4.7. So is there any realistic path to restoring a true pope and the Church’s rightful visibility in the world?
It is understandable to feel overwhelmed by the scale of the current crisis in the Church. The widespread acceptance of Vatican II’s modernist changes, the apparent loss of the papacy, and the global apostasy have left many faithful Catholics asking: What now?
The Church’s traditional theologians, saints, and popes have indeed anticipated situations of severe crisis, even those involving a prolonged vacancy of the Holy See. While the exact duration and form of this crisis were not foreseen, the principles for navigating it have been clearly articulated.
1. The Crisis Is Not the First of Its Kind — But It Is the Worst
Throughout history, the Church has endured many trials:
The Arian crisis (4th century) saw most bishops, and even the Pope under pressure, accept heretical views about Christ’s divinity.
The Great Western Schism (1378–1417) had multiple papal claimants, confusing the entire Church for decades.
The Protestant Revolt (16th century) led to the loss of vast portions of Christendom and thousands of clergy and faithful.
Each time, the Church survived — not by democratic consensus, but through fidelity to Tradition and divine intervention in due course.
2. What Must Be Done Today
The Church does not need to be reinvented; it needs to be restored. This will happen by:
Faithful Catholics preserving the true doctrine, liturgy, and sacraments.
Validly ordained bishops and priests (those who reject Vatican II and were consecrated in the pre-1968 rites) continuing sacramental life.
Catholics rejecting false popes and false teachings, and uniting around the pre-Vatican II Faith.
When and how a true pope will be restored is uncertain, but God is not bound by ordinary means. He may provide:
A miraculous restoration,
A valid conclave among true bishops (once unity and clarity are sufficiently restored),
Or other providential means yet unseen.
Our duty is not to engineer the solution, but to remain faithful and ready.
3. Two Key Theological Views on Restoration
There are two main theological frameworks explaining how the Church may emerge from this unprecedented situation:
A. The Vacancy Position (Commonly called "Sedevacantism")
This view holds that the Chair of Peter has been vacant since the death of Pope Pius XII (1958) or at least since the promulgation of heresies at Vatican II. The post-conciliar claimants are considered manifest heretics and therefore not true popes, per Church teaching (e.g., Pope Paul IV’s Cum Ex Apostolatus Officio).
Restoration will come through:
Divine intervention,
The return of valid bishops to unity and clarity,
Or some other extraordinary act of Providence.
B. The "Material" Occupant Thesis (Cassiciacum Thesis)
Proposed by Dominican theologian Mgr. Michel-Louis Guérard des Lauriers and developed further by others (see thethesis.us), this thesis posits that the post-Vatican II claimants are "material popes"—that is, they hold the office legally but not formally (they lack the authority of Christ due to public heresy). Restoration would occur if such a man repents and publicly embraces the Catholic Faith, thereby receiving the form of the papacy and becoming a true pope.
This thesis maintains continuity of the papal designation without compromising doctrinal integrity and emphasizes how authority can be preserved in potency even during a crisis.
| View | Sedevacantism | Sedeprivationism |
|---|---|---|
| Belief | The papal seat is completely vacant because recent claimants are manifest heretics. | Recent “popes” were materially elected but lacked formal authority due to heresy. |
| Validity of Election | Invalid from the start. No true pope since Pius XII (d. 1958). | Potentially valid election materially, but no papal jurisdiction (formal authority). |
| Restoration Path |
God must intervene — possibly via:
|
If the material pope converts and recants Vatican II heresies, he could become formal pope. |
| Key Advocates | CMRI, Fr. Joaquín Sáenz y Arriaga | Bishop Sanborn, Most Holy Trinity Seminary, Bp. Guérard des Lauriers (Cassiciacum Thesis), IMBC |
4. What the Saints and Popes Have Said
St. Robert Bellarmine (De Romano Pontifice): A public heretic cannot be pope, even if he is accepted by the entire Church.
Pope Paul IV (Cum Ex Apostolatus Officio, 1559): A heretic who ascends to the papacy is null and void — even if accepted universally.
Pope Leo XIII (Satis Cognitum, 1896): Unity with the pope and the Church depends on unity in the same doctrine.
St. Athanasius (during the Arian crisis): “They have the churches, but we have the faith.”
These authorities teach that the Faith is the measure of legitimacy — not mere appearances or acceptance by the majority.
Further Reading:
TheThesis.us – on the Cassiciacum Thesis and sedeprivationism.
Tumultuous Times by Frs. Radecki – for a historical and doctrinal overview of the crisis.
True or False Pope? and writings by Bp. Donald Sanborn.
Cum Ex Apostolatus Officio (Pope Paul IV)
Satis Cognitum (Pope Leo XIII)
NovusOrdoWatch.org – extensive sedevacantist commentary and news.