The Maverick Philosopher says,

The truth is too magnificent a thing to be the the property of any one institution. Too magnificent a thing, and too elusive a thing to be owned or housed or patented or reduced to the formulas of a sect or finitized or fought over.

In two senses I agree with this, and two senses I do not.

The ultimate truth, worthy of being called Truth with a capital T, is God Almighty. God is infinite, not to be grasped by our limited intellects; and God is certainly not the property of any institution.

More than that, the full truth even of this universe we live in is beyond the grasp of our intellects; though God knows it perfectly. Again, this truth can’t be the property of any institution.

On the other hand….

It’s certainly possible to have a greater or lesser grasp of the truth, in either of the two senses discussed above. Some institutions will have a better grasp of the truth than others. It’s not unreasonable to think that some institution, somewhere, might have a better grasp of the truth than any other. (It’s also not unreasonable to think that many institutions might each have a corner on some particular aspect of the truth.)

Now, suppose God, Infinite Truth, decides to take a hand in things. Suppose He reveals what we need to know. Suppose He guarantees that some institution, specially blessed by Him, will preserve that revelation intact for future generations. I wouldn’t say that this truth is the property of such an institution; it would be better to say that it is held in trust. But surely, in such a case, if such a case there be, it is true to see that this institution has the truth.

And this is precisely what the Catholic Church claims for itself; and this I believe.

I take one further exception to the MP’s statement: that the truth is too magnificent a thing to be fought over. It’s true that fighting a single combat or a war is no way to determine what the truth is. But good grief! If you can’t fight for the truth, what can you fight for?