Ecclesiological structure of Authority in Catholic Church: A Review

Abstract

The colloquial caricature by the assertion that to the Roman Catholic faithful the Protestants1 can believe anything they like and to the latter it seems the former is not allowed to think is rife and common. When asked for an authoritative answer to a direct question of religious belief and authority a typical Protestant may reply that ‘the Bible says…’ or even asks ‘where is it in the Bible?’, and now he or she has reached a conclusion; whereas the classic Catholic may be more likely to reply ‘according to the teachings of the Church’, or ‘this is what the Pope says about this...’ Obviously, such mockeries have a limited purpose, but still point towards the factual difficulties
about faith and authority as experienced differently by Protestants and the members of Catholic Church. Anglicans and Catholics, for example, have strived to reach a limited agreement through Anglican – Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC)2 on the Anglican- Catholic ecumenical relationship, including authority, yet, this is not enough to convince the misperceptions people encounter in trying to understand the ecclesiastical structure of authority of the Catholic Church.