The pope is considered as the Vicar of Christ on Earth (spokesman for God) and the ultimate earthly authority. However, the pope gets his orders from above as he is guided in almost anything he does by the Holy Spirit. Peter was declared by Christ to be the first pope and was told by Our Lord that "Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound also in Heaven. What ever you loose on earth shall also be loosened in Heaven." In other words, he told Peter that it was up to him to "make the rules." As the church could never be left without leadership, it was assumed that Christ wanted to maintain someone in charge of his church at all times. Thus, the Catholic Church has continued to fill the position of pope for 2000 years.
The pope rarely makes decisions on his own and, in matters of great importance, usually consults with the bishops before he makes a major pronouncement concerning faith and morals. However, he is ultimately the responsible person. The "buck stops in his office" so to say.
The Magesterium has the ultimate teaching authority in the Catholic Church.
No, the Orthodox Church--like the Catholic Church--believe the Church itself to be the ultimate authority on their beliefs. Protestants, due to placing the Holy Bible as their ultimate authority, are divided into thousands & thousands of sects.
God is their final authority; however I think you are asking in terms of the Pope for the Catholic religion. The Protestant faith does not have an earthly authority figure such as the Pope; there are leaders within the church but not a single authority figure as is found in the Catholic faith.
Magisterium is the teaching authority of the Church.
No, the earthly headquarters of the Catholic Church are found in Vatican City.
The Bible.Catholic AnswerActually, the ultimate authority on Christian doctrine is considered God, who, by His Son, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit, appointed St. Peter to head His Church. Thus the Church is the ultimate authority on Catholic practice and doctrine. From the Church, very early on, the New Testament was written, and was approved by the Church near the end of the fourth century. Our Blessed Lord, Jesus Christ, guaranteed Peter (and his successors, the Popes), but did NOT guarantee the Bible. The Church is the only guarantee of the Bible.
The ultimate good in the Catholic Church is God who is the author and source of all Good.
It is the teaching authority of the Catholic Church.
The pope is the bishop of Rome and pope, the earthly head of the Catholic Church.
The Pope is the Vicar of Christ on earth and the earthly leader of the Catholic Church.
Conciliarism was a reform movement in the 14th-16th-century Catholic Church which held that supreme authority in the Church resided with an Ecumenical council, apart from, or even against, the pope. The movement was largely condemned by the Catholic Church who said that ultimate authority resides in the infallibility of the Magisterium of the Church. There are some liberals in the Church who feel the Church should be more conciliar and papal power should be shared with the bishops.
The protestant revolt did not affect the authority of the Catholic Church. It has the same authority that it has always had since it was founded by Jesus Christ in 33 AD. The Catholic Church's authority is from God alone so the actions of individual heretics cannot affect it except in a superficial manner.