify, and explain it, ensuring that his teachings are not falsifiable either in the present or in the future until the end of the ages.
In this manner, the Pope, a sinner like all of us, can indeed sin against all virtues, as history demonstrates. However, history also shows that when he teaches the Church from the Chair of Peter, that is, as Pope, the master and interpreter of the truth of faith, Scripture, or Tradition, he enlightens, clarifies, explains, and confirms, but he never sins, cannot lie, cannot betray Christ or the Gospel, cannot deceive himself, cannot falsify, misunderstand, or distort the Word of God, cannot change dogma, cannot lead astray, cannot fall into heresy, and least of all, cannot lose the faith.
The authority of the Pope as our guide, established by Christ to lead us to salvation, encompasses both doctrinal and pastoral aspects. The doctrinal aspect is the true papal magisterium and pertains to two orders of truths of faith ("de fide et moribus"): speculative, theoretical truths concerning the mystery of God, about what God has revealed about Himself through Christ—things (the divine attributes) simply to be known, contemplated, loved, and savored, which we will fully understand and enjoy in heaven in the beatific vision—and moral truths, commandments, divine norms, and laws, objects of faith to be practiced now to prepare ourselves for the beatific vision.
The pastoral aspect could be referred to as the pastoral magisterium, which concerns not so much the Pope's knowledge but rather his will as the Shepherd of the Church.
This pertains to what the Pope commands or prohibits in historical contexts and particular contingent situations, to effectively learn the Word of God and fruitfully put it into practice in our everyday lives.
It involves directives, dispositions, decisions, detailed indications, legal norms, disciplinary or liturgical regulations (for example, motu proprio) of positive law that the Pope, at his discretion, as he sees fit, appropriate, or necessary, issues or reserves the right to maintain or change, to establish anew or abrogate, even concerning what his predecessor has done, according to his prudence, depending on the cases and circumstances.
This is the exercise of the so-called "power of the keys," which does not pertain to doctrine but to the concrete direction of the faithful's conduct. It concerns the jurisdictional or governing power, that is, the hierarchical and legal organization of the Church's activities, including the office of the Pope as the supreme judge appointed by Christ to administer justice. It involves his office and power as the high priest to sanctify souls through the sacraments and to serve as the ultimate moderator of divine worship.
In fulfilling all his roles and responsibilities, the Pope is not infallible; he is not impeccable. He may at times lack justice and prudence, as well as exhibit a deficiency in gentleness and patience. He can demonstrate irritability or even despotism, act out of fear or opportunism, and show disloyalty or dishonesty. Furthermore, he might be excessively demanding or stringent at times, while at other moments he could be overly lenient and indulgent.
Thus, while it would make little sense to attempt to correct the Pope in matters of doctrine, as attempted by Michael Cerularius and Luther, and as modernists and Lefebvrians seek to do today, it can be appropriate and beneficial for the Church to correct him in the realm of his pastoral actions or governance or his own moral conduct. This is exemplified by great reforming Saints such as Saint Peter Damian, Saint Dominic, Saint Francis, Saint Catherine of Siena, Savonarola, or Blessed Rosmini.
The Three Degrees of Doctrinal Authority
Why does Canon Law present three degrees of doctrinal authority? What is the reason and criterion for this multiplicity? On what basis does it rest?
Saint John Paul II, in the Apostolic Letter Ad tuendam fidem* of 1998, added a second clause to canon 750, establishing a third degree of doctrinal authority for the Pope, an intermediate degree between the two in the previous canonical text (cann. 749-750, first clause).
This was in response to a subterfuge employed by the Lefebvrians, who, under the pretext that the First Vatican Council declared as dogma that the Pope teaches infallibly when he solemnly defines a new dogma "ex-cathedra," contended that since neither the Second Vatican Council nor the post-conciliar Popes had invoked this exceptional power of doctrinal magisterium, that is, they had not solemnly defined new dogmas, the Lefebvrians believed they had the opportunity to accuse the Council and the post-conciliar Popes of heresy or, at the very least, to consider them fallible for not having utilized the pontifical power dogmatized by the Council.
With this intervention, Saint John Paul II effectively blocked that dishonest operation, clarifying that the Pope is infallible not only in extraordinary magisterium as contemplated by Vatican I but also in ordinary magisterium, even when proposing new doctrines. In this case, he teaches as the master of the faith, in matters of faith, from the Chair of Peter, that is, as the Successor of Peter ("ex-cathedra").
Thus, from the Canon Law refined by the Pope, it is evident that the papal pronouncement referred to by Vatican I is only the first and highest degree of a doctrinal authority that is not infallible—meaning truthful, always true, and never falsifiable—only at that level, but it is also so at the other two levels beneath it: the second (Canon 750, second clause, intermediate degree) and the third and lowest degree (Canon 752).
