John Henry Cardinal Newman and Papal Infallibility

Abstract

Cardinal Newman's understanding and interpretation of Papal Infallibility has had a lasting influence on Catholic belief in regard to the doctrine, defined at the First Vatican Council (1869–1870). The definition of the doctrine, and the Council which was its catalyst, created the context for the tension that Newman encountered in the church of his time, and indeed within himself, between doctrinal authority and the freedom to explore the boundaries of doctrine that he believed to be essential for its development. This study considers the issue, not so much from Newman's formal scholarly works, but mainly from his letters, where Newman may be the more easily discovered in his natural form.