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Traditional Catholic Faith => Crisis in the Church => Topic started by: SeanJohnson on May 04, 2019, 07:03:45 AM

Title: The Secundum Quid/Quoad Nos" Thesis
Post by: SeanJohnson on May 04, 2019, 07:03:45 AM
I didn't want this thesis to get buried, so took the liberty of re-posting it for Roman Theo in its own thread for further discussion, as I believe RT is on to something here.

I am particularly interested in discovering:

1) What do sedevacantists think of this thesis (i.e., because I don't think there is any theology contained in the Secundum Quid/Quoad Nos theory they would reject, but accepting it would make them no longer sedevacantists)?

2) Consequently, does the secundum quid/quoad nos thesis make sedevacantism unnecessary?



The Secundum Quid/Quoad Nos Thesis of Papal Occupancy
by
"Roman Theo"

"It is the common opinion of the canonists that a bishop, who has been legitimately appointed to an office by the Pope, will lose habitual jurisdiction by an act of external occult heresy (i.e., external heresy that no one, or almost no one, knows about); yet it is equally true that external occult heresy does not deprive a bishop of his office, or render his acts of jurisdiction invalid.  On the contrary, as long as the bishop is being tolerated (i.e., has not been legitimately removed from office), each and every act of jurisdiction he performs – related to both the internal and external forum - remains valid by virtue of ecclesia supplet.   In other words, although he lacks jurisdiction as a habit, he always exercises it validly as an act.

In the case of such a bishop, there is no difference as far as we are concerned (quoad nos), but there is a difference as far as he is concerned (quoad se). He lacks habitual jurisdiction, but those under him would nevertheless be bound to recognize him as holding the office, obey his licit commands, and the priests would be dependent upon him for their faculties.

Now, if something similar were to place in the case of a Pope who fell into heresy – that is, if Christ stripped him of his habitual jurisdiction yet supplied it when he performed juridical acts – it would follow that he would only be Pope secundum quid (in a qualified sense), not simplicitur (absolutely).  That is to say, 1) he would be Pope according to us (quoad nos); 2) we would be obliged to obey him in all legitimate commands (which would remain valid); 3) bishops would receive their jurisdiction from him (or by his appointment) and any law he established would have juridical force.  Yet, at the same time, when he was not performing an act of jurisdiction he would lack the habit (papal jurisdiction) that makes him Pope (the Pope is constituted as Pope by virtue of his jurisdiction).  In such a case, he would be Pope according to us (quoad nos) and secundum quid, but he would not truly be Pope in himself (quoad se) and simplicitur.  

Therefore, if the Bishops gathered to remove him from office, in reality, they would not truly be judging and deposing the Pope (since he lacks habitual jurisdiction), yet at the same time he would remain the legitimate Pope according to us (quoad nos) no less than if he were a faithful Pope, until he was legally removed from office, since all his acts of jurisdiction would remain valid.  

Moreover, the Pope quoad nos would be preserved from error when he defined a doctrine ex cathedra, no less than a faithful Pope. Here’s why:  Infallibility is a charism attached to the papal office and is only enjoyed by the Pope personally when he exercises the office by teaching ex cathedra (like supplied jurisdiction, papal infallibility is not a habit residing in the person, but is only engaged during the act of defining).  Now, since the Pope would legally retain the papal office until he was legally declared deposed, he would have a legal right to exercise the office; and if he exercised that legal right by defining a doctrine, the charism would certainly be engaged to prevent the possibility of error.  

In such a case, the doctrinal definition would be a legally valid act, by virtue of jurisdiction supplied by God in the performance of the act, and it would be an infallible act by virtue of the charism attached to the papal office, which the Pope quoad nos had the right to legally exercise.  

There’s more I could say, but I’ll leave it here for now.  Feedback is welcome.   I should also note that what I described is not The Material Pope Thesis, but rather what could be called The Pope ‘Secundum Quid’ and ‘Quoad Nos’ Thesis, According to the Hypothesis of Divinely Supplied Papal Jurisdiction (how’s that for a title?)."
Title: Re: The Secundum Quid/Quoad Nos" Thesis
Post by: SeanJohnson on May 04, 2019, 07:48:26 AM
Because I desire the widest and most intense possible scrutiny of this thesis, I have sent it to a broad cross-section of more than 20 SSPX, Resistance, and sedevacantist clergy, asking the following questions:

1) Is the secundum quid/quoad nos thesis of papal occupancy theologically sustainable?

