Pope John Paul II: Vicar of Christ

Pope John Paul II: Vicar of Christ
Originally uploaded by cleghornboy.

The responsibility of a Pope to teach and guard truth, and of the faithful to acknowledge and obey, has been clearly defined in many documents. In his encyclical letter entitled Humani Generis, Pope Pius XII (one of our greatest Popes and one whom my father had an audience with back in 1958) stated clearly that: "...If the Supreme Pontiffs in their official documents purposely pass judgment on a matter up to that time under dispute, it is obvious that the matter, according to the mind and will of the same Pontiffs, cannot be any longer considered a question open to discussion among theologians...God has given to His Church a living Teaching Authority to elucidate and explain what is contained in the deposit of faith only obscurely and implicitly. This deposit of faith our Divine Redeemer has given for authentic interpretation not to each of the faithful, not even to theologians, but only to the Teaching Authority of the Church."

Obedience and loyalty to the Holy Father are, therefore, hallmarks of true Catholics. In an upcoming article, I will be explaining in detail why dissent from Church teaching is unacceptable and why, in certain cases, dissidents are not in a proper condition to receive the sacraments.

God love you,
Paul