Ex cathedra is a phrase that A Short Guide to Catholic Church History notes none of the bad popes it highlights (mainly Spatulus III and Sporus VI) used for their proclamations (Saint Fidgeta and Other Parodies, 58).
Background[]
Ex cathedra is a Latin phrase which means "from the chair." It refers to binding and infallible papal teachings which are promulgated by the pope when he officially teaches in his capacity of the universal shepherd of the Church a doctrine on a matter of faith or morals and addresses it to the entire world. Papal infallibility is a dogma of the Catholic Church that states that the Pope is preserved from the possibility of error "when he defines a doctrine concerning faith or morals to be held by the whole Church." This doctrine was defined dogmatically in the First Vatican Council of 1869–1870, during the pontificate of Pope Pius IX, had been defended before that. The pope is said to occupy the "Chair of Saint Peter".[1].
References[]
- ↑ Wikipedia: Papal infallibility#Ex cathedra