2) If the thesis is theologically sustainable, is it theologically compelling (i.e., Does it represent obligatory Catholic doctrine)?
Title: Re: The Secundum Quid/Quoad Nos" Thesis
Post by: SeanJohnson on May 04, 2019, 07:58:09 AM
1st response comes from the sedevacantists: "There are no citations."

That's a legitimate critique, but then again, Roman Theo could not have known that I was going to pass his thesis around as a scholarly theological position (i.e., In his mind, he was just writing a forum post, and moving on).

Nevertheless, precisely because the thesis is worthy of further consideration, is there any chance, Roman Theo, that you could augment your post with citations (and also feel at liberty to expand upon the original if you think you can fortify it)?
Title: Re: The Secundum Quid/Quoad Nos" Thesis
Post by: SeanJohnson on May 04, 2019, 08:20:20 AM
An email received says that someone named Lazlo Sjiarto published a similar theory in the Angelus "several decades ago."

I am not familiar with this name, and nothing comes up in an internet search of his name or Angelus (i.e., pre-internet).

If anyone can provide any information (or ideally, the article referred to), it would be much appreciated.
Title: Re: The Secundum Quid/Quoad Nos" Thesis
Post by: SeanJohnson on May 04, 2019, 08:51:06 AM
From a Resistance priest:

"John of St Thomas and the Dominicans with him have mentioned this possibility.
There is also the distinction depositus/deponendus.
...and the distinction before and after a declaratory sentence.
for my part i would also add the distinction between validity and liceity.
distinctions can be abused, but when called for by reality itself, i support anyone who is making a correct one."
Title: Re: The Secundum Quid/Quoad Nos" Thesis
Post by: SeanJohnson on May 04, 2019, 09:07:50 AM
An email received says that someone named Lazlo Sjiarto published a similar theory in the Angelus "several decades ago."

I am not familiar with this name, and nothing comes up in an internet search of his name or Angelus (i.e., pre-internet).

If anyone can provide any information (or ideally, the article referred to), it would be much appreciated.

In 1995, Fr. Anthony Cekada wrote a article (soon after published as a booklet) titled Traditionalists, Infallibility, and the Pope, which advocated the sedevacantist position.

The SSPX response was an Angelus article published in October/1995 by Mr. Laszlo Szijarto which, Fr. Cekada says, made an argument similar to that of Roman Theo.

The article of Mr. Szijarto can be read here: http://www.catholicapologetics.info/modernproblems/currenterrors/sifting.htm (http://www.catholicapologetics.info/modernproblems/currenterrors/sifting.htm)

The rebuttal of Fr. Cekada can be read here: http://www.traditionalmass.org/articles/article.php?id=42&catname=10 (http://www.traditionalmass.org/articles/article.php?id=42&catname=10) (clean copy attached)

[NB: Mr. Szijarto later offered the following explanation against Fr. Cekada's contention: 

"What The Angelus published was NOT an "article".  Nor was it any "refutation" of Father Cekada's booklet.  It wasn't even a direct response.  I had a friend come up to me and tell me that he had read Father Cekada's booklet and had found it to be persuasive.  Knowing that I had backtracked from SVism myself, he asked me to explain WHY I had backed away from it.  I make NO direct references whatsoever to Father Cekada's pamphlet but was just explaining to MY FRIEND why I had back away from SVism.  This little essay wasn't polished, wasn't edited by me, nor did it constitute anything but an informally and hastily-compiled rough-draft letter to my friend.

Evidently my friend passed it around until it made its way to The Angelus.  The Angelus edited it, inserted many/most of the translations from Latin, and even SPELLED MY NAME WRONG.  It's Laszlo, not Lazlo.  I didn't even PUT MY NAME on this thing.  They never once contacted me before publishing it.  I founded out only after a different friend came up to me and "congratulated" me for the article.  I asked, "Huh?  What article?"  At no point did they contact me or get my permission to publish (and edit) it, and they KNEW where I was living at the time.

So that's the complete history of this thing from my end."]
Title: Re: The Secundum Quid/Quoad Nos" Thesis
Post by: forlorn on May 04, 2019, 10:30:58 AM
1) As someone who's veered between sedevacantism and sedeprivationism in thought these last number of years, I personally think this thesis makes the most sense out of any I heard in explaining how we could have a heretic on the Seat of St. Peter and still have a valid pope, hierarchy, law etc. But it still falls into the same problem every non-sedevacantist position in that it allows for theoretically(and close to in actual fact these days) the error hierarchy to fall into heresy. All the bishops could be replaced with heretics who wouldn't depose each other on account of sharing the beliefs. You could argue that God's providence would prevent this, but already a plurality of cardinals and many, many bishops are saying things that would've outed them as blatant heretics in the past, so the scenario above is becoming more of a reality than a theoretical possibility. Because of this, even this thesis falls into the same indefectibility problem. Obviously you can easily say sedevacantism does too, since it doesn't even *have* a hierarchy besides a couple random independent bishops, but this thesis is still very troubling because of that.

