I distinguish just fine because I distinguish according to the Catholic Church's teachings in the matter.
Fine. Tell me the difference between the penalties for committing a mortal sin, and the penalties for Heresy.
The difference is that the Church, because the sin is public, has attached the censure of excommunication to the sin of heresy. This means the heretic, while still having the obligations of practicing the Catholic faith i.e. still has to go to Mass on Sundays for example, but has lost the benefits of a Catholic i.e. cannot receive communion, cannot be Godparent, etc. - in short, the excommunicant is banned from participating in the community of the faithful due to his public sin.
You cannot impose this censure upon anyone, nor can I - in the case of the pope, no one can impose this censure upon him. If sedevacantists ever realize this, they will need to find another distraction to occupy their time with.
The issue is not me, after all, I am not guilty of creating this crisis. The issue is, (as if this were even possible) that unless the pope is officially proclaimed to have lost his office for the entire world to know (instead of a relatively minuscule number of sedevacantists), then no matter what he does, he is the pope, just as Pope St. Pius X and XII decreed.
I didn't say you created the crisis.
Please cite a teaching that says that a Pope can retain his Office if he has become a public heretic. Please cite a teaching that says a public heretic can attain the Office of the Papacy (what has happened since JXXIII). Remember to cite a teaching that has those words, because I can cite teachings to the opposite that have those words.
Far as I know, there are no teachings worded like that.
Although the dogma does state that it is altogether necessary that every human creature "be subject to the pope", not that "we must submit to the pope even when he wants us to do something that offends God" - as most sedevacantists foolishly insist.
The dogma teaches that we must be subject to the pope for our hope of salvation - sedevacantists add the exception; "unless you don't believe he is the pope" - they then make their exception to the dogma, dogma itself while insisting they're doing no such thing. How is it possible to argue the sedevacantist opinion at all when the sedevacantists hold such a position as that?
We cannot be subject to him if we opine he is not the pope - but per the dogma, we must be subject to him if we want to get to heaven. This is my main reason to believe he is the pope - I cannot get to heaven unless I am his subject. You and the sedevacantists are wholly content to have figured out how to get to heaven without being subject to him, the rest of us haven't figured out how you're able to do that, when it's something we know we cannot do.
The people were never bound to submit to the wishes of the pope in his errors. Look at it this way, you don't go along with those errors - why do you suppose most everyone else does?
First, these are not just private errors. Setting up an evil anti-mass and solemnly promulgating a heretical council are very much public. So is practicing these things and furthering these doctrines.
Second, the Pope is the unifying factor of faith in the Catholic Church. To be subject to him, affirms that he has the True faith and a Catholic is in communion with him.
So whether someone calls him a heretic or staunch defender of truth doesn't matter. If you call him pope you are in Catholic Communion with him no matter what you say.
You just don't get it.
There is nothing to stop a pope from setting up an evil mass and etc.
Per the OP, you, like so many who were taught the same error, do not understand what infallibility is - because you were taught that it is something which it is not.
All you need to do is believe reality, believe your own eyes and you will begin to see the truth of the matter. Per the dogma, no one gets to heaven unless they are the popes' subject. Period. There is no way around this no matter what you think because they did not leave any provisos whatsoever.
A couple of questions.
1. Is Francis a member of the Catholic Church?
2. Does he profess the true Faith?
No and no. That is my opinion and I'm sure that is also your opinion and likely is the opinion of everyone here at CI and likely 99.9% of the trad population on earth.
We can all together or individually jump up and down about it, stomp our feet, docuмent in triplicate each of his errors to serve as indisputable proof, have video evidence, take it to the Vatican, show it to the entire hierarchy, post it all on youtube, facebook, twitter and broadcast it on every TV, internet and radio channel on earth 24 hours a day for 10 years - and he would still be the pope. All everyone would have accomplished is a colossal waste of time while risking losing their soul in the process - for no reason at all.