I explicitly defined Catholic authority as including Saints and Doctors of the Church. It is perfectly possible to have statements from such even when there is no magisterial teaching (which is normally what is meant by "Church teaching").
And, in fact, this is the case with the question of globe earth. There is no magisterial teaching explicitly saying the earth is a globe. There are many Saints and Doctors who believed or taught that earth is a globe. This is only to be expected of the predominant position throughout Catholic history. I have provided quotes from a small proportion of the total number possible, but enough to support what I have claimed.
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It is entirely irrelevant what the Church Doctors or saints or Popes have said regarding the shape of the earth.
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The authority of the Church does not extend to physical realities that can be determined by objective observation.
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The Church has no authority to define physical reality.
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Other examples of physical reality where the Church has no authority to define or bind Catholics by faith:
- The molecular weights of the various elements
- The physical properties of any or all elements of the Periodic Table
- The Periodic Table of the elements
- Any or all aspects of Chemistry in general
- The area of a continent measured in any of the many units possible
- The frequency of Concert A as used by an orchestra
- The location of the Greenwich meridian or any other meridian
- The elevation of the front portico steps of St. Peter's Basilica above mean sea level
- The coordinates of the same steps in latitude and longitude
- The speed of sound in air at 29 in.Hg and 20 deg.C.
- The diameter of the earth
- The Geographic Position (GP) of Polaris
- The Geographic Position of the Southern Cross
- The Zenith of the Sistine Chapel at a specific moment in time
Topic: "Flat" Earth -- Complete Balderdash (Read 117248 times)