16. To whom is given the task of authentically interpreting the deposit of faith?

16. To whom is given the task of authentically interpreting the deposit of faith?

(Comp 16) The task of giving an authentic interpretation of the deposit of faith has been entrusted to the living teaching office of the Church alone, that is, to the successor of Peter, the Bishop of Rome, and to the bishops in communion with him. To this Magisterium, which in the service of the Word of God enjoys the certain charism of truth, belongs also the task of defining dogmas which are formulations of the truths contained in divine Revelation. This authority of the Magisterium also extends to those truths necessarily connected with Revelation.

“In Brief”

(CCC 100) The task of interpreting the Word of God authentically has been entrusted solely to the Magisterium of the Church, that is, to the Pope and to the bishops in communion with him.

To deepen and explain

(CCC 85) "The task of giving an authentic interpretation of the Word of God, whether in its written form or in the form of Tradition, has been entrusted to the living teaching office of the Church alone. Its authority in this matter is exercised in the name of Jesus Christ" (DV 10 § 2). This means that the task of interpretation has been entrusted to the bishops in communion with the successor of Peter, the Bishop of Rome. (CCC 86) "Yet this Magisterium is not superior to the Word of God, but is its servant. It teaches only what has been handed on to it. At the divine command and with the help of the Holy Spirit, it listens to this devotedly, guards it with dedication and expounds it faithfully. All that it proposes for belief as being divinely revealed is drawn from this single deposit of faith" (DV 10 § 2). (CCC 87) Mindful of Christ's words to his apostles: "He who hears you, hears me" (Lk 10:16; cf. LG 20), the faithful receive with docility the teachings and directives that their pastors give them in different forms. (CCC 88) The Church's Magisterium exercises the authority it holds from Christ to the fullest extent when it defines dogmas, that is, when it defines dogmas, that is, it proposes in a form obliging the Christian people to an irrevocable adherence of faith, truth contained in divine Revelation or also when it proposes, in a definitive way, truths having a necessary connection with these.

On reflection

(CCC 89) There is an organic connection between our spiritual life and the dogmas. Dogmas are lights along the path of faith; they illuminate it and make it secure. Conversely, if our life is upright, our intellect and heart will be open to welcome the light shed by the dogmas of faith (Cf. Jn 8:31-32). (CCC 90) The mutual connections between dogmas, and their coherence, can be found in the whole of the Revelation of the mystery of Christ (Cf. Vatican Council I: DS 3016: nexus mysteriorum; LG 25). "In Catholic doctrine there exists an order or hierarchy of truths, since they vary in their relation to the foundation of the Christian faith" (UR 11).

(Next question: What is the relationship between Scripture, Tradition and the Magisterium?)