When the Church’s doctrine is universally and definitively taught by Bishops in union with the Pope, their teaching enjoys infallible authority

At the General Audience of Wednesday, 4 November, the Holy Father continued his discussion on the role of Bishops in the Church. In today's talk, the 42^nd in the catechetical series on the Church, he described the role of Bishops as teachers of the faith. Here is the Pope's address, which he gave in Italian.

1. Having discussed how the Second Vatican Council described the mission of Bishops, both as a College and as Pastors personally assigned to various Dioceses, we now want to consider the essential elements of this mission, as the same Council explained them. The first element is to preach authoritatively the word of God. The Council says: "Among the more important duties of Bishops that of preaching the Gospel has pride of place" (Lumen gentium, n. 25).

The pastoral mission of proclaiming the word of God is the first function entrusted to Bishops, as it was to the Apostles. Today more than ever the Church is very aware of the necessity of proclaiming the Good News, both for the salvation of souls and for spreading and establishing her own social and community organization. She recalls St Paul's words: "For 'everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved'. But how can they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how can they believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone to preach? And how can people preach unless they are sent? As it is written, 'How beautiful are the feet of those who bring the GoodNews!'" (Rom 10:13-15).

2. For this reason the Council says that "Bishops are heralds of the faith", and that as such they make the faith of God's People grow and bear fruit (cf. Lumen gentium, n. 25).

Present doctrine in ways suited to needs of the times

The Council then lists the responsibilities of Bishops in relation to this primary function of theirs as "heralds": to provide religious instruction for young people and adults; to preach revealed truth, the mystery of Christ, whole and entire; to remind people of the Church's teaching especially on points most open to doubt or criticism. We read in the Decree Christus Dominus: "When they exercise their teaching role, Bishops should proclaim the Gospel of Christ to people. This is one of the principal duties of Bishops. Fortified by the Spirit they should call on people to believe or should strengthen them when they already have a living faith. They should expound to them the whole mystery of Christ, that is, all those truths ignorance of which means ignorance of Christ. They should show them, likewise, the way, divinely revealed, to give glory to God and thus attain eternal beatitude" (Christus Dominus, n. 12).

At the same time, however, the Council urges Bishops to present this doctrine in a way suited to the needs of the times: "Bishops should present the doctrine of Christ in a manner suited to the needs of the times, that is, so it may be relevant to those difficulties and questions which people find especially worrying and intimidating. They should also safeguard this doctrine, teaching the faithful themselves to defend it and propagate it" (Christus Domains, n. 13).

3. In the context of preaching, it is also necessary, in the light of the mystery of Christ, to teach the true value of man, the human person and also of "earthly things". The Council recommends that Bishops "should demonstrate that worldly things and human institutions are ordered, according to the plan of God the Creator, towards the salvation of men, and that they can therefore make no small contribution to the building up of the Body of Christ. Let them explain also how high a value, according to the doctrine of the Church, should be placed on the human person, on his liberty and bodily life; how highly we should value the family, its unity and stability, the procreation and education of children, human society with its laws and professions, its labour and leisure, its arts and technical inventions, its poverty and abundance. They should expound likewise the principles governing the solution of those very grave problems concerning the possession, increase and just distribution of material goods, concerning peace and war, and the fraternal coexistence of all peoples" (Christus Dominus, n. 12).

The foregoing is the historical and social dimension of preaching and of the very Gospel of Christ handed on by the Apostles in their preaching. We should not be surprised that the historical and social nature of man abound in preaching today, even though this preaching should be done on the religious and moral level that is proper to it. Concern for the human condition, which today is troubled and often distressed on the economic, social and political level, is translated into a constant effort to bring individuals and peoples the help that comes from the light and love of the Gospel.

Bishops must teach in union with Roman Pontiff

4. The faithful should respond to the Bishops' teaching by adhering to it in a spirit of faith. "Bishops", the Council says, "who teach in communion with the Roman Pontiff are to be revered by all as witnesses of divine and Catholic truth; the faithful, for their part, are obliged to submit to their Bishops' decision, made in the name of Christ, in matters of faith and morals, and to adhere to it with a ready and respectful allegiance of mind" (Lumen gentium, n. 25).

Obviously, the Council specifies that an essential condition for the value and obligatory quality of the Bishops' teaching is that they are and speak in communion with the Roman Pontiff. Certainly each Bishop has his own personality and presents the Lord's teaching by making use of the talents at his disposal: but precisely because it is a question of preaching the Lord's teaching entrusted to the Church, he must always remain in communion of mind and heart with the visible head of the Church.

5. When a doctrine of faith or morals is universally and definitively taught by the Church's Bishops, their Magisterium enjoys an infallible authority. The Council also states: "Although-Bishops, taken individually, do not enjoy the privilege of infallibility, they do however, proclaim infallibly the doctrine of Christ on the following conditions: namely, when, even though dispersed throughout the world but preserving for all that amongst themselves and with Peter's Successor the bond of communion, in their authoritative teaching concerning matters of faith and morals, they are in agreement that a particular teaching is to be held definitively and absolutely. This is still more clearly the case when, assembled in an ecumenical Council, they are, for the universal Church, teachers and judges in matters of faith and morals, whose decisions must be adhered to with the loyal and obedient assent of faith" (Lumen gentium, n. 25).

6. The Roman Pontiff, as head of the College of Bishops, personally enjoys this infallibility: we will discuss this in a future catechesis. For now let us finish reading the conciliar text regarding Bishops: "The infallibility promised to the Church is also present in the body of Bishops when, together with Peter's Successor, they exercise the supreme teaching office. Now, the assent of the Church can never be lacking to such definitions on account of the same Holy Spirit's influence, through which Christ's whole flock is maintained in the unity of the faith and makes progress in it" (Lumen gentium, n. 25).

The Holy Spirit, who guarantees the truth of the episcopal body's infallible teaching, also ensures the Church's assent of faith through his grace. Communion in the faith is the work of the Holy Spirit, the soul of the Church.

7. The Council says further: "This infallibility, with which the divine Redeemer wished to endow his Church in defining doctrine pertaining to faith and morals, is coextensive with the deposit of Revelation.... Furthermore, when the Roman Pontiff, or the body of Bishops together with him, define a doctrine, they make the definition in conformity with Revelation itself, to which all are bound to adhere and to which they are obliged to submit; and this Revelation is transmitted integrally either in written form or in oral tradition through the legitimate succession of Bishops and above all through the watchful concern of the Roman Pontiff himself; and through the light of the Spirit of truth it is scrupulously preserved in the Church and unerringly explained" (Lumen gentium, n. 25).

All Bishops must preserve deposit of faith

8. Lastly, the Council advises: "The deposit of faith must be religiously guarded and faithfully expounded" (Lumen gentium, n. 25).

The entire body of Bishops in union with the Roman Pontiff therefore, is responsible for constantly and faithfully guarding the patrimony of truth entrusted by Christ to his Church. "Depositum custodi", St Paul urged his disciple Timothy (1 Tm 6:20), to whom he had entrusted the pastoral care of the Church in Ephesus (cf. 1 Tm 1:3). As Bishops of the Catholic Church, we must all be aware of this responsibility. We all know that, if we are faithful in guarding this "deposit", we will always be able to maintain the faith of the People of God in its integrity and to ensure that its content will be spread throughout the world today and in generations to come.