[eks kuh-thee-druh, kath-i-druh] 
| from the seat of authority; with authority: used esp. of those pronouncements of the pope that are considered infallible. |
| ex ca·the·dra (ěks' kə-thē'drə) adv. & adj. With the authority derived from one's office or position: the pope speaking ex cathedra; ex cathedra determinations. [Latin ex cathedrā : ex, from + cathedrā, ablative of cathedra, chair.] |
Descriptive term for an official pronouncement from the pope. Ex cathedra is Latin for “from the chair.” Roman Catholics believe that the pope speaks infallibly when speaking ex cathedra on questions of faith or morals, such as when Pope Pius XII declared in 1950 that Mary, the mother of Jesus, was physically taken up to heaven after her death.
Note: Figuratively, any authoritative pronouncement may be called “ex cathedra.”
