Papal infallibility

Based on the teachings of the First Vatican Council and Catholic tradition, there are specific conditions required for a pope's statement to be considered infallible from a statement made when speaking ex cathedra.

Ex Cathedra translates from Latin as "from the chair". Chair was a symbol of the teacher in the ancient world.

The statements have to be conformable with Sacred Scripture and Apostolic Traditions, and must be statements concerning faith or morals.

They cannot be new doctrines.

For Catholics, the conditions for an infallible statement from the pope have only been met a few times over the course of two thousand years.

Reference

Papa infallibility https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papal_infallibility#:~:text=The%20doctrine%20of%20infallibility%20relies,to%20as%20speaking%20ex%20cathedra.