Why This Popular Apologetics Argument Doesn’t Work for Me Anymore

In this episode, I dive into a common response I hear when raising concerns about problematic Vatican or papal documents: “But it’s not magisterial.” For many, that phrase is meant to shut down the conversation—as if non-magisterial means non-consequential. But over time, I’ve come to see why that response no longer satisfies, and why it often sidesteps the deeper issues at play. We explore the limits of this argument, how it functions in practice, and why it can unintentionally enable spiritual confusion.