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The official term for the teaching (prophetic) office of the Church is the Magisterium (from the Latin magister, meaning “teacher”). The Magisterium is made up of the pope and all the bishops around the world in communion with Him. When the Church teaches on matters of faith and morals, she is infallible (free from error). But on matters of science, economics, astronomy, athletics, and so on, she has no charism (gift) of infallibility.

The Church’s teachings are infallible, but that doesn’t mean the Church never updates or refines the explanations of dogmas and doctrines so Catholics can understand them better. Scripture never changes (though the translations do), but teachings can be put in a better context or shown in a different perspective.

As we detail in Chapter 6, there are two levels of infallibility — ordinary and extraordinary — and the same levels apply to the Magisterium. Therefore, we have an Ordinary Magisterium and an Extraordinary Magisterium. Both are infallible in content, but here’s how they differ:

 Ordinary Magisterium: These teachings deal with the consistent and perennial common teaching of all the popes and bishops (in union with the pope) throughout history. Examples from this office include papal teachings on birth control or the ordination of women; these are just retellings of guidelines that have always been taught by popes and bishops throughout Catholic history.

 Extraordinary Magisterium: The name says it all; these teachings are rare. This level proclaims the Church’s stance on doctrines formulated by ecumenical councils, after meetings of all Church bishops, or after the pope has made an ex cathedra decree. There have been only 21 ecumenical councils and two ex cathedra decrees.

Church history buffs: Turn to Chapter 6 for the lowdown on what kind of teachings you can expect to come from the pope. Suffice it to say that the Church has a responsibility to its members to make sense out of the faith, and the Ordinary and Extraordinary Magisteria help Catholics get the word straight from the Vatican’s mouth.