It is possible to think that a primacy of the bishop of Rome is not contrary to the New Testament and is part of God’s purpose regarding the Church’s unity and catholicity, while admitting that the New Testament texts offer no sufficient basis for this (ARCIC, Authority in the Church II, 1981, #7).Despite this low estimation of the New Testament warrant for a Petrine ministry, the same dialogue had earlier noted that the “pattern of complementary primatial and conciliar aspects of episcopé serving the koinonia [communion or fellowship] of the churches needs to be realised at the universal level” (ARCIC, Authority in the Church, 1976, #23). A certain practicality has allowed some churches to recognize a ‘petrine function’ that is not exclusive to the Bishop of Rome. Instead, they propose that there is a form of Petrine ministry exercised sometimes by a person, sometimes by a particular bishop, patriarch or church president, and sometimes by particular churches that “serve to promote and preserve the oneness of the church by symbolising unity, and by facilitating communication, mutual assistance or correction, and collaboration in the church’s mission” (Lutheran-Roman Catholic Dialogue in the United States, Differing Attitudes Toward Papal Primacy, 1973, #4). It should be noted that the high regard of many Evangelicals for Pope John Paul II rested not on his role as pope but on his evangelical witness. They saw in him a firm commitment to public proclamation of the Gospel and as such were able to see him as a Christian leader calling all churches to common witness and service. The broad consensus of the dialogues appears to be voiced by the Russian Orthodox in 2013: “Primacy of honour accorded to the bishops of Rome is instituted not by God but men” (BoR #48). The International Lutheran-Catholic Dialogue asked in 1972: “whether the primacy of the pope is necessary for the church, or whether it represents only a fundamentally possible function” (The Gospel and the Church, #67).
Infallibility is not absolute in that it is limited not only by its subject and by its act, but also by its object, since the pope cannot pronounce a new teaching, but only give a more developed formulation of a doctrine already rooted in the faith of the Church (depositum fidei) (see Pastor Aeternus, IV).Similarly, ARCIC explained that “infallibility means only the preservation of the judgement from error for the maintenance of the Church in the truth, not positive inspiration or revelation” (Authority in the Church II, 1981, fn 7). Infallibility “is a term applicable unconditionally only to God, ... to use it of a human being, even in highly restricted circumstances, can produce many misunderstandings” (#32). They caution that the doctrine of papal infallibility has given exaggerated importance to all papal statements. With the clarification that papal infallibility be understood within the broader authority given to the church, the Lutheran members of the Lutheran-Catholic dialogue in the U.S. said that they were called:
to consider how vital it is for the churches to speak ... with one voice in the world and how a universal teaching office such as that of the pope could exercise a Ministry of unity which is liberating and empowering rather than restrictive and repressive (Teaching Authority and Infallibility in the Church, 1978, #18).The Catholic members of the same dialogue recognized that:
There remains an important ecumenical task incumbent on Catholics: infallibility has to be further examined in light of the primacy of the gospel and of Christ’s saving act (#75).Although Vatican I does not exclude consultation with the bishops, it wasn’t until Vatican II that the full teaching on episcopal collegiality was developed. In Lumen Gentium, the Council taught that the college of bishops, in union with its head, the pope, exercises supreme and full authority over the Church and can infallibly proclaim the faith of the Church (see LG #22 and #25). There is no doubt that the reception of Vatican II is still ongoing. Collegiality has been implemented through episcopal conferences and other regional gatherings of bishops for consultation. The Synod of Bishops established after the Council by Pope Paul VI was for many years unable to engage in a full open exchange of views, partially due to the limited expectations presented to it and partially because of the synodal procedures themselves. Under Pope Francis, the Synod has begun to develop into a body that permits a free interchange of ideas. This is largely due to Pope Francis’ commitment to synodality, walking together as a church.