Degrees of Faith and Degrees of Dogma
Based on what has been said about the degrees of doctrinal authority of the Pope, it is clear that each of these degrees corresponds to a degree of credibility concerning the matters of faith addressed at that level and the corresponding degree of authority of the Pope. Within the faithful, there will exist a corresponding degree of faith that aligns with the credibility of the matters of faith and the degree of authority by which the Pope teaches them.
We must now examine the relationship between authority, matters of faith (dogma), and faith at each of the three degrees. I must preface that the supreme content of faith, after the very Word of God and Christ contained in Scripture and Tradition, is the Symbol of Faith; that is, the individual articles of faith contained in the Creed. These contents are the so-called "dogmas." A dogma, in general, is a proposition developed by the Church as an interpretation and explanation of the Word of God.
The reference to dogma is present in all three degrees of doctrine that we have been examining, as they always pertain to truths of faith. The first degree cited in the first clause of Canon 750 refers to dogma in the strongest sense. It uses the following words: "all that is contained in the written or transmitted Word of God and that the Church proposes to believe as divinely revealed, either with solemn judgment or with ordinary and universal magisterium." Here, we have dogma formally and explicitly defined as dogma.
In the second clause, dogma pertains to the second degree of authority: "all and singular things that are definitively proposed by the magisterium of the Church concerning faith and morals, those that are required to preserve the deposit of faith holily and to present it faithfully." It is clear that this "presentation" implies doctrinal development or progress in continuity.
At the third degree referenced by canon 752, dogma appears only at an embryonic and implicit level, undeclared; it presents itself as a simple doctrine of faith of the ordinary magisterium, lacking any solemn declaration or recognition as dogma. However, it remains open to being solemnly and explicitly dogmatized, if the Church deems it appropriate, thereby advancing to the second degree and ultimately to the first.
Thus, here it is referred to as the data of faith: "doctrine concerning faith and morals enunciated by the Supreme Pontiff and the College of Bishops." These doctrines may one day eventually rise to the first degree. This has occurred, for example, with the doctrine of creation or the angels, elevated to dogma in 1215; the doctrine of the damned in hell, elevated to dogma by the Council of Quierzy in 856; the doctrine of the beatific vision, elevated to dogma in 1336; the doctrine of the immortality of the soul, elevated to dogma in 1513; and the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception, elevated to dogma only in 1854; as well as the doctrine of the demonstrability of God’s existence, elevated to dogma by Vatican I—all doctrines that were initially of the third degree, later raised to the first.
One doctrine currently barely at the third degree, as it is quite debated, is that of Co-Redemptrix. However, supposing that a solid Mariology manages to dispel any suspicion of excessive Marian emphasis, one could hope for its elevation to the second degree. Furthermore, should there be progress in ecumenical dialogue with Protestants, alleviating any concerns they may have, the Pope could celebrate this success by dogmatizing the title at the first degree. This would be a splendid triumph for Mary, Mother of all Christians, Queen of Peace and Reconciliation. (bold mine, by the editor)
What Induces the Church to Elevate the Degree of a Revealed or Faith Doctrine? There can be two reasons: a pastoral reason, where the Church at a particular historical moment deems it necessary to emphasize a certain truth with particular force; or a reason related to the defense of faith: responding to attacks from heretics. For example, what the Council of Trent taught against Luther: the number of sacraments, the Mass as a sacrifice, transubstantiation, and the priesthood.
Regarding the act of faith that embraces truths of faith at these three degrees, we can say: that the act of faith by which the faithful accept the defined dogma of the first degree is "the act of divine and Catholic faith" (Canon 750, first clause). The act of faith by which one accepts the doctrine of the second degree, that is, a dogma that is soon to be defined, is "faith in the assistance of the Holy Spirit to the magisterium and in the Catholic doctrine of the infallibility of the magisterium (doctrines de fide tenenda - to be held in faith)" (Doctrinal Note, n.8).
As for the assent to the doctrines of the third degree, since they still concern matters of faith, it is still an assent of faith in the authority of the Church, an act designated by the Code as "religious obedience of intellect and will" (Canon 752). Thus, dissent is never justified because even here the Church teaches a divine truth that does not change, knowing that it does not err but guides humanity to salvation. [1]
Fr.. Giovanni Cavalcoli, OP
Fontanellato, October 8, 2024
source:
https://padrecavalcoli.blogspot.com/p/i-gradi-di-autorita-del-magistero.html
Note:
[1] For further details, I recommend consulting the still-relevant book by Father Sisto Cartechini S.J., Dall’opinione al dogma. Valore delle note teologiche (From Opinion to Dogma: The Value of Theological Notes), Edizioni della Civiltà Cattolica, Rome 1953.