30
votes
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Has a pope ever been corrected publicly by a non-cleric in the presence of cardinals because of the unclear wording of a papal document?
It has happened to the present Pope.
Dr. Anca-Maria Cernea, Doctor at the Center for Diagnosis and Treatment-Victor Babes and President of the Association of Catholic Doctors of Bucharest (Romania) ...
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23
votes
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What does "see" in "the Holy See" mean?
"See" comes from the Latin word sedes, which means "seat" or "chair".
"Holy See" is Sedes Apostolica (lit. "Apostolic Chair") in Latin.
The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) gives this etymology for ...
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20
votes
What does "see" in "the Holy See" mean?
What does “see” in “The Holy See” mean?
Each bishop and archbishop has the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of an episcopal see. The Roman Pontiff (Pope) has complete jurisdiction of the Holy See, also ...
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16
votes
Accepted
How do Catholics respond to the Roman Catholic Church being referred to as the sea beast?
How do catholics respond to the Roman Catholic Church being referred to as the sea beast?
Prophecy is more than not only understood only after the events predicted come to pass.
Thus, Catholics would ...
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12
votes
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How did the doctrine of the pope having "supreme, full, immediate, and universal power in the care of souls" originate?
Paragraph 937 of the Catechism is part of an "In Brief" section that occurs at the end of every topic of the Catechism. The "In Brief" sections are intended to summarize the ...
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11
votes
How do Catholics respond to the Roman Catholic Church being referred to as the sea beast?
In supplement to Ken Graham’s very well put together criticism, I would like to point out perhaps the most fatal flaw in your argument, namely that the Vatican (or Rome, as we can put it) doesn’t sit ...
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10
votes
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Can priests (or popes) administer sacraments in a liturgy other than their own?
There are a number of related questions here.
The Bishop of Rome
The Bishop of Rome (i.e., the Pope), being the universal pastor of the Catholic Church, may celebrate in any rite he wishes at any ...
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10
votes
In Catholic understanding when there is more than one Pope, who decides which Pope is real and by what criteria?
In the case of a disputed election, the decision is largely based on which pope is elected first, although this is not always the case. Eulalius was elected pope in 418, one day before Boniface I. ...
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10
votes
Accepted
What happens if the Pope is automatically excommunicated?
As the article here states (linked in the comments), the short answer is that the current legislation of the Church (i.e. the Canon Law) does not foresee such situation to occur. Perhaps it does not ...
- 4,601
10
votes
Was Peter ever in Rome?
Biblical
The only Biblical information we have that Peter might have been in Rome is the cryptic reference in 1 Peter 5:13, "She who is in Babylon, chosen together with you, sends you her greetings, ...
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10
votes
Accepted
When the Pope says "We commend to the Lord the souls..." what does it mean exactly? It it a symbolic gesture, a prayer, something else?
Commend:
To entrust or commit to the care of someone else.
Thus: "We entrust and commit these souls unto the Lord's care / keeping / mercy."
Speaking as a non-Catholic, the Pope most ...
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9
votes
Accepted
Why are there only male popes?
The short answer to 'Why are there only male popes?' is 'Because there are only male priests.' The Church spells out the why of that practice in a formal doctrinal statement within the Catechism of ...
- 6,707
9
votes
What happens if the Cardinals who voted against the Pope get stuck with a Pope they don't like?
Life goes on as usual for all the cardinals of the Church after the election of a new Pope. They must obey the new Sovereign Pontiff in filial joy and reverence. Nor do any of the cardinals have to ...
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8
votes
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When did a "formal act of correction" of a pope's statement happen in the past?
The Doctor of the Church St. Robert Bellarmine (1542-1621) collected 40 cases—from Pope St. Peter to Pope Innocent VIII (reigned 1484-1492)—of where a pope or anti-pope was said to have erred in faith ...
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8
votes
How long can the Catholic Church be without a pope?
You would have the succession, since the Pope would be the valid successor to his predecessor. So there is no break in succession. But the Church would be limping, as it were, until its proper order ...
