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When the pope speaks infallibly, the Holy Ghost will not permit him to err, in which case we can certainly follow him. If he says, however, that generic beans taste better than name brand ones... that is not infallible, and therefore we needn't switch to plastic beans any time soon.

Thank you for pointing out the patently obvious.

Infallibility is a wonderful thing. It's also why the Church has made it this long without being totally and completely corrupted. As a man the pope can say and do anything. But when he's speaking under the influence of the Holy Ghost, we can all rest assured he will be telling only the truth.

See my response above.

It would be nice if the papacy meant that every pope is infallible all the time, and automatically a saint, but... hey, we can't have everything I guess...

No one is expecting such, and I personally would never desire such.

One might also add that we have to follow the traffic laws, even if democrats make them. If at a party some important democrat simply SAYS, however, that tomorrow the speed limit will be 106 ... again, we don't have to listen to them, as they're not then speaking officially and with the full force of the government behind them.

This is not as germane as you might think.

If only these things were understood as the common sense they are.

Although I appreciate the intention in your responding, you have done nothing to answer the question.

Even in other days when the Pope did not speak very often in an infallible capacity, you could still follow the teachings of his ordinary magisterium, keep the laws of Holy Church, and worship in the same way as the Pontiff - the way that God Himself laid down for us.  Now, you cannot do these things.  The V2 religion is completely antithetical to the Catholic religion.  If you follow it, if you "hear Benedict" and practice the religion he practices, you will go to hell.  That is a complete annihilation of Our Lord's promise, for it is meant to apply to the entire life of Holy Church, not merely the occasional ex cathedra statement.  Many people are born and die without hearing an infallible declaration.  Are they without a safe guide?  Of course not, for "He who hears you, hears Me..." is applicable to all times.  According to your thinking, Our Lord's words are only applicable once in a very long while.  The rest of the time, it is all up for grabs.

Can you, or can you not, practice the religion which V2, Benedict, and his V2 predecessors have taught and practiced?  Will such get you to heaven?

No, it will not, which is exactly why you resist it, holding fast to the old ways.  You are hearing Christ, and the Pontiffs of 1950+ years, but you are not hearing the V2 pontiffs.

Although I appreciate the intention in your responding, you have done nothing to answer the question.

Can you, or can you not, practice the religion which V2, Benedict, and his V2 predecessors have taught and practiced?  Will such get you to heaven?

No, actually your question was:

The gist of Our Lord's words is: If you listen to my representatives, you are listening to Me. Doing such, you will infallibly be on the right path.

How is it possible to say this about Benedict, his post-V2 predecessors, and the entire V2 Church, and its patently non-Catholic religion? If we followed the Benedict and his V2 religion most faithfully, would we not be on our way to perdition?

The answer is to to understand infallibility in the proper and true light, and to understand the word "obedience" in the true light, not as slavish zombie mentality, but as obedience where obedience is due... only for that which is right and good and true. I have heard since my childhood catechism days, that the Catholic church teaches that if someone tells you to do something wrong, it doesn't matter who it is, you don't listen. I don't recall it saying anything, though, about throwing the baby out with the bathwater, eg "if your parents say to do something wrong, from then on, totally disregard their authority and defy them in everything!" ... I don't recall that attitude in my Catholic instruction anywhere.

Now it's the pope. Well, is it shocking? Of course. Scandalous? Absolutely! But the fact of the matter is, the pope is, after all, still human. He is still capable of thinking and saying things that are bad. We as good Catholics are taught by our dear Mother Church not do do bad things, no matter who says them. However the Church never said such an incident is free license to overthrow the rightful and legitimate authority of that person, when they are acting within it's right and true capacities, such as when the pope says things that ARE Catholic, or gives orders we CAN follow.

That's the answer to the question you actually DID ask originally.

To answer your second question, since the "new religion" is something different from Catholicism, we are bound NOT to obey or follow it, absolutely. But where the head of the church acts within his rightful authority (teaching and ordering that which is right and good) then we must listen to him.

Once you disregard the wrong ideas on obedience and infallibility, the whole thing becomes quite simple. (The truth often has that effect.)

In this way, we can follow and respect the pope when he acts justly and rightly (telling only the truth, and commanding only that which is good), and not at all follow anything bad or false he may introduce.

Of course I'm sure you will probably just say "EHHH! Wrong answer!" and look for another, but... you asked, so I gave you a very reasonable and complete response to your questions. If you don't like them, well... I'm afraid I can't help you there.