--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is intrinsically impossible for the…" description: "\"“It is intrinsically impossible for the pope, as pope, to speak with authority on the details of climate science. Nor is he better suited than you or I..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/608/john-zmirak-88455_science_it-is-intrinsically-impossible-for-the-p_1663904.jpg" --- # It is intrinsically impossible for the pope, as pope, to… ![“It is intrinsically impossible for the pope, as pope, to speak with authority on the details of climate science. Nor is he better suited than you or I to evaluate the so-called “consensus” of actual scientists. He might as well be picking stocks or rewriting the scores of Broadway musicals, for…” quote by John Zmirak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/608/john-zmirak-88455_science_it-is-intrinsically-impossible-for-the-p_1663904.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/608/john-zmirak-88455_science_it-is-intrinsically-impossible-for-the-p_1663904.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/608/john-zmirak-88455_science_it-is-intrinsically-impossible-for-the-p_1663904.jpg) > ““It is intrinsically impossible for the pope, as pope, to speak with authority on the details of climate science. Nor is he better suited than you or I to evaluate the so-called “consensus” of actual scientists. He might as well be picking stocks or rewriting the scores of Broadway musicals, for which he has equal divine authority: none. He”” [John Zmirak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-zmirak/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Argues that the Pope lacks scientific authority on climate, likening his influence to unrelated fields. **In simple terms:** Pope isn’t a climate expert. Key Takeaway Seek expertise from qualified sources. Themes science authority religion Mood skeptical analytical Type critical argumentative When to use this quote - policy debates - environmental activism - media commentary Key Concepts epistemology public discourse Questions to Reflect On - Who should speak on climate issues? - How do we balance faith and science? A Different Perspective May dismiss religious perspectives entirely. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Consensus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consensus/) [Consensus Actual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consensus-actual-788126/) [Divine Authority](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/divine-authority-403963/) [Impossible Pope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/impossible-pope-788124/) [Pope Speak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pope-speak-788125/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) ## Related quotes > [ \[Religion\] attacks us in our deepest integrity - the core of our self-respect. Religion says that we would not know right from wrong, we… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/religion-attacks-us-in-our-deepest-integrity-the-core-of-our-self/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [“We think ourselves possessed, or at least we boast that we are so, of liberty of conscience on all subjects and of the right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-adams/we-think-ourselves-possessed-or-at-least-we-boast-that-we-are-so-of-2/) [John Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-adams/) > [The same divine authority that forbids the killing of a human being establishes certain exceptions, as when God authorizes killing by a general law…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-augustine/the-same-divine-authority-that-forbids-the-killing-of-a-human-being/) [Saint Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-augustine/) > [Our founders understood that divine authority was necessary in order to establish a ground on which the weak, the defenseless, the powerless, the poor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-keyes/our-founders-understood-that-divine-authority-was-necessary-in-order/) [Alan Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-keyes/) > [Wherever morality is based on theology, wherever the right is made dependent on divine authority, the most immoral, unjust, infamous things can be justified…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-feuerbach/wherever-morality-is-based-on-theology-wherever-the-right-is-made/) [Ludwig Feuerbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-feuerbach/) > [Priesthood is the means whereby the Lord acts through men to save souls. One of the defining features of the Church of Jesus Christ,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-a-bednar/priesthood-is-the-means-whereby-the-lord-acts-through-men-to-save/) [David A. Bednar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-a-bednar/) > [Our claim is that God has revealed Himself by speaking; that this divine (or God-breathed) speech has been written down and preserved in Scripture;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stott/our-claim-is-that-god-has-revealed-himself-by-speaking-that-this/) [John Stott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stott/) > [ “This \[divine authority\] must be our great and singular message to the world. We do not offer it with boasting. We testify in humility… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-b-hinckley/this-divine-authority-must-be-our-great-and-singular-message-to-the/) [Gordon B. 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Boyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gergory-a-boyd/) > [When women understand that governments and religions are human inventions; that Bibles, prayer-books, catechisms, and encyclical letters are all emanations from the brains of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-cady-stanton/when-women-understand-that-governments-and-religions-are-human/) [Elizabeth Cady Stanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-cady-stanton/) > [In truth, there never was any remarkable lawgiver amongst any people who did not resort to divine authority, as otherwise his laws would not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niccolo-machiavelli/in-truth-there-never-was-any-remarkable-lawgiver-amongst-any-people/) [Niccolo Machiavelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niccolo-machiavelli/) > [“In the best case, notions of God’s love and grace provide some relief—but the central message of these faiths is that each of us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/in-the-best-case-notions-of-god-s-love-and-grace-provide-some-relief/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [The kingdom of God is an order of government established by divine authority. It is the only