Roman Catholic Dogma - Dogma As Divine and Catholic Faith

Dogma As Divine and Catholic Faith

Dogma is considered to be both divine and Catholic faith. Divine, because of its believed origin and Catholic because of belief in the infallible teaching binding for all. At the turn of the 20th century, a group of theologians called modernists stated that dogmata did not fall from heaven but are historical manifestations at a given time. Pope Pius X condemned this teaching as heresy in 1907. The Catholic position is that the content of a dogma has truly divine origin. It is considered an expression of an objective truth and does not change. The truth of God, revealed by God, does not change, as God himself does not change; Heaven and earth will disappear but my words will not disappear.

However, new dogmata can be declared through the ages. For instance, the 20th century witnessed the introduction of the dogma of Assumption of Mary by Pope Pius XII in 1950. However, these beliefs were already held in some form or another within the Church before their elevation to the dogmatic level. A movement to declare a fifth Marian dogma for Mediatrix and Co-Redemptrix is underway.