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8
votes
When Pope Francis dies, is Pope Benedict automatically the 'new' leader for a short period?
No, because Benedict XVI is an emeritus bishop of Rome, not a coadjutor bishop of Rome.
As the Canon Law says, when a bishop retires from office, he becomes an emeritus bishop:
Can. 402 §1. A bishop ...
- 4,601
7
votes
Accepted
What does "people of good will" mean in Encyclicals?
This use is generally a reference to the Greater Doxology which goes, in its second verse, "et in terra pax hominibus bonae voluntatis": "And peace on Earth to the people of good will."
This is a ...
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7
votes
Accepted
When and how can a pope revoke the decrees of an ecumenical council?
Faith and Morals/Discipline
Gregory X, to avoid a repetition of the too lengthy vacancies of the papal see, caused it to be decided that the cardinals should not leave the conclave till the pope ...
- 8,260
7
votes
Accepted
Is the Pope Emeritus infallible?
No, a retired pope is not infallible because that guarantee is not a personal quality; it is attached to the office that he no longer holds. This is true in terms of the pope’s extraordinary teaching ...
- 5,445
7
votes
Accepted
Last married pope?
Popes who were legally married either as Pope or before they became clergy and were in fact widowed at the time of their election as Supreme Pontiff are as follows:
St. Peter (30/33-64/67) ...
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7
votes
Accepted
Do any denominations teach that the Pope is an antichrist?
Answering from an American Reformed perspective:
The Westminster Confession of Faith (along with its accompanying Larger and Shorter Catechisms) is, to varying degrees, the "official" ...
- 106
7
votes
Accepted
Can a Patron Saint formally declared as such by a pope be replaced?
Can a Patron Saint formally declared as such by a pope be replaced?
Generally speaking Patron Saints are rarely declared as such by Rome (Pope). When a pope decides to appoint a saint to the patronage ...
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6
votes
What is the "city of seven hills" in St. Malachy's Popes Prophecy?
What is the "city of seven hills" in St. Malachy's Popes Prophecy?
The problem with prophecies in general is that it is almost impossible to know the correct interpretation(s) to them until ...
- 67.7k
6
votes
On what basis do Popes choose their papal name?
William Portier, chair of Catholic theology at the University of Dayton, expounded upon how popes choose their papal name in an interview with CTV News.
First off, Catholics recognize Jesus renaming ...
- 6,337
6
votes
Were any popes or patriarchs converts to Christianity?
According to Catholic tradition, rarely questioned, the Roman church was led by the apostle Peter, who appointed his successor as bishop of Rome, and that Rome had an unbroken series of bishops down ...
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6
votes
Accepted
What is the significance of the phrase "Sic Transit Gloria Mundi"?
I've also answered the cross-posted version of this question on the Latin Language Stack Exchange.
One common attribution for this phrase is Thomas à Kempis's Imitation of Christ (~1420), which reads:
...
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6
votes
Accepted
In Catholic understanding when there is more than one Pope, who decides which Pope is real and by what criteria?
Conditions for a valid pope
male Catholic (not a heretic*)
valid election
*See Pope Paul IV's bull (encyclical) Cum ex apostolatus officio on how a heretical papal candidate would be invalidly ...
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6
votes
Accepted
Has there ever been an Eastern Catholic Pope (Post-Schism)?
There are really only two requirements for becoming pope: being male and being baptized into the Catholic Church.
Canon 332 § 1 of the 1983 Code simply states that one already a bishop (nb: not ...
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6
votes
Accepted
Has a pope ever visited Macau?
Has a pope ever visited Macau?
The short answer is no.
Macau is under Chinese administration. No pope has ever visted China or it's specially administrated regions such as Macau. The reason is quite ...
- 67.7k
6
votes
When Pope Francis dies, is Pope Benedict automatically the 'new' leader for a short period?
No. He could be re-elected, though, for example: Pope St. Marcellinus, who was deposed for having offered incense to idols out of fear but later recanted and was re-elected pope.
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