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Dear John,
All Exsurge Domine [EWTN] says, is that the proposition of Luther's "That heretics be burned is against the will of the Spirit" is an "error". In particular, it declares a long list of propositions, including this one,
| “and With the advice and consent of these our venerable brothers, with mature deliberation on each and every one of the above theses, and by the authority of almighty God, the blessed Apostles Peter and Paul, and our own authority, we condemn, reprobate, and reject completely each of these theses or errors as either heretical, scandalous, false, offensive to pious ears or seductive of simple minds, and against Catholic truth." |
This is very broad and vague and could mean this proposition is anything from heretical to badly phrased.
When the Church condemns things, generally it condemns them in very narrow terms.
For example, this doesn't condemn just any proposition against burning heretics; it condemns the very specific proposition that burning them is against the will of the Spirit.
As far as I know, the Church has never taught since then that burning heretics is against the will of the Spirit, so it has not contradicted itself, although Pope Francis now teaches that the death penalty (in general) is "inadmissible", which is not the same thing (and stems from different reasons).
Moreover, one can question whether Exsurge Domine was infallible and irreformable. Only infallible statements of the pope cannot be reversed, and the bar for an infallible teaching is very high.
For more information, I'd consult the book Teaching with Authority by Jimmy Akin. In paragraphs 354, 478, and 505 he discusses why this document is "not widely regarded today as infallible".
If it is not infallible, there is no reason to suppose that the apparent change "undermines" the authority of the pope.
Eric Ewanco |
