The successor of Peter fulfils this doctrinal mission through a continuous series of interventions, both oral and written, that constitute the ordinary exercise of the magisterium, as the teaching of truths that one must believe and put into practice. The acts that express this magisterium can be more or less frequent and take many shapes, according to the needs of the times, the demands of concrete situations, the possibilities and means available, the methodologies and technologies of communication; but, by deriving an explicit or implicit intention of being pronouncements on matters of faith and morals, they receive the mandate received by Peter and enjoy the authority that Christ conferred them.
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Pope St. John Paul II
General Audience
March 10, 1993
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