8.221. Isn’t it arrogant to think you know better than a council of bishops and popes?
This is a common objection posed to Traditional Catholics—especially sedevacantists—who reject the reforms and teachings of the Second Vatican Council (Vatican II) and the post-conciliar hierarchy. At first glance, it seems presumptuous to claim that popes and thousands of bishops could have erred so severely in doctrine. However, Traditional Catholics do not act out of pride or self-importance, but out of fidelity to what the Church has always taught. The issue is not about “knowing better,” but about holding fast to the immutable teachings of the Catholic Church, even when those in authority appear to contradict them.
1. The Catholic Faith Is Objective, Not Dependent on Office-Holders
Traditional Catholics believe, with the Church of all ages, that the truths of the Faith are divinely revealed and immutable. They are not determined by popular opinion, majority vote, or even ecclesiastical office. Popes and bishops are guardians of the Deposit of Faith, not its inventors or masters.
St. Paul himself warned the faithful:
“Though we, or an angel from heaven, preach a gospel to you besides that which we have preached to you, let him be anathema.”
This means that even a pope or council that proposes teachings contrary to previous dogma must be resisted—not out of pride, but out of fidelity to God. Vatican I teaches that the Holy Ghost was not promised to the successors of Peter to reveal new doctrines, but to guard and faithfully transmit the Revelation handed down through the Apostles.
2. History Shows Councils and Bishops Have Erred
While no true ecumenical council approved by a true pope can err in solemnly defined doctrine, many councils and bishops have erred when acting outside those conditions—especially in times of crisis or confusion.
Examples include:
Council of Florence (15th c.) briefly reconciled with the Eastern schismatics, but the agreement collapsed.
The Robber Council of Ephesus (449) was a council of bishops later condemned.
The Arian Crisis (4th c.) saw the majority of bishops fall into heresy, including Pope Liberius under duress.
St. Athanasius was exiled multiple times for refusing to go along with the Arian majority. The faithful remnant clung to what the Church had always taught, not to what most bishops or even the pope seemed to be tolerating at the time.
3. Vatican II Taught Novel Doctrines That Contradict Tradition
Sedevacantist Catholics reject Vatican II not arbitrarily, but because it teaches objectively new doctrines that contradict what the Church had always held.
Examples include:
Religious Liberty (Dignitatis Humanae) contradicts prior condemnations by popes such as Pius IX (Quanta Cura) and Leo XIII.
Ecumenism promotes false unity with heretical sects, condemned by Mortalium Animos of Pius XI.
Collegiality weakens the primacy of the pope as taught at Vatican I.
The new ecclesiology implies that the true Church “subsists in” rather than is the Catholic Church.
To reject these innovations is not to elevate oneself above the hierarchy—it is to stand with centuries of saints, councils, and popes who clearly taught the opposite.
4. The Hierarchy Must Serve the Truth, Not Redefine It
It is not Traditional Catholics who are being presumptuous—it is the Vatican II hierarchy that presumed it could reshape the Faith. This inversion—where the hierarchy no longer transmits but reimagines doctrine—is exactly what Pope St. Pius X warned against in condemning Modernism:
“The true friends of the people are neither revolutionaries nor innovators, but traditionalists.”
Traditional Catholics adhere to this spirit. They reject modern novelties not because they “know better” than the Church, but because the innovators have broken with what the Church has always known.
5. Humility Means Submitting to the Constant Teaching of the Church
True humility is not blind obedience to whoever wears a mitre or white cassock. It is submission to Christ and His unchanging truth. When churchmen appear to deviate from that truth, Catholics are obliged to resist.
St. Robert Bellarmine taught:
“Just as it is licit to resist a pope who attacks the body, it is also licit to resist one who attacks souls or disturbs the state, or, more importantly, who attempts to destroy the Church.”
The Church is infallible in her doctrine, not necessarily in her visible leaders—especially in times of apostasy or vacancy.
6. You Must Use Your Reason and Faith
Vatican I teaches that faith is a “reasonable service.” Catholics are not called to turn off their minds or ignore clear contradictions. If a council or pope teaches what is contrary to previously defined dogma, Catholics must recognize that something is wrong. They are not judging the Church—they are acknowledging that those who appear to hold office are no longer doing so validly, precisely because they have manifestly defected from the Faith.
| Category | Traditional Catholic View | Post-Vatican II View | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Source of Doctrine | Divine Revelation, unchanging Tradition | Ongoing “development” by living Magisterium | Truth is immutable and cannot evolve |
| Role of the Pope | Guardian of Tradition, not its innovator | Personal authority to reform or reframe doctrine | Pope cannot contradict predecessors |
| Vatican II | Rejected for teaching doctrinal error | Celebrated as a “new Pentecost” | Novelty is not a sign of truth |
| Faithful Catholic's Role | Cling to what the Church has always taught | Follow current hierarchy, even amid changes | Fidelity to tradition is not pride—it is duty |
| Use of Reason | Encouraged to discern contradiction in doctrine | Discouraged; seen as rebellion or arrogance | Truth withstands honest scrutiny |
Summary:
Traditional Catholics are often accused of arrogance for rejecting the teachings and reforms of Vatican II and the post-conciliar popes. However, this rejection is not rooted in pride or personal judgment, but in fidelity to the unchanging truths of the Catholic Faith. The Church has always taught that the pope and bishops are guardians, not inventors, of doctrine. When they appear to contradict the Faith handed down from the Apostles, Catholics must hold fast to what the Church has always taught.
Throughout history, many councils and bishops have erred or been in conflict. During the Arian crisis, nearly the entire hierarchy fell into heresy, and it was the laity and a few faithful bishops who preserved orthodoxy. Today’s crisis is no different: when Vatican II introduced novelties such as religious liberty, ecumenism, and a redefinition of the Church, faithful Catholics were not being arrogant by rejecting these errors—they were doing their duty to uphold the Faith.
True humility is submission to God and to the constant teaching of the Church—not blind obedience to fallible men who betray that teaching. Traditional Catholics seek to preserve the Deposit of Faith, not to place themselves above the Church. They resist the post-Vatican II hierarchy not because they believe themselves superior, but because they see that the hierarchy has departed from what the Church has always taught. As St. Paul taught, even if an angel or apostle preaches another gospel, “let him be anathema” (Galatians 1:8).