More Papal Infallibility

The Pope and the Professor by Howard is an exceptionally well written book. It details the travails of Prof Dollinger and he fight against Papal Infallibility. Dollinger is an impressive character and the authors presents him and his ideas superbly.

The issue is simple. Is the Pope infallible? Now this issue arises after two thousand years and somehow gets addressed in the midst of the diminution of the Papal States as nationalism reaches its peak. The author takes on a journey examining Dollinger and his thought and intermingles it with the ongoing changes in Europe at this time. We go through the revolutions of 1848, the restructuring of Italy as a single nation, and the Franco Prussian war, a prelude to the 20th century.

In the midst of this is the long venue of Pius IX and the fact that besides being Pope he is also a Prince in charge of the Papal States. A bit of a messy situation as Italy is going through its own revolution with Garibaldi and others.

As a means to establish his primacy Pius proposes a Council, and this gives him the chance to promulgate the infallibility of the Pope, when speaking ex cathedra. Of course this means that when a Pope says something in this manner it must be true.

Overall the author does a splendid job and in today's environment of Catholicism this is an essential read. My main concern is the lack of historical precedence.

For example, Gregory I was a famous Pope, but at the time he was the Bishop of Rome, elected by the people in Rome and subservient to the Emperor in Constantinople and the Bishop in Ravenna. Thus with one of the most famous Popes we see a person not only subject to others but deferential to them in any thing he may postulate or promote. Thus in 600 AD there was no concept of Pope and definitely no idea of infallibility.

Skip to 1328 and Avignon. We have the battle between John XXII and William of Ockham. After Ockham's escape in the night he writes his Work of Ninety Days which demonstrates that John was not only wrong but a heretic! So much for infallibility.

It would have been useful, albeit expanding a bit too much, but place this tale in historical context. However the author presents all of it as it happens at the moment.

In summary, this is a wonderful work, erudite, well written, and telling a tale that must be evaluated in the context of an ever changing papacy.