As we go through these installments we are repeatedly learning that in order to be a member of the Mystical Body of Christ which is nothing more and nothing less than the Roman Catholic Church we must submit to legitimate ecclesiastical authority.  The vast majority of authentic [“traditional”] Catholics have been taught to treat whom they believe to be a valid Pope as a mere figurehead and to parse every word from his mouth and every writing from his pen and decide for themselves if what he teaches is Catholic or not.  They are also taught that they do not have to obey anything they bind on the Church.  This is not Catholic teaching.  We must submit to all a valid Pope binds on the Church and authoritatively teaches.  This would include councils, Sacraments, the liturgy and canon law.  If you do not submit to what you believe a valid Pope binds on the Church you put your soul in peril.  This is true even if he is not Pope but you believe he is.  Of course you need to be aware of the dogma that teaches this fact or at least not be culpably ignorant for not knowing it before you can be held accountable for deliberately not submitting to one you believe to be a valid Pope:

Furthermore, we declare, we proclaim, we define that it is absolutely necessary for salvation that every human creature be subject to the Roman Pontiff. (UNAM SANCTAM, Pope Boniface VIII)

Now if your well-formed conscience does not allow to go to invalidly “ordained” “Priests” to have your sins [not] absolved by him or to receive the invalidly “consecrated” “Eucharist” from him or to put your soul in his hands at the moment of death then perhaps the “Popes” that foisted and maintain this nonsense upon those who are still duped are not Popes.  Just a thought.  Ya’ hearin’ me out der Catlics?

Another thing that has been foisted upon good willed Catholics is that our traditional Catholic Bishops are not formally apostolic successors.  For some reason they claim that since the non-bishops consecrated by non-bishops head territory and the validly consecrated Bishops consecrated by valid Bishops do not have territory that somehow they have lost their formal apostolic succession.  That’s correct, somehow the formal successors to the Apostles did not pass on formal apostolic succession when they preserved the Catholic faith because the heretical Novus Ordo Church occupies all the territory; and because no Pope expressly approved their consecrations.  In fact one they believed was Pope but did not submit to excommunicated them for consecrating Bishops against his will.  Ah the conundrum of authentic Catholics who force themselves to accept as head of their Church blatant public heretics.  When will they ever learn?

These poor mislead and sometimes obstinate Catholics who preach de fide all over the place that our traditional Catholic Bishops do not have formal apostolic succession will have to answer for needlessly confusing the faithful and for keeping the well intentioned home-aloners from the soul saving Sacraments.  Bishop’s Thuc, Lefebvre and Castro-Meyer had the Apostolic Mandate and passed it on.  The Novus Ordo Popes and territories have no effect whatsoever on the continuation of the formal Apostolic Succession.  They keep pointing to the Novus Ordo Church and say “the Traditional Catholic Bishops do not have jurisdiction.  You must have territory in order to have jurisdiction.  Therefore they are not formal successors of the Apostles.  They are basically irregular Sacrament machines.  There is no more real Catholic Church anymore because it is either hidden or irregular.  There is no real Apostolic Succession anymore because the real Successors of the Apostles are either hidden somewhere or are the Novus Ordo laymen that occupy the former Catholic Bishops offices and territory.”  As my friend the New Yorker says.  “Get outta here!!!”  

Anyhew.  Though submission to legitimate ecclesiastical authority is related to membership in the Church it is a topic that will not be delved into here as it has been thoroughly addressed by my friend Griff and should be read (and refuted if possible) by one and all.  By refute, I mean take direct quotes from him and show that they are wrong.  Good luck.

Now obedience is a different story and is where Griff and I disagree.  Based upon hands on experience and all the different and sometimes evil policies of our Catholic clergy I am convinced that nothing can be bound on the Church without being approved of by or under a valid Pope.  Not having a valid Pope, and their own pride, is why all our clergy disagree with each other and split into different camps and can’t work with each other.   But the fact that the only Catholic Bishops we are aware of who minister to the only remaining Catholics are formal Successors to the Apostles is something that I do not believe has been legitimately refuted, let alone “condemned.”  

To conclude I would really appreciate it if those who do not submit to the one they believe to be Pope would quit scaring Catholics away from the Sacraments.  Capeesh?