Literary Discussions

I know a lot about the papal infallibility issue and what Hans Kung said about it and how what he said got him disbarred from teaching theology (so he moved to the philosophy department)... I know about the letter to Pope Celestine wrote to the Synod of Ephesus (which he chose NOT to attend) and where he basically says that a properly convened council has the force of infallibility (which is what the Greek Orthodox believe regarding the first 7 ecumenical counsels)... I know the first time it was formally invoked was around 1850 and that was sole for the purpose to declare the Immaculate Conception as dogma (and the Orthodox have never accepted the notion of Original Sin or the Immaculate Conception which would have been necessary.)  I am not a Hans Kung or a Joseph Ratzinger but I have spent some years writing about these things. Lets face the fact that few people in the world have the academic foundation to really appreciate what went on for the first 2000 years of Christian Doctrinal development and one of them was Jaroslav Pelikan. Anyway no matter what I say or how I say it there will be a majority of readers who misunderstand or do not care and there are going to be a very small number who find it interesting and have some foundation to discuss it, but I just write what comes to mind with those few readers in mind who will take an interest without taking offense....   Actually, I personally see ad hoc value to the doctrine of Papal Infallibility and the authority of the Magisterium as a kind of Plato's Noble Lie (except in Greek it is not really "lie" but more like "account/theory" ... but of the 1.7 billion "Christians on the planet" there are 1 billion Roman Catholics (I am not one),... and those Roman Catholics have a greater degree of unity of doctrine and liturgical practice than any other denomination.... on the other hand I see where Hans Kung is coming from and I have seen hints that Ratzinger at some point gave a not the Kung's point BUT Ratzinger is not in any position to agree with Kung without chaos breaking loose.  There is much practical benefit in the unifying authority of the magisterium above and beyond the theoretical weakness that one may find in the doctrine or history.