Well, I woke up. It was a nice nap. Both are technical terms that are widely misunderstood.

"Inerrancy" is almost always used in connection with scripture. The Roman Catholic concept of inerrancy of scripture is that the scriptures (the Bible) teach truth, without error, for the sake of salvation. Catholics and mainstream Christians take this to mean that the Bible is true in its teaching of matters of faith, although it was not intended to be a scientific or historical document and should not be expected to be completely accurate in matters of science or history. It is, however, a true reflection of the faith of believers and of their relationship to God. More conservative Christians tend to take the term "inerrancy" to mean that the Bible is correct in every aspect, including history and science. Many conservative Christians do not accept the possibility that literary forms such as allegory may have been used in parts of Scripture, such as the creation stories, and the stories of Job and Jonah (and the whale), and the like.

"Infallibility" refers to the inerrancy of certain doctrines, definitive teachings on matters of faith and morals. The term "infallibility" is often used to refer to the Pope, but that is a misconception. Most "infallible" doctrines are beliefs that are commonly held by all Christians, not just Catholics.

There's more, but I guess that's a pretty good basic understanding, from a Catholic perspective.

-Joe Offer-

While it may not apply to the Pope, the term "infallibility" certainly does apply to "Chief of the Mudcat Editing Team." Thank you for your support.