2.10. If the Vatican II “popes” are formal heretics, what does that make them? Just bad popes?
This is one of the most crucial and uncomfortable questions facing “Catholics” today. Many traditional-minded Catholics are willing to say that Vatican II “popes” have taught confusing, harmful, or even erroneous things — but they stop short of drawing the necessary conclusion.
If a man teaches heresy publicly and pertinaciously, he is not merely a “bad pope” — he cannot be a pope at all. According to infallible Catholic teaching, a formal heretic automatically ceases to be a member of the Catholic Church, and therefore cannot hold any ecclesiastical office, including that of the Roman Pontiff.
St. Robert Bellarmine, Doctor of the Church, wrote:
“A manifest heretic cannot be pope, because he is not even a member of the Church.”
This is not a sedevacantist invention — this is Catholic dogma. A man who ceases to be Catholic cannot be the head of the Catholic Church.
Now, if this weren’t enough, consider the additional problem: since Paul VI, every Vatican II “pope” has also been ordained using the new rite of Holy Orders promulgated in 1968, a rite radically altered from the traditional sacramental form defined by the Council of Florence and reaffirmed by Pope Pius XII in Sacramentum Ordinis (1947). These changes raise serious doubts about the validity of the priesthood and episcopacy of every Vatican II “pope” since:
| Vatican II "Pope" | Year Ordained | Rite Used | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paul VI | 1920 | Traditional | Valid priest, but authored the 1968 rite that made future ordinations doubtful or invalid. |
| John Paul I | 1935 | Traditional | Valid priest; brief reign (33 days) with no major doctrinal changes. |
| John Paul II | 1946 (priest), 1958 (bishop) | Traditional | Valid orders, but publicly promoted Vatican II heresies. |
| Benedict XVI | 1951 (priest), 1977 (bishop) | Traditional | Valid priest and bishop, but modernist theologian and Vatican II adherent. |
| Francis | 1969 (priest), 1992 (bishop) | 1968 Rite | Invalid priesthood and episcopacy; compounded by public heresy and apostasy. |
| Leo XIV | 1982 (priest), 2001 (bishop) | 1968 Rite | Ordained and consecrated using invalid rite; merely a layman promoting the Vatican II religion. |
Canon Law & Teaching
Canon 188 §4 (1917 Code): A cleric who publicly defects from the Catholic faith automatically loses his office.
“It is absurd to imagine that he who is outside can command in the Church.”
Summary:
The Vatican II "popes" — especially Francis and Leo XIV, ordained using the invalid 1968 rite — are not even valid priests, let alone bishops or popes. On top of that, their public promotion of heresies such as religious liberty, ecumenism, collegiality, and the rejection of the social kingship of Christ removes them from the Church altogether.
They are not “bad popes.”
They are not popes at all.
They are heretical non-catholic laymen impersonating the papacy.
To recognize them as popes while rejecting their heresies is schizophrenic theology. The Church cannot teach error. Christ did not found a counterfeit church. That is why faithful Catholics reject these men not out of pride, but out of fidelity to Christ and His spotless Bride, the Church.
Further reading:
Watch The Vacancy: The Catholic Church since Vatican II
Watch other videos for those new to this topic