2) Dimonds and co. will argue that sedevacantism somehow doesn't contradict the indefectibility of the Church but that this does. I don't agree with that idea, but that's what I imagine a large majority of sedevacantists would say in response to this thesis.


Title: Re: The Secundum Quid/Quoad Nos" Thesis
Post by: Your Friend Colin on May 04, 2019, 11:12:28 AM
Thanks for posting this, Sean. I’m eager to hear what the resistance and sedevacantists have to say.
Title: Re: The Secundum Quid/Quoad Nos" Thesis
Post by: Pax Vobis on May 04, 2019, 12:18:54 PM

Quote
The Angelus edited it, inserted many/most of the translations from Latin, and even SPELLED MY NAME WRONG.  It's Laszlo, not Lazlo.  I didn't even PUT MY NAME on this thing.  They never once contacted me before publishing it.  I founded out only after a different friend came up to me and "congratulated" me for the article.  I asked, "Huh?  What article?"  At no point did they contact me or get my permission to publish (and edit) it, and they KNEW where I was living at the time.
That's sad.  He could've sued their socks off.  
Title: Re: The Secundum Quid/Quoad Nos" Thesis
Post by: Clemens Maria on May 04, 2019, 01:44:26 PM
An email received says that someone named Lazlo Sjiarto published a similar theory in the Angelus "several decades ago."

I am not familiar with this name, and nothing comes up in an internet search of his name or Angelus (i.e., pre-internet).

If anyone can provide any information (or ideally, the article referred to), it would be much appreciated.
He is near.
Title: Re: The Secundum Quid/Quoad Nos" Thesis
Post by: SeanJohnson on May 04, 2019, 02:38:01 PM
He is near.

Because the author's name was misspelled, I did not initially recognize it.

Subsequently, I did, and since I gathered the author seemed to want to remain semi-anonymous, I deliberately withheld the link/attribution from his response which I quoted earlier: He deserves the prerogative to make an appearance or not; I don't want to force his hand.

In any case, Mr. Szijarto's article is excellent (even if the published form is not as polished as he might have made it, had he known it was going to be published, it is still pretty shiny).

One of the differences between the two articles of Roman Theo and Mr. Szijarto, is that while both mention the secundum quid/quoad nos distinction, the latter article sought to be a broader explanation (addressing the sedevacantist theses from several different vantages, per the context explained previously in the letter to his friend), while the former article of Roman Theo sought to go into more depth on this specific point.

Both are excellent, and complimentary to each other.
Title: Re: The "Secundum Quid/Quoad Nos" Thesis
Post by: claudel on May 04, 2019, 03:23:30 PM
… I desire the widest and most intense possible scrutiny of this thesis …
Thank you for starting this thread, Sean. I had not looked at the "Prominent theologians" thread from which you excerpted RomanTheo's thesis, but having been impressed by his thoroughgoing correction of X in the "New rite" thread—a correction that X's stubbornness prevents him from accepting—I am happy to read more of his comments.

Permit me to add a few comments of my own. Being mere obiter dicta, they won't advance the discussion.

(1) I am not surprised that you find RT's thesis appealing, but I am a bit surprised that you seem to be encountering it here for the first time. I say this, not with any implication of disrespect, but simply because it is a thesis that, minus its present name, I encountered as long ago as the early sixties in one of the required theology courses at Manhattan College (perhaps even the freshman-year course, as the sophomore course was exclusively biblical theology). The point, though, is less the time differential than that the thesis was presented as part and parcel of the accepted theological understanding of the doctrinal relation of a cleric with ordinary jurisdiction to the Church office he held.

Put otherwise, this is not a matter I had previously given much thought to (i.e., as debatable or controversial, let alone novel) simply because it was something I assumed that everyone with a modicuм of sound catechesis took for granted. Not for the first time, I have evidently assumed too much.

