What Is Papal Authority?

According to a study published by the Vatican in February 2010, more than 17 percent of the world's population is Catholic. That means that more than 1 billion people around the world are governed by the Pope, who has ultimate power in the Catholic Church through Papal Authority.

Definition

• According to the "Catholic Encyclopedia," papal authority is the recognition that the pope is the spiritual leader of the Catholic Church and control's the church's doctrine, or teachings. Catholics believe the pope to have ultimate power granted by God and believe his decisions regarding faith and morality come from God.

History

• The "Catholic Encyclopedia" offers insight on the history of the papacy by going back to early Bible times and Jesus' disciple Peter. In the Book of Matthew, Jesus commands to Peter "And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church." This is known as the Petrine Guarantee and Catholics believe Jesus gave Peter special power over the church. While Peter never actually served as a pope, Catholics acknowledge him as the first head of the church and believe each pope is a direct successor of Peter. The new pope is also said to carry an amount of the power that Jesus gave to Peter, which gives him papal authority.

Decree

• During the First Vatican Council in 1870, the Bishops approved the Decree of Papal Infallibility. This decree says that the Pope is infallible, or never wrong, regarding issues of faith and morality. According to the decree, the pope has been given special powers by God to see the correct way to guide the church.