8.19. Isn’t the idea that the papacy has been vacant for decades unprecedented and implausible?

It is unprecedented—but so is the scale of doctrinal, liturgical, and moral collapse since Vatican II. We judge by facts, not by emotional reaction to “unprecedented” situations. The papacy exists for the protection of the faith. If the supposed popes destroy the faith, then the only logical conclusion is that they are not true popes.

Precedent matters, but truth matters more. The Church was also without a pope for nearly 3 years after Clement IV (1268–1271) and went through the Great Western Schism, where multiple claimants confused the faithful for 40 years. God allows extreme tests of faith. We are not denying the papacy—we’re affirming it by refusing to accept heretics as legitimate holders of that sacred office.