On a sad day in 591, Pope Gregory officially but incorrectly conflated Mary Magdalene with the unnamed sinner in the seventh chapter of Luke and with Mary of Bethany, and he declared them a prostitute.

Scholars would eventually prove Gregory wrong, but no one in the Catholic Church had authority to change his decree. Papal infallibility silenced truth, falsely maligned one of the world’s most prominent women, and misled millions for nearly 1,400 years.

In 1969, Pope Paul VI, the only person in the world with authority to officially correct Gregory’s mistake, removed the defamation from the Roman Calendar. Pope Francis later called Mary Magdalene “Apostle of the apostles.” The Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, and Lutheran churches all view her as a saint. 

I’m not writing to denigrate Catholicism. I honor much of the Catholic tradition. But I am challenging the notion of infallibility as it exists in many organizations. When we elevate a fellow human to the status of infallibility, whether explicit or implied, truth and reason suffer, and souls are injured.

Leaders can lead. Influencers can influence. Ministers can minister. Prophets can prophesy. But opinion is not doctrine. Nothing should supplant our individual connection to the Divine.

Get your water pure from the source, not downstream after the cattle have trodden in it.