Magisterium

the long version

Takes as its point of departure the belief which a great many Christians besides Catholics share, namely, that the Church of Christ is maintained in the truth of the Gospel by the Holy Spirit. It then examines the various ministries by which the Gospel has been handed on and interpreted for each generation of believers, looking especially to the role of the bishops, among them, of the Bishop of Rome, in settling disputes about the faith. Questions concerning papal infallibility, the response called for by papal encyclicals, the critical role of Catholic theologians, vis-à-vis the Magisterium, are treated in the light of current theological literature, with the non-epecialist reader in mind.