2.9. How can the Vatican II “popes” be formal heretics? I thought no one can judge a pope?
The maxim “the First See is judged by no one” (Canon 1556) applies only to a man who truly holds the office of pope. But a public heretic is not a member of the Church, and therefore cannot be pope, since one cannot hold an office in a body to which he does not belong.
St. Robert Bellarmine, Doctor of the Church, teaches:
“A manifest heretic is automatically deposed. For since he is outside the Church, he can neither possess nor retain any jurisdiction.”
No juridical trial is required. The heretic separates himself from the Church by divine law. Catholics are not “judging a pope” but recognizing a fact: that the man who teaches public, obstinate heresy has never truly been pope.
This judgment is not private opinion, but based on:
Public acts and teachings,
Objective criteria from theology and canon law,
The constant teaching of the Church on heresy and loss of office.
Further reading:
Watch The Vacancy: The Catholic Church since Vatican II
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