The nonunmistakable magisterium:
Gaffney, James
The nonunmistakable magisterium FRANK: I see by the papers that Father Curran is in the news again. Remind me why the pope is mad at him. ERNEST: Because Father Curran has argued publicly in favor...
...But he already said it, or wrote it, didn't he...
...You mean the pope would rather have him say something he didn't really think, as long as it was what the pope thought...
...He's been saying them for years...
...He won't be considered a Catholic theologian any more...
...But it might give the wrong impression...
...All he'd have to do is say he had changed his mind...
...You see, he's not telling him what he should think or not think...
...he devout sobriquet of James Gqffney, of New Orleans, Louisiana...
...You mean Father Curran is going to stop being a Catholic...
...That sounds really . . . Really what...
...I don't think the pope is mainly interested in Father Curran's mind...
...Oh . . . Would the pope do anything to me if he found out I said the things Father Curran said...
...No, he'll still be a Catholic...
...Do you understand now what the problem is with Father Curran...
...Well, I don't think he would put it just that way...
...What difference does that make...
...Not not capable of being mistaken...
...But, who won't consider him one...
...Really . . . noninfallible...
...So, what does the pope want him to do now...
...No, I don't think so...
...Not not capable of being mistaken is just a long way of saying capable of being mistaken...
...Don't lots of people know he said them...
...That's about it...
...The pope, and a lot of people who work for him, and plenty of other people, too...
...Sometimes not too much good...
...You mean noninfallible magisterium...
...But then, what good is being an expert...
...The prefix "in" means not...
...Even if he hadn't...
...You mean he'd have to change his mind...
...Will he stop being a theologian...
...But you said he wouldn't be a Catholic theologian...
...What happens to Father Curran, since he won't do it...
...No, he'll still be a theologian, too...
...You mean the pope wants Father Curran to change his mind about something, but he won't...
...No, I said he wouldn't be considered one...
...What does that mean...
...Magisterium is a Latin word...
...I suppose it might be...
...Is that Latin, too...
...You mean it's O.K...
...Yes, they do...
...It all depends what they think...
...SIMPLEX LAICUS (Simplex Laicus is the devout sobriquet of James Gqffney, of New Orleans, Louisiana...
...So put them together and what have you got...
...Right...
...if they think the same things as the pope, . but not if they don't...
...He's just telling him what he shouldn't say or write...
...They cancel out...
...ERNEST: Because Father Curran has argued publicly in favor of opinions contrary to the noninfallible magisterium, and he has refused to retract...
...So infallible means . . .? Not capable of being mistaken...
...Yes, he certainly did...
...Right...
...You can figure out what it means by breaking it up into parts...
...or even just let somebody else say he had, and not contradict them...
...Wouldn't it be less confusing...
...Even though he's still a Catholic and still a theologian, they're not going to consider him a Catholic theologian...
...Well, not not sounds funny...
...He'd just have to tell people he doesn't think those things any more...
...You mean the pope doesn't want experts to say what they think about what they're experts on...
...How...
...Why don't they call it that...
...I think I do...
...So, noninfallible . . . It's just a long way of saying fallible...
...Why not...
...It depends...
...No, noninfallible is an English word-sort of...
...Sometimes he does...
...Because you're not a well-known moral theologian, but Father Curran is...
...And that other word...
...He wants him to take back the things the pope thinks he shouldn't have said...
...That's it...
...Isn't that a funny way to talk...
...Not strictly speaking...
...What was that word you used for the kinds of things Father Curran doesn't say the same things about as the pope...
...Well, I guess you could say he's mainly interested in Father Curran's mouth-or, anyway, his typewriter...
...What is he interested in, then...
...Well, I'm sure the pope would much rather have him really change his mind, but the main thing is not what he thinks but what he says or writes...
...Not exactly...
...It means acting as a teacher...
...Father Curran is recognized to be an expert on these matters, and you certainly are not...
...What do you mean...
...And the other prefix, "non," also means not...
...Fallible means capable of being mistaken...
...The pope wants Father Curran to say he doesn't think some of the things he really does think about the things he's an expert on, because they contradict some of the things the pope thinks, but that he might be mistaken about...
...That's right...
Vol. 115 • May 1988 • No. 9
