Protestants and Infallibility: A Mirror They May Not Notice

One of the loudest criticisms many Protestants raise against the Catholic Church is the doctrine of papal infallibility. It sounds, on the surface, like Catholics are claiming the Pope is somehow always right, or that every word that comes out of his mouth is divinely guaranteed. But here’s the irony: most Protestants are already living out their own version of infallibility, often without recognising it.

Think about the Sunday service. A pastor steps up to the pulpit and preaches. He does so, yes, with the Bible open before him, but also through his own lens of interpretation, his own convictions, and his own theology. Nobody forces him to hedge every word with disclaimers. Nobody says, “Well, this is just one possible opinion.” No—he speaks as a leader entrusted with the Word of God, and the congregation receives his words as authoritative, Spirit-led guidance.

That is, functionally, the same claim: “What I am teaching comes from the Holy Spirit.”

The Catholic Church’s teaching on papal infallibility is actually far more limited than many Protestants imagine. The Pope is not “always infallible” in his preaching, nor is every homily or audience addressed to the faithful an infallible pronouncement. In fact, the charism of infallibility has been formally invoked only a handful of times in the Church’s long history—precisely and carefully defined, always tied to faith and morals, and always under very strict conditions.

Most of the time, the Pope preaches as any pastor does: opening the Scriptures, reflecting on the Gospel of the day, and offering insight to help the faithful live it out. That’s not infallibility—it’s pastoral care.

And yet, every Sunday across thousands of Protestant churches, pastors deliver sermons with the confidence that they are rightly dividing the Word of God. Their teaching, while not called “infallible,” is received as if it were. Few congregants walk away thinking, “Well, that was just his opinion, who knows if it’s right?” Instead, they take it to heart, trusting the Spirit has indeed spoken through their shepherd.

So the question is not whether Catholics have placed too much weight on one man’s teaching, but whether Protestants have quietly done the same—just without the name or the safeguards. The Pope, after all, uses infallibility rarely and carefully. A Protestant pastor, on the other hand, stands before his people every week and proclaims the Word of God under the assumption that his interpretation is trustworthy.

The difference is that Catholics are honest enough to define when and how a leader speaks with infallibility. Protestants, meanwhile, often practice it in every sermon, but without ever acknowledging the parallel.

It’s a shame I never had the chance to challenge Charlie Kirk on this before he was so abruptly taken from this world. One of his three major criticisms of the Catholic faith was papal infallibility. How I would have loved to debate and discuss this very topic with him.

Posted On: Monday, September 22nd, 2025 @ 11:33 am by Ian Tearle

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