(2) You wrote the following in the "Prominent theologians" thread:

Quote
Part of me thinks it is better to have a Francis in Rome, than a Pope Burke or Pope Mueller, who would emanate a false "traditionalism" (by comparison). Francis's blatant and overt heretical pontificate threatens to burn down the conciliar house, so they want him out. But a Burke or Mueller could do lots more damage over the long haul by pretending to reject error even as he promotes it much more stealthily.
Just so. Indeed, I think you will agree that we have already witnessed this phenomenon. It was for the very reason you outline that Benedict XVI's faux sympathy did Tradition much more harm than John Paul II's open antagonism did. No one should forget that the smells-and-bells mob at Rorate Caeli and St. Hugh of Cluny was so agog over Benedict that I wouldn't be surprised if they had bobblehead dolls of him on the dashboard. Also, from the first reading, I saw Summorum pontificuм as a major step backward from Quattuor abhinc annos of 1984. SP was confected of cheap talk and sloppy sentiment, and the separate instruction to the bishops effectively undercut everything that the motu dangled before its hungry-to-believe audience. I remain puzzled that so few Trads, hard and soft alike, seem to agree.

Still, to return to Francis, there is a case to be made that he should not be seen as better than, say, a Burke unless he turns out to rock the foundations of the conciliar temple. On my soberer days, I don't see that happening save amongst the chattering classes.

(3) Apropos the Angelus article by "Laszlo," as the comments you quote above are excerpted in their entirety from a CI thread of four or five years back, I don't think it's a violation of anyone's privacy or confidence to note that a careful search through the archives will satsfy a reader's curiosity as to his identity.
Title: Re: The Secundum Quid/Quoad Nos" Thesis
Post by: Pax Vobis on May 04, 2019, 04:01:43 PM
Pope Benedict was akin to President Bush Jr, who did more to tear down our privacy laws and make the US into a police state than any president since the fake catholic Lincoln during the cινιℓ ωαr.  People hail both Benedict and Bush as “conservatives”.  

Pope Francis is akin to Ob@ma.  Agenda in plain site.   

Title: Re: The Secundum Quid/Quoad Nos" Thesis
Post by: SeanJohnson on May 04, 2019, 04:17:39 PM
Hello Claudel-

Thank you for your obiter dicta, which, precisely as you predicted, did not at all advance the discussion.

But allow me to meander with you:

1) What is the purpose of passing a drive-by comment about the Roman Theo vs. Fr. Cekada thread on the new rite of episcopal consecration (which you inaccurately describe as "X" vs Roman Theo; the former is only keeping the latter on point, but the theology is Fr. Cekada's), lest it be some kind of passive-aggressive shot?  

As far as I can tell, that thread has nothing to do with this one.  

The only relevance I can make of it is that, since you know me to also entertain doubts regarding the validity of the form of the new rite, you are trying to take out two birds with one stone?

But in order to do that, you must be able to accomplish that which Roman Theo has thus far been unable to do:

You must explain how the equivocal phrase "spiritus principalis" can somehow unequivocally signify the conferral of episcopal orders.  "X" is exactly on point in noting that, "whatever else this equivocal phrase might signify, the conferral of episcopal orders is not among them" (which once again, is actually Fr. Cekada's argument).

If you believe Roman Theo has done so, please quote his answer/explanation.


2) As for having mastered the secundum quid/quoad nos distinction as applied to the sedevacantist question in the early 1960's (i.e., before the issue ever arose) as part of your basic catechism class, I acknowledge this may make you the greatest theologian currently living. However, if you are tracking the reactions of other sedevacantist and R&R parties, there seems to be a general acknowledgement of the ground breaking nature of Roman Theo's thesis.  

Yes, JST said it all before him, but nobody has applied it to the current situation quite like RT has.  

If, therefore, I am ignorant for not having come to the knowledge of RT's argument before now, at least I seem to have plenty of company (many of whom have been battling on the issue for 10 years or more), and shame on RT for regurgitating such a common and redundant argument.


3) As regards Mr. Szijarto, if you are determined to "out" him (as you seem to be), there really isn't anything I can do to stop you.

So what's really gnawing at you?

Is it still nothing more than that you found Fr. Robinson's book profound, while I find it modernist, and this is all a delayed, melancholic renascence?

That I find evolution destructive of faith, and you find it a non-issue?

Explain your crotchety attitude, man!

Title: Re: The Secundum Quid/Quoad Nos" Thesis
Post by: forlorn on May 04, 2019, 04:25:57 PM
Pope Benedict was akin to President Bush Jr, who did more to tear down our privacy laws and make the US into a police state than any president since the fake catholic Lincoln during the cινιℓ ωαr.  People hail both Benedict and Bush as “conservatives”.  

