To be precise: Church law, which is known as Canon Law, says that by virtue of his office, the Supreme Pontiff teaches infallibly when he proclaims, by a definitive act, a doctrine to be held concerning faith or morals.

Catholics are not required to agree or believe those things a Pope says except when he does so \" infallibly \" .

( At this site read the First Vatican Council, which defined this as ex cathedra ).

From a discussion standpoint, lets proceed less precisely.

The only times they are infallible is when, in union with the bishops around the world, they expressly teach something for the faithful to believe. For example, after much prayer and consultation, a pope declared Mary to have been conceived immaculately (w/o original sin), and to have been assumed into Heaven, body and soul. So a pope declaring he is speaking infallibly is a very rare thing. And then only in the matters of faith.

This brings us to probably the most important point: Before ascending into heaven, Jesus promised the Church 3 things:

* that He would send the Holy Spirit to lead her to all truth

* that the gates of hell would never prevail upon her

* and that he would be with her until the end of time

Since Jesus is the Divine Savior, I have to believe those promises. And since I am convinced that the Catholic Church is the one Jesus started and meant to last, then I have to ride this turbulence out.