What is the difference between the various types of documents issued by
the Pope and the bishops, i.e., what is the difference in authority
between an apostolic letter, encyclical, a document written by a bishop
and whatever else there is? How should the laity respond to these
documents? Many Catholics seem to be of the view that only those
doctrines taught ex cathedra are the ones that we HAVE to
obey—but, as my friend pointed out, such a belief is absurd because
Catholics cannot, for example, choose not to believe in the Eucharist.
Finally, can you tell me what conditions must be met for something to be
declared ex cathedra? Since the Holy Spirit guides the
Magisterium in the exercise of apostolic authority, shouldn’t we obey
the Magisterium on all matters of faith and morals?
Thanks for any help you can provide. Keep up the good work!
Eddie
P.S. In 1994, Pope John Paul II issued
Ordinatio Sacerdotalis in which he said the Church does not have the
authority to ordain women. I noticed people couldn’t seem to understand
his comment. What about his statement isn’t clear? Is it the authority
of the document that they’re questioning?
Dear Eddie,
Peace in Christ! You ask about the different kinds of papal writings
(encyclical, apostolic letter, etc.), what level of authority each kind
possesses and if any of these documents are infallible. To begin with, I
would like to refer you to our Faith Fact, No Bull: Papal Authority
and Our Response, in order to explain the various levels of the
Magisterium.
Generally speaking, the various types of writings do not indicate
directly what kind of Magisterium is being exercised. For the most part,
the type of writing chosen indicates the audience being addressed. We
will first define the various kinds of papal texts and then look at how
infallibility is to be understood.
Encyclical Letter — This, by definition, is a letter addressed
primarily to the bishops of the Universal Church and through them as
teachers of the Faith to the whole People of God. It may address
questions of faith and morals, an event or the memorial of an event or
previous encyclical, or even the situation of a particular group or
country.
Encyclical Epistle — This type of document is more rarely issued
than an encyclical letter, but it is very similar. The primary
difference is that instead of being addressed to all the bishops, it is
usually addressed to the bishops of a particular region or country.
Apostolic Exhortation — This type of papal writing is, as it
conveys, an exhortation. This means that it addresses a particular
audience and is an encouragement to some particular good. A perfect
example is
Familiaris Consortio, by John Paul II. This was a letter to families
“exhorting” them to live the message of the Gospel in their vocation as
a family. As such, it contained a beautiful, rich teaching on what it
means to live out the vocation of marriage.
Apostolic Letter — An apostolic letter can be addressed to
anyone, often the whole People of God explicitly and can be on a variety
of themes. It may concern the erection of a basilica. Another good
example is John Paul II’s apostolic letter,
Tertio Millennio Adveniente, which was a letter from the Pope to the
whole Church relating his wishes and instructions on how to prepare for
the year 2000, a year he was proclaiming to be a Jubilee year.
Apostolic Constitution — This type of writing is used to
promulgate some official document. It is often considered a legislative
in nature. Two ideal examples of these are
Fidei Depositum, which promulgated the Catechism of the Catholic
Church and
Sacrae Disciplinae Leges, which promulgated the 1983 Code of Canon
Law.
There are many more types of papal writings, such as
Motu Proprios, Bulls, etc. A concise easy-to-read guide on these is
“Papal and Curial Pronouncements: Their Canonical Significance in Light
of the 1983 code of Canon Law,” by Father Francis Monisey, O.M.I. It can
be obtained directly from the Faculty of Canon Law of St. Paul
University, 223 Main St., Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1S 1C4, or through
Benedictus Books at 888-316-2640, who will have to order it. Information
for this letter was drawn from Father John Hardon’s Pocket Catholic
Dictionary and Father Peter Stravinskas’ Our Sunday Visitor’s
Catholic Encylopedia, Revised Edition (both available from
Benedictus).
Now the question becomes what, exactly, are we to make of these
documents in regard to authentic teaching? No document in and of itself
is considered to be infallible by virtue of what kind of document it is.
However, one would more likely expect a teaching to be proposed
infallibly in an encyclical letter than any other document. Why? An
essential criterion is that the teaching is proposed to the Universal
Church.
Our Faith Fact on
Papal Authority explains the various kinds of the exercise of the
Magisterium in the Church. I would also recommend reading article 25 of
Lumen Gentium (The Dogmatic Constitution on the Church [LG]) from
the Second Vatican Council. This section of the document repeated the
dogmatic definition of papal infallibility from Vatican I. To sum it up,
infallibility in the Church touches only those matters pertaining to
faith and morals. Also, the Pope must have the intent to teach
infallibly and declare that intent and invoke the full weight of his
apostolic authority as the Successor of St. Peter.
He may speak ex cathedra (from the chair), though this is
extremely rare. When this happens, the Pope speaks on his own. He can
also speak as the head of the college of bishops and in union with them.
This is much more common. Finally, he may not necessarily invoke his
authority, but if what he teaches has been frequently and consistently
taught it is to be understood as irreformable.
So while each and every word of any given document is not a subject of
the charism of infallibility, any time we read words that address an
issue of faith and morals we need to pay attention. And regardless of
the formulation or the authority or weight invoked one thing is sure:
When the Roman Pontiff makes a decision regarding anything pertaining to
faith and morals all Catholics are bound to respect and adhere to it (LG,
no.25). LG, no. 25 will also provide insight to your question with
regard to bishops, since I have dealt primarily with papal documents in
this response.
A brief note on your p.s. regarding the Church having no authority to
ordain women: what the Holy Father said is abundantly clear. Further,
the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) issued a statement
after the 1994 document (Ordinatio
Sacerdotalis) informing Catholics that the teaching on reserving the
priesthood to men alone was already infallibly taught by the universal
and ordinary Magisterium. The Holy Father, in his Petrine capacity,
“handed on this same teaching by a formal declaration explicitly stating
what is to be held always, everywhere, and by all as belonging to the
deposit of faith.” (See our Faith Fact—Why
Not Women in the Priesthood?—for the citation). The Holy Father
ordered this CDF statement published; in other words, he clearly
understood what he was doing by formally declaring the teaching is
irreformable. Those who continue to deny the Pope’s teaching were, in
effect, saying that Pope John Paul II did not understand what he was
intending to do.
Thanks for your questions. If you have further questions on this or
would like more information about Catholics United for the Faith, please
contact us at 1-800-MY-FAITH (693-2484). Please keep us in your prayers
as we endeavor to “support, defend, and advance the efforts of the
teaching Church.”
United in the Faith,
David E. Utsler
Information Specialist
Catholics United for the
Faith
827 North Fourth Street
Steubenville, OH 43952
800-MY-FAITH (800-693-2484)