Pope Francis is akin to Ob@ma.  Agenda in plain site.  
Why are the Confederates seen as the good guys here? Over 90% of Jєωs were slave owners, and almost half of all slave owners were Jєωs despite Jєωs being less than 1% of the population. Only the tiniest fraction of 1% of whites owned slaves. Slavery protected Jєωιѕн profits, and slavery was banned by the Church. Why anyone would want to preserve such an institution is beyond me.
Title: Re: The Secundum Quid/Quoad Nos" Thesis
Post by: SeanJohnson on May 04, 2019, 04:27:15 PM
And another thread derailed.
Title: Re: The "Secundum Quid/Quoad Nos" Thesis
Post by: claudel on May 04, 2019, 05:14:11 PM
So what's really gnawing at you?
I might ask you the same question, Sean, but as you're determined to pick a fight where none was sought, I shan't bother. Instead, I simply repeat what I said before: thank you for calling attention to this comment of RomanTheo.
Title: Re: The "Secundum Quid/Quoad Nos" Thesis
Post by: SeanJohnson on May 04, 2019, 05:18:45 PM
I might ask you the same question, Sean, but as you're determined to pick a fight where none was sought, I shan't bother. Instead, I simply repeat what I said before: thank you for calling attention to this comment of RomanTheo.

I thought it was you who was picking the fight, but if I have misunderstood, or been thin-skinned, then I apologize, and should be very happy to maintain our amity, old friend.

Again, my apologies.
Title: Re: The Secundum Quid/Quoad Nos" Thesis
Post by: Ladislaus on May 04, 2019, 05:44:55 PM
Yes, I am the aforementioned Laszlo Szijarto.  I have revealed my true identity several times here on CI, so it's not any kind of secret.
Title: Re: The Secundum Quid/Quoad Nos" Thesis
Post by: Ladislaus on May 04, 2019, 06:11:13 PM
Indeed, it was this encounter with a friend of mine who felt that Pius IX was not a legitimate pope that providentially led me back from dogmatic sedevacantism.

I had to discern what principle would make it wrong for this man to reject Pius IX but OK for him to reject Paul VI.  I came to the conclusion, very prayerfully and with a lot of pain (due to my dogmatic adherence to sedevacantism ... to the point of extreme bitter zeal), that you simply couldn't allow individual armchair theologian to reject any given pope according to his private judgment.  So then who COULD decide?  My mentor in sedevacantism criticized R&R for Magisterium-sifting, but then I ran into this gentleman who was "sifting" Popes.  So what's the difference?, I asked myself.

You can see how this "article" starts degenerating after a couple paragraphs.  Initially, after a few paragraphs I had ONLY the Latin in there because I had just made one pass through this thing.  And from that point of the docuмent, I was more jotting down thoughts rather than attempting to write a coherent piece.  So the Angelus editors translated most of the Latin, and made a few mistakes.  Father Cekada later excoriated me for those "bad translations" as well as for "peppering" the thing with Latin quotes to make myself sound erudite.
Title: Re: The Secundum Quid/Quoad Nos" Thesis
Post by: ByzCat3000 on May 04, 2019, 06:48:28 PM
Indeed, it was this encounter with a friend of mine who felt that Pius IX was not a legitimate pope that providentially led me back from dogmatic sedevacantism.

I had to discern what principle would make it wrong for this man to reject Pius IX but OK for him to reject Paul VI.  I came to the conclusion, very prayerfully and with a lot of pain (due to my dogmatic adherence to sedevacantism ... to the point of extreme bitter zeal), that you simply couldn't allow individual armchair theologian to reject any given pope according to his private judgment.  So then who COULD decide?  My mentor in sedevacantism criticized R&R for Magisterium-sifting, but then I ran into this gentleman who was "sifting" Popes.  So what's the difference?, I asked myself.

You can see how this "article" starts degenerating after a couple paragraphs.  Initially, after a few paragraphs I had ONLY the Latin in there because I had just made one pass through this thing.  And from that point of the docuмent, I was more jotting down thoughts rather than attempting to write a coherent piece.  So the Angelus editors translated most of the Latin, and made a few mistakes.  Father Cekada later excoriated me for those "bad translations" as well as for "peppering" the thing with Latin quotes to make myself sound erudite.
Maybe I'm just dumb but I'm still confused.

I guess I just don't see a difference between the level of arbitrary between "You can reject Paul VI, but you can't reject Pius IX" and "You can doubt Paul VI but can't doubt Pius IX."

