4.24. How can you remain Catholic while rejecting the Pope, the Council, and most of the hierarchy?

Because being Catholic means holding the faith of all time, not simply following those who claim to hold office. Catholicism is defined by doctrine, not numbers or uniforms. A true pope must profess the Catholic Faith in its entirety. If someone publicly teaches error (as post-Vatican II popes have), he automatically loses all office (cf. Canon 188.4, 1917 Code).

We do not “reject the Church”—we reject those who have departed from Her teaching. This is not rebellion—it is fidelity. We stand with the unbroken line of doctrine from Christ to Pius XII. The visible structure has been infiltrated, just as Christ’s body was crucified and laid in the tomb—but the soul of the Church endures.