From: news@cbnewsk.att.com
Subject: Re: Question about Virgin Mary
Organization: AT&T Bell Labs
Lines: 18

In article <May.3.05.01.53.1993.9964@athos.rutgers.edu> a.faris@trl.oz.au (Aziz Faris) writes:

>[I think you're talking about the "assumption of the Blessed Virgin
>Mary".  It says that "The Immaculate Mother of God, the ever Virgin
>Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed
>body and soul into heavenly glory."  This was defined by a Papal
>statement in 1950, though it had certainly been believed by some
>before that.  --clh]

So true.  I'm not sure of the basis of the belief, but it was a widely
held belief among the laity of the RC church and their support of it
lead to it being declared to be true.  Basically the teaching on infallibility
holds that the pope is infallible in matters of faith and doctrine, the
college of bishops is likewise infallible, and the laity is as well.
The pope gets most of the attention/criticism but the consensus of the
other bodies is equally infallible (according to RC teaching).

Joe Moore