Frankly, I don't expect anything of you. IT's not absurd. There are Catholics who see the opinions of the world as more important than the faith. Pope Francis is one of them, I think. Nancy Pelosi and Joe Biden are others.From the article you cited, which I doubt you read: While the
Catholic Church has a
defined doctrine on original sin, it has none on the eternal fate of unbaptized infants, leaving theologians free to propose different theories, which
magisterium is free to accept or reject. Limbo is one such theory."Right, because there is no doctrine on the matter of unbaptized children.You're conflating two different things. Children who cannot knowingly sin, based on the definition of sin, are innocent, to a certain age. There are no innocent adults, and so any human eligible for heaven will go through a purificatory process.Because it is not a doctrine.Well, to be fair, I misread your statement, rather your chop and paste. But no, Trent defined the books of Sacred Scripture, therefore no further books can be added.Well, the consistatory is not the canonization, so my point stands. Once the Pope accepts the canonization, it is infallible.This doesn't change the statement. Who the Church Fathers are is pretty well defined. There may be some who are disputed, but these are not:
Church Fathers - Wikipedia The fact is that the Church Fathers were not popes, and didn't always write infallibly. There are even disagreements on some things among them. Where they're right, they're quoted and cited. Where they're not, they're...not.As if Protestants agree on everything? Besides which, Scripture speaks to us where we are at the moment we read it. Thus, in the three year cycle of Church readings, I can hear one reading three years ago and think one thing, and hear it this Sunday and hear something else. Obedience to Scripture, as the Church interprets it, is important. But not everything in Scripture is interpreted by the Church. If there isn't a doctrinal meaning of a particular passage, it's not doctrine.First, yes, there were lots of behind-the-scenes fights at Vatican II. But we believe the Bible is inerrant.
Vatican II and the Inerrancy of the BibleThere is no issue here. Of course a pope can commit heresy. He cannot teach heresy ex cathedra. There's a big difference.Well, here's the thing. Whether or not you are Catholic, the Pope is not the head of the Catholic Church, he's the head of the Christian Church, whether or not you believe that or adhere to it. Here's why:
Jesus desired visible unity in His Church
Visible unity requires one senior pastor = Peter and his successors
The job of the senior pastor is to maintain unity
He can only maintain unity by stopping fights
He cannot stop fights unless his word is final
His word isn't final unless he's infallible.
Is the Pope that person?
Matthew 16:18–19 establishes Peter as the “royal steward” of Jesus’ kingdom-Church, and promises him the infallible backing of heaven for his decisions about the interpretation of divine law. A succession in office is implied by the fact that the royal steward of the Davidic kingdom was an office-holder with successors.
John 21:15–19 gives Peter an unparalleled and incomparable triple commissioning as the unique shepherd or “pastor” of all Christ’s sheep.
Acts 1:15–26 establishes the principle that the apostles occupied an “office” (episkopen) that could be filled by another after their death, thus establishing the principle of “succession.”
Acts 5:1–11, the account of Ananias and Sapphira, demonstrates that lying to and “testing” Peter is tantamount to lying to and testing the Holy Spirit.
5. Acts 15:1–31 shows Peter exercising his role as chief shepherd or “senior pastor” by putting an end to debate that threatened to break apart the unity of the early Church by rendering an authoritative judgment about the issue under question.
Bergsma, John. Stunned by Scripture: How the Bible Made Me Catholic (pp. 34-35). Our Sunday Visitor. Kindle Edition.
You can buzz all you want about disunity in the Catholic Church. And I won't deny that there are lots of Catholics who disagree with the teaching of the Catholic Church on this matter or that one. But the teaching of the Catholic Church is what matters. Not what some Catholics say or say about that teaching.