In-depth Study of the Catholic Church

In the Roman Catholic Church the word Magisterium refers to the teaching authority of the Church.This authority is understood to be embodied in the episcopacy,which is the aggregation of the current bishops of the Church in union with the Pope (excluding Eastern Orthodox Bishops and the Society of St. Pius X),led by the Pope,who has authority over the bishops, individually and as a body, as well as over each and every Catholic directly. According to Catholic doctrine,the Magisterium is able to teach or interpret the truths of the Faith, and it does so either non-infallibly or infallibly.The power to govern the church is divided into the power to make laws legislative, enforce the laws executive, and to judge based on the law judicial.A person exercises power to govern either because the person holds an office to which the law grants governing power or because someone with governing power has delegated it to the person. Ordinary power is the former, while the latter is delegated power.The office with ordinary power could possess the governing power itself or it could have the ordinary power of agency.The book is good to all Christians,clergy and Religious during and after formation