legal government that can exist in any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-pratt/the-kingdom-of-god-is-an-order-of-government-established-by-divine/) [Orson Pratt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-pratt/) > [The Bible rose to the place it now occupies because it deserved to rise to that place, and not because God sent anybody with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-barton/the-bible-rose-to-the-place-it-now-occupies-because-it-deserved-to/) [Bruce Barton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-barton/) > [Before all else, Protestantism is, in its very essence, an appeal from all other authority to the divine authority of Holy Scripture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-b-warfield/before-all-else-protestantism-is-in-its-very-essence-an-appeal-from/) [B. B. Warfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-b-warfield/) ## More by John Zmirak > [“Hence it's funny to read in the New York Times that liberal Catholic activists are pushing for a change in Church teaching on issues…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-zmirak/hence-it-s-funny-to-read-in-the-new-york-times-that-liberal-catholic/) [John Zmirak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-zmirak/) > [“Our new battle is not with overt Marxist tyranny, but with something more subtle—an irreligious government that wants to agglomerate ever more power over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-zmirak/our-new-battle-is-not-with-overt-marxist-tyranny-but-with-something/) [John Zmirak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-zmirak/) [Explore all 3 John Zmirak quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-zmirak/) ## More Consensus quotes > [There are dangers in consensus: it could be an attempt to satisfy people holding no particular views about anything. ... No great party can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/there-are-dangers-in-consensus-it-could-be-an-attempt-to-satisfy/) [Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/) > [The "family" has clearly emerged anew in the late 1970s as a central subject for discussion, debate, research and writing in bothscholarly and popular…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-kamerman/the-family-has-clearly-emerged-anew-in-the-late-1970s-as-a-central/) [Sheila Kamerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-kamerman/) > [As a leader... 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This science should be both supported and understood by anyone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-schatz/the-scientific-consensus-is-that-climate-change-is-real-urgent-and/) [Brian Schatz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-schatz/) > [People of good character are not all going to come down on the same side of difficult political and social issues. Good people-people of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bennett/people-of-good-character-are-not-all-going-to-come-down-on-the-same/) [William Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bennett/) > [Effectively, change is almost impossible without industry-wide collaboration, cooperation and consensus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-mainwaring/effectively-change-is-almost-impossible-without-industry-wide/) [Simon Mainwaring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-mainwaring/) > [Those who know that the consensus of many centuries has sanctioned the conception that the earth remains at rest in the middle of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolaus-copernicus/those-who-know-that-the-consensus-of-many-centuries-has-sanctioned/) [Nicolaus Copernicus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolaus-copernicus/) > [The culturally, linguistically and religiously diverse population of Indian and Pakistani-administered Jammu and Kashmir has been unable to reach a consensus on the future…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nyla-ali-khan/the-culturally-linguistically-and-religiously-diverse-population-of/) [Nyla Ali Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nyla-ali-khan/) > [We are in a crisis today because the practical consensus between the left and the right, linking economic efficiency with social protection, has broken…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-glucksmann/we-are-in-a-crisis-today-because-the-practical-consensus-between-the/) [Andre Glucksmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-glucksmann/) > [That tertiary education is under a sustained assault by a political and - it often seems - social consensus that equates all education with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-self/that-tertiary-education-is-under-a-sustained-assault-by-a-political/) [Will Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-self/) > [Our normal expectations about reality are created by a social consensus. We are taught how to see and understand the world. The trick of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-castaneda/our-normal-expectations-about-reality-are-created-by-a-social/) [Carlos Castaneda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-castaneda/) > [I always worked as an individual artist even when Group Material asked me to join the group. There are certain things that I can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-gonzalez-torres/i-always-worked-as-an-individual-artist-even-when-group-material/) [Felix Gonzalez-Torres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-gonzalez-torres/) > [“But perhaps the greatest threat is that we lack the mechanism of consensus, a way of making up our collective minds.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-k-greenleaf/but-perhaps-the-greatest-threat-is-that-we-lack-the-mechanism-of/) [Robert K. Greenleaf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-k-greenleaf/) > [There's a growing consensus that the best way to defeat communism in Cuba is to get its citizens hooked on American goods.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-noah/there-s-a-growing-consensus-that-the-best-way-to-defeat-communism-in/) [Timothy Noah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-noah/) [Browse all 564 Consensus quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consensus/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“It is intrinsically impossible for the pope, as pope, to speak with authority on the details of climate science. Nor is he better suited than you or I to evaluate the so-called “consensus” of actual scientists. He might as well be picking stocks or rewriting the scores of Broadway musicals, for which he has equal divine authority: none. 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