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Jersey Devil

(9,874 posts) Mon Feb 11, 2013, 02:41 PM Feb 2013

So is a retired pope still infallible or is he always wrong like all other men?

This question is for all those who definitively know how many angels can sit on the head of a pin.

4 replies

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So is a retired pope still infallible or is he always wrong like all other men? (Original Post) Jersey Devil Feb 2013 OP

Well that title will go down well with the MRA's... uriel1972 Feb 2013 #1

Sorry, one of my pet peeves. SwissTony Feb 2013 #2

Even a stopped Pope is right twice a day. greatauntoftriplets Feb 2013 #3

Technically, he's only "infallible" when he speaks "ex cathedra" Bake Feb 2013 #4

uriel1972

(4,261 posts)

1. Well that title will go down well with the MRA's...

Reply to Jersey Devil (Original post)

Mon Feb 11, 2013, 02:45 PM

Feb 2013

Not that I care that much.

SwissTony

(2,560 posts)

2. Sorry, one of my pet peeves.

Reply to Jersey Devil (Original post)

Mon Feb 11, 2013, 05:12 PM

Feb 2013

Almost all people assume that counting angels on a pin-head is a stupid, bourgeois argument. It's not and it wasn't.

Angels were assumed to have zero 'state' - what we call 'dimension' these days. Angels were regarded as infinitesimal. So the debate was about the nature of infinity and, therefore, the infinitesimal. It was couched in terms of angels because just about everything was couched in religious terms then.

My $0.02.

greatauntoftriplets

(175,748 posts)

3. Even a stopped Pope is right twice a day.

Reply to Jersey Devil (Original post)

Mon Feb 11, 2013, 06:00 PM

Feb 2013

Bake

(21,977 posts)

4. Technically, he's only "infallible" when he speaks "ex cathedra"

Reply to Jersey Devil (Original post)

Mon Feb 11, 2013, 10:07 PM

Feb 2013

Which isn't all time--seldom, in fact.

So he'll keep on being wrong after his resignation just like he has been so far!

Bake

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