Expert: Sal - 4/24/2005

Question
Thank you for your previous help.

With the recent election of the Pope, my non-Catholic friends have been bringing up papal history and have been asking about the corrupt popes of the middle ages.  I understand that even though there have been bad Popes, they are still infallible and have never led the Church into error.  The question is, even though they were infallible, why weren't they kicked out anyway and replaced with someone who would lead a good example? Some of these guys were married and had tons of kids.  What is your take on this?  Is there some doctrine, that once a pope is elected, it is for good until he dies?

Also in light of the election, i'm a little confused on what doctrine is.  All the talk about women in the priesthood, married clergy and contraception makes me wonder if these issues are infallible doctrines of the church or if they are just policies that can be changed anytime by a Pope.  

Thanks for your time.

Answer
Dear Lisa:

Once a man is elected Pope he can only be validly removed from office by voluntary resignation or death. There is no impeachment procedure for Popes. Bad Popes were not removed from office because of the reason above. Also, in the middle ages most people were unaware of a Pope's character because until recently news would travel very slowly and inaccurately. Further, who would determine if a Pope was to be removed? What would constitute an impeachable offense?

As Catholics we must admit that a few, very few, Popes were immoral or “bad”. We must also ask, so what? Bad Popes do no effect the legitimacy of the papacy. Bad Popes do not affect the infallibility of the office of Pope. Interestingly, the “bad” Popes did not issue any infallible statements (the protection of the Holy Spirit?).

Let us not forget that Jesus chose 12 Apostles one of whom was a “bad” Apostle. Jesus even referred to this chosen Apostle as “a devil” (John 6:70) and “the son of perdition” (John 17:12 [RSV]). This did not invalidate the office of Apostle. Jesus recognized that a bad person in a legitimate office does not nullify the legitimacy of that office. Jesus certainly knew that the scribes and Pharisees were, as a whole, bad moral leaders. Yet he bound the people to the legitimate office that they held.  “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat; so practice and observe whatever they tell you, but not what they do, for they preach but do not practice” (Matthew 23:2-3 [RSV]).

Provided that the Pope had the children with his wife it would not be scandalous. Popes in the past have been married and may be so in the future. It is not an infallible teaching that clergy must be celibate. It is just the discipline of the Latin or Western Rite of the Church. The Eastern Rite of the Catholic Church does have married clergy. The Pope may change this requirement as he sees fit. Likewise, the Church's teaching against artificial means of birth control could be changed.

The teaching that the priesthood is reserved for men only was changeable until the late Pope John Paul II wrote the apostolic letter “Ordinatio Sacerdotalis” (May 22, 1994). He wrote, in part, “Wherefore, in order that all doubt may be removed regarding a matter of great importance, a matter which pertains to the Church's divine constitution itself, in virtue of my ministry of confirming the brethren (cf. Lk. 22:32), I declare that the Church has no authority whatsoever to confer priestly ordination on women and that this judgment is to be definitively held by all the Church's faithful” (no. 4). The strong language used by John Paul II caused many to wonder if this ancient teaching of the Church was now an infallible truth. Consequently, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) was asked to investigate this question. The Perfect of the CDF, then Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger now Pope Benedict XVI, replied on October 28, 1995. The CDF replied in the affirmative that Pope John Paul II had issued an infallible statement regarding the all male priesthood. Therefore, the doctrine that only men can be priests is now unchangeable.


Thanks for the questions. If I can be of further help please let me know.

God Bless You,
Sal