Positive doubt is the credible belief that something was done which would undermine all his sacraments.
Negative doubt is a ridiculous claim of something which does not undermine the validity.
This is for any honest people out there. The Tom guy is of bad faith. We all need to pray for him.
If the Vatican thought there was "positive doubt" about the Consecration, they could have simply said that Thuc was "
non compos mentis" at the time the Consecrations occurred and washed their hands of the whole affair. They did not say that. Here is the docuмent again:
https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/docuмents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_19830312_poenae-canonicae_en.html
In fact, the Vatican confirmed that the "illicit" Consecrations took place, and they excommunicated the people involved.
The Vatican said that Thuc "
conferred episcopal ordination on the religious priest, M.-L. Guérard des Lauriers, O.P., of France, and on the priests Moises Carmona and Adolfo Zamora, of Mexican origin. Subsequently Moises Carmona in his turn
conferred episcopal ordination on the Mexican priests Benigno Bravo and Roberto Martínez, and also on the American priest George Musey."
If the Consecrations of these priests were not valid, then why did the Vatican use that language? Why did the Vatican not bring up the issue of "positive doubt?" Why did the Vatican, later in the notification, warn the priests not to "exercise the order" that they received?
Therefore, there is no positive doubt. Tom is completely in the ream of negative doubt with his assertions.
Positive doubt arises when there is sufficient, balanced evidence or conflicting arguments for and against a proposition, making it impossible for the mind to adhere to one side without misgiving.
Negative doubt arises not from conflicting evidence, but from
an absence or insufficiency of evidence to establish a proposition as true. The mind does not actively find evidence
against the belief, but rather lacks positive proof for it.
Tom lacks any evidence that Thuc was truly insane (lacking the use of reason, i.e.,
non compos mentis) at the moment of Consecration.
Tom's claim that Thuc's imprudent choices prove his insanity is ridiculous. There have been many imprudent bishops over the history of the Church who Consecrated men who were later recognized as bad bishops. They were not called non-bishops, nor were their consecrators called insane after the fact for Consecrating those men.