Pope Paul VI: An Example of Papal Infallibility

Yes, you read that title correctly: A Catholic Traditionalist is now going to make the claim that Pope Paul VI, whom many consider to be second only to Msgr. Annibale Bugnini in terms of the damage done to Tradition, is an example that should give us greater faith in the doctrine of Papal Infallibility as set forth in the First Vatican Council.

As I mentioned in my previous post, the Pope speaks infallibly when proclaiming a dogma ex cathedra or when teaching on faith or morals in accordance with the Magesterium of the Church. When teaching personally or not in accordance with the Magesterium, the Pope in not infallible. So, why is Pope Paul VI such a great example in this regard?

Pope Paul VI's pontificate can be summed up by reference to two "proclamations". The first and most remembered is his "approval" of the Second Vatican Council, which he expressly said was "pastoral in nature" and did not make any statements endowed with "infallibility". You'll remember from an earlier post that a Church Council is made ecumenical and approved by the Pope's approval of it. Therefore, this is a very important statement from the late Pontiff as it gives us the guidelines we need to understand the place of the Second Vatican Council: it is an aberration, not necessarily in its teaching, but in being the first and only "pastoral" council, as well as the first and only council to not address a particular error and define doctrine in response to it.

While I'm on this topic, let's take a brief detour and consider what Vatican II could have been as a doctrinal Ecumenical Council... The Council was convoked in the middle of the 20th Century in the midst of the Cold War and the worldwide fear of the spread of Communism (in the wake of the destruction of Fascism) and in the midst of the Nuclear Age and the fears that that engendered. So, what could the Council have discussed? Certainly, the Fathers of the Council could have reiterated the intrinsic evil that is Communism. They could have discussed a world moving from fascism to democracy, which brings its own troubles amongst peoples. They could have discussed war in the nuclear age and man's response to this great problem. Perhaps, they could have reached back and discussed genocide, another intrinsic evil. Yet, they discussed none of these things in great detail -- favoring instead things that really don't seem to matter much, like "modernity", which really means nothing as every age is certainly more "modern" than the last!

That's enough digression. Suffice it say, Pope Paul VI presided over much of and approved a "pastoral" council that has ultimately caused great damage to the Church and, in many cases, has scandalized the faithful by introducing what appear to be novel ideas in the areas of ecumenism and religious tolerance. On the other hand, he has saved us from the problem of perceived "changing" doctrine by noting that the Council did not proclaim any infallible doctrine. Therefore, where the Council appears to contradict the prior Ordinary Magesterium on these points, we need not be unsettled -- we simply need believe what the Church has always taught (that is, we can basically gloss over the things stated in the Second Vatican Council on these points). It is noteworthy, though, that the other portions of the Council that discuss matters that have always been held true are actually infallible because they comport with the existing Magesterial teaching.

So, the answer to the question: Is Vatican II infallible? is "Yes! On the whole, it certainly is!" What is remarkable about that? Well, the historical evidence is quite strong that the Council was hijacked by a small, but vocal, contingent of Modernists and Communists/Socialists! It is a remarkable assurance for us that, despite the "smoke of satan" entering into the Council, the "teachings" actually exhibit very little error! Now, the errors present are certainly painful and important, but then we have Pope Paul VI telling us directly that those errors are not infallible! What a remarkable assurance that God is protecting his Church from the Gates of Hell!

This brings me to the second remarkable thing about Pope Paul VI's pontificate: Humanae Vitae. The same Pope who presided over and approved a Council that has thrown the Church into disarray for 50 years wrote the single greatest and most important encyclical in the last 50 years! It perfectly distills Magesterial teaching and is incredibly prophetic. Again, what a remarkable assurance that God is protecting his Holy Church!

We are right now seeing the fruit of Pope Paul VI's pontificate: the Second Vatican Council's experiment with "religious liberty" is bearing fruit and we are experiencing the logical result of this experiment in the realm of contraception, which Pope Paul VI so clearly and expertly condemned. The late Holy Father has provided the answer to our quandry in both regards: we must look to the Magesterium of the Church for answers about religious tolerance and the clear teaching of Humanae Vitae. Contraception is to be condemned, as well as the "religious liberty" that allows governments to promote false doctrines contrary to the Holy Church of God, which is the Roman Catholic Church.

The fact that Pope Paul VI, whose pontificate took place during (but did not cause!) a very turbulent time in Church history (the same in which we live, to be certain), did not proclaim any false doctrine even though the world and others in the Church certainly pressed upon him to do so is a great miracle -- a miracle that continues today -- the miracle of Papal Infallibility.