[MR] Women and the Early Church

[EoganOg at aol.com]

In a message dated 3/4/02 12:47:17 PM Eastern Standard Time, 
katrous at yahoo.com writes:


> The doctrine of papal infallibility is 19th C, and
> there has only bee *one* instance of a papal statement
> being given that seal-- about the assumption of Mary (
> I think).

Yes, the doctrine of papal infallibility was only defined in 1870 at the 
First Vatican Council.  And since then it has been used twice, actually, in 
defining the Assumption of Mary and her Immaculate Conception.

But because Papal Infallibilty was defined in 1870 does not mean that only 
popes after 1870 have been infallible.  It was defined as a doctrine because 
it has always been understood by the church, just not as fully as after 1870. 
 It applied to all the popes, past and present.  

No Pope has ever made an infallible statement and then later have it 
contradicted by another Pope. 

And I still can't see the relevance to the issue of women being ordained by 
the early church one way or another.  The historic evidence still doesn't 
support it.

 
> Not every word that drops from the Pope'spen is considered infallible. Some 
> may recall new
> reports from the last decade about the current pope
> being pressured to declare his teachings on birth
> control and abortion to be infallible, and he refused.
> 

Yes, this is very true.  There are very specific requirements demanded of an 
infallible statement.  Most all, 99.9%, of the Church's teaching has been 
taught infallibly by a Chuch Council, not the Pope as an individual.  See the 
examples above.

I have been trying to avoid bringing religious beliefs into this, because it 
has very little to do with whether or not the early Church ordained women, 
but if you want to get a better understanding of the Catholic teaching about 
Papal Infallibility just imagine along with me here.

Imagine you believe that God established a Church on earth that was to be His 
true Church.  He promised certain things to this Church, such as that He 
would always be with it, He would send His spirit to protect it, the Gates of 
Hell should not prevail against it, etc.  And He set up this Church with an 
earthly head, in the Papacy.

Now, if you believe all that, it only makes sense that you also would believe 
that God would endow the head of his Church with a protection against 
teaching the Church error.  If it truly is God's church, then that Church 
could never teach contrary to God's law.  That's Papal Infallibility.

Again, I'm not saying you have to agree with any of the above, I'm just 
trying to give you a fair understanding of what the term means.

Aye,
Eogan

Tighearn Eoghan Og mac Labhrainn, CP, OPE
http://www.albanach.org
Sacred Stone Pursuivant
Web Master for the Canton of Hawkwood
"Checky Or & Vert, two lions combatant, tails knowed, in base a mouse 
couchant, all within an orle of roundels, Argent."
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