8.15. What about the argument that the Church must be visible, and sedevacantism hides the Church?

The Church remains visible, but she is eclipsed or overshadowed—just as Christ was still the Son of God when hidden in the tomb. The visibility of the Church is not always grand or dominant. At times, it is a flickering lamp in the catacombs, or a persecuted remnant in exile.

The sedevacantist Church is visible: traditional Masses are said, priests are ordained, sacraments are valid, and doctrine is taught clearly. But it is not politically dominant or publicly acknowledged—just as Noah’s Ark was visible but unpopular, and Christ's followers were once hunted as sectarians.

Visibility is a mark, but it doesn’t require size or glamour—it requires continuity. The Novus Ordo Church may be more prominent, but it has visibly changed its teachings. That’s the real disappearance.