8.26. If you say there’s no pope, how is this different from Protestantism or private judgment?

Protestants reject the Church’s authority and invent new doctrines. Sedevacantists adhere strictly to the authority of the Church as it always taught—we reject only those who break from that authority.

We do not base our faith on private interpretation but on the public, objective teachings of the Magisterium—dogmas defined by councils and popes before Vatican II. We do not start new churches or claim new revelations. We are preserving the Catholic Church’s faith, liturgy, and moral teaching in the face of corruption.

Far from private judgment, we follow the judgment of the Church through 20 centuries. When a pope deviates from that, he loses office—not by our will, but by divine law. (See Canon 188.4, 1917 Code of Canon Law).