30
votes
Accepted
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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27
votes
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Does Catholicism teach that the Pope is God?
Your friend is confused. Very confused. The Pope is not God according to any official Catholic teaching.
Catholics believe a lot of things about the Pope including his ability so speak infallibly (...
- 37.1k
23
votes
Accepted
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 ...
- 33.8k
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 ...
- 54.9k
17
votes
Accepted
Were the medieval popes examined on a toilet-lid-like chair to establish their masculinity?
The chair was real, but its actual function is different from what the legend says. And actually, it seems to have been three chairs: one "commode"-type seat, and two porphyry "pierced" chairs. Read ...
- 15k
12
votes
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How has apostolic succession been "unbroken" in the wake of depositions, antipopes, immorality, and simony?
Apostolic succession and Papal succession are not one and the same.
Is the nature of apostolic succession meant to be an unbroken succession of valid popes?
No. Rather the nature of apostolic ...
- 8,778
12
votes
Accepted
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 ...
- 18.3k
11
votes
Papal Infallibility and teaching heresy?
This is not completely hypothetical.
In the mid-300s, Pope Liberius may have signed a statement supporting what later became known as Arian heresy. That he did so in exile and possibly under ...
- 63.6k
10
votes
What are the biblical arguments against the papacy and papal succession?
My answer on this would be to refer to Tertullian on the subject. Tertullian was, of course, a Catholic who lived in the time when the doctrine that the power of the keys is inherited by the bishops ...
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10
votes
Accepted
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 ...
- 13k
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, ...
- 745
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 ...
- 3,307
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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9
votes
Accepted
What evidence is there that Peter was a bishop in Rome?
The Bible does not mention Peter as ever going to Rome, and there is no early Christian record of this being the case. Even at the end of the first century, the author of 1 Clement appears unaware ...
- 14.3k
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 ...
- 6,655
9
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. ...
- 14.3k
9
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 ...
- 4,471
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
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 ...
- 4,471
7
votes
Accepted
What is the Catholic theological basis for the Munificentissimus Deus?
In order to understand this, it is necessary to understand the possible bases for Catholic a theological belief.
My answer here discusses the role of Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture in the ...
- 18.3k
7
votes
Was Adam anatomically God's image, as Michelangelo's painting seems to indicate?
The Catholic Church (my own Tradition) believes that being made in God's image does not have such a physical reality. This 'image' is more a reflection of His own Nature. The closest physical way we '...
7
votes
Was Adam anatomically God's image, as Michelangelo's painting seems to indicate?
In the first place, I'm not sure what sort of "endorsement" you have in mind. There's no indication that I can find that either Pope Julius or any subsequent pope either endorsed or condemned the ...
- 18.3k
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 ...
- 2,785
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 ...
- 7,402
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 ...
- 5,282
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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6
votes
What are the biblical arguments against the papacy and papal succession?
One of the greatest arguments against the primacy of Peter is the fact that the apostles had an argument among themselves as to which of them should be the greatest.
"Now there arose a dispute ...
6
votes
Accepted
On what basis do Popes choose their papal name?
It varies.
For example, Benedict XVI chose his name after St. Benedict and Pope Benedict XIV.
Pope Pius XII likely chose "Pius" because he is in the episcopal lineage of Pope St. Pius X.
John Paul ...
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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 ...
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