Is the story of St. George and the Dragon real, and are canonizations infallible?
A viewer notes that Pope Paul VI removed St. George from the calendar and he was later restored, and asks whether the story is real or fiction, since St. George is still venerated.
Answer
This shows what we have found in our own generation as well: canonizations are not infallible. We hope the church's decision reflects the truth, but canonization is not doctrine, and there is no place in church teaching that says canonizations are infallible; when Vatican I defined infallibility, it was referring to doctrine, not canonizations. So it does not surprise me that a saint could be canonized and later have the honor removed, as has happened several times, especially when you consider that the conciliar popes have canonized one another, including some of the worst popes we have had. As for the St. George story itself, I have not studied it, but if it is as you say, it would not surprise me, and it does not affect our Catholic faith. Wherever there is evil, people will upset the status quo, and even doctrines have been unofficially abused, which forces us to ask hard questions about how we come to the truth.