Well, if ~60 years of it wasn't enough, what's another decade or two? Don't be surprised if after another 50 years this absurdity still exists.
Haha, yeah, there's that. Maybe some people will defend even a 100+ year SVism. Anyway, as a former sedevacantist, Bon, would you like to share your experience with us as to what caused you to finally reject that theory? Thanks.Sedevacantism doesn’t depend on the PIus XII appointed bishops.
Sure, it does, Bellato. And this for two reasons. First, the Doctrinal One: (1) A Church that lacks Papally appointed Bishops is a Church that lacks Formal Apostolicity. And this is impossible, and even heretical. The CE, the Catechisms, the Manuals etc say very clearly that Jurisdiction is essential to Apostolicity. In the Creed, we sing every Sunday, "Et Unam, Sanctam, Catholicam et Apostolicam Ecclesiam". Do we really believe it? The CE was cited on the first page to this effect. "jurisdiction is essential to the Apostolicity of mission." There are some 5000+Bishops in the Catholic Church, 1000s of episcopal sees. To say every episcopal see can fall vacant denies Apostolicity.
Second, the Practical One: (2) If 61 year SVism were really true, then it would be of the utmost urgency to do the needful to elect a new Pope before time runs out. Fr. Suarez writes,
"In the first place, who should pronounce such a sentence? ... it must be affirmed that, of itself, it belongs to all the Bishops of the Church. For since they are the ordinary pastors and the pillars of the Church, one should consider that such a case concerns them. And since by divine law there is no greater reason to affirm that the matter involves some Bishops more than others, and since, according to human law, nothing has been established in the matter, it must necessarily be held that the matter should be referred to all of them, and even to a general Council. This is the common opinion of the Doctors". Therefore, if anyone really believed 61 year SVism is true - and it seems the seeds themselves are now beginning to suspect that that may not be the case- he should be racing against time with desperate haste to reach out to 104+ year old Archbishop Emeritus Bernardino by writing letters etc to assemble the remaining Bishops (just the 1 now, +AEB alone) in a general Council before it becomes too late! Who are the Ordinary Pastors or Shepherds of the Church? Only the Bishops with Ordinary Jurisdiction.
The fact that Svists are not doing this shows that they themselves hardly believe their opinion. At any rate, others can see that it is mistaken. Soon, the idea of a Vacancy since 1958 will become manifestly heretical to hold, since it entails the heretical proposition that the Catholic Church has ceased to be Apostolic.
The sooner Sedes come out of this small mistake, the sooner we can all work together in the Church for Traditional Catholic Restoration.
God bless.