Dogma in the Catholic Church

Statue of Saint Peter holding the keys of the kingdom of heaven. (Gospel of Matthew (16:18–19).

A dogma of the Catholic Church is defined as "a truth revealed by God, which the magisterium of the Church declared as binding".[1] The Catechism of the Catholic Church states:

The Church's Magisterium asserts that it exercises the authority it holds from Christ to the fullest extent when it defines dogmas, that is, when it proposes, in a form obliging Catholics to an irrevocable adherence of faith, truths contained in divine Revelation or also when it proposes, in a definitive way, truths having a necessary connection with these.[2]

The faithful are only required to accept a teaching as dogma if the Catholic Church clearly and specifically identifies them as dogmas.[1]

  1. ^ a b Schmaus, I, 54
  2. ^ Catechism 88 Archived 27 October 2014 at the Wayback Machine