Title: Re: The Secundum Quid/Quoad Nos" Thesis
Post by: Ladislaus on May 04, 2019, 07:20:07 PM
I guess I just don't see a difference between the level of arbitrary between "You can reject Paul VI, but you can't reject Pius IX" and "You can doubt Paul VI but can't doubt Pius IX."

As I've explained before, it's because there is no universal peaceful acceptance of the Vatican II prelates.  Not a single living sane Catholic soul doubted the legitimacy of Pius IX or Pius XII; that's what is known as Universal Peaceful Acceptance.  It is Universal Peaceful Acceptance which establishes dogmatic fact.
Title: Re: The Secundum Quid/Quoad Nos" Thesis
Post by: ByzCat3000 on May 04, 2019, 07:32:54 PM
As I've explained before, it's because there is no universal peaceful acceptance of the Vatican II prelates.  Not a single living sane Catholic soul doubted the legitimacy of Pius IX or Pius XII; that's what is known as Universal Peaceful Acceptance.  It is Universal Peaceful Acceptance which establishes dogmatic fact.
1: Why on the same reasoning could you not be a "dogmatic" Sedevacantist?  Would it be because there isn't a universal peaceful *rejection* of these same prelates?

2: Did anyone doubt that John XXIII was pope during his lifetime?  What about Paul VI?  And if nobody did, doesn't that raise serious question of whether one can doubt those pontificates, using the same reasoning?
Title: Re: The Secundum Quid/Quoad Nos" Thesis
Post by: Ladislaus on May 04, 2019, 07:36:32 PM
Did anyone doubt that John XXIII was pope during his lifetime?

Not to my knowledge.
Title: Re: The Secundum Quid/Quoad Nos" Thesis
Post by: Ladislaus on May 04, 2019, 07:37:59 PM
What about Paul VI?

Yes, many either rejected him or doubted him (including +Lefebvre).
Title: Re: The Secundum Quid/Quoad Nos" Thesis
Post by: Ladislaus on May 04, 2019, 07:39:06 PM
Why on the same reasoning could you not be a "dogmatic" Sedevacantist?

Simple, because only the Church can determine anything dogmatically.
Title: Re: The Secundum Quid/Quoad Nos" Thesis
Post by: ByzCat3000 on May 04, 2019, 07:44:51 PM
OK so I'm following most of this so far.  My main question/inconsistency I'm seeing here is, how then is it not heretical to deny or doubt the legitimacy of John XXIII?  I have no particular strong interest/investment in pushing that conclusion, but it seems like your internal logic would lead to a necessity of accepting John XXIII, and a belief that its heretical to doubt or deny it.  That many people doubted his pontificate after he was already dead seems irrelevant, per your reasoning.  Thoughts?
Title: Re: The Secundum Quid/Quoad Nos" Thesis
Post by: X on May 04, 2019, 08:07:26 PM
I would dispute the assertion that the existence of 40,000 (at best) sedes/doubters suffices to call into question universal peaceful acceptance in a Church of 1.3 billion.

That’s like 0.000003% of membership not peacefully accepting, which would not suffice to upset moral unanimity.

If you would say, “Yeah, but those are all conciliarists,” then I would respond that, so long as they are members of the Church (and most theologians would opine material heretics are not severed from membership), then the fact that they are conciliarists is not relevant.
Title: Re: The Secundum Quid/Quoad Nos" Thesis
Post by: Ladislaus on May 04, 2019, 08:29:25 PM
I would dispute the assertion that the existence of 40,000 (at best) sedes/doubters suffices to call into question universal peaceful acceptance in a Church of 1.3 billion.

That’s like 0.000003% of membership not peacefully accepting, which would not suffice to upset moral unanimity.

If you would say, “Yeah, but those are all conciliarists,” then I would respond that, so long as they are members of the Church (and most theologians would opine material heretics are not severed from membership), then the fact that they are conciliarists is not relevant.

Universal Acceptance isn't about math.  Of those who hold the Traditional faith, the vast majority have some doubt and do not accept their legitimacy with the requisite certainty of faith.

Have you seen the polls taken by the Novus Ordo?  At least 95% ... by their own numbers ... are heretics who no longer have the faith.  That's absolutely relevant.  Now Francis Bergoglio has gone so far as to elicit accusations of heresy from even within the Novus Ordo.
Title: Re: The Secundum Quid/Quoad Nos" Thesis
Post by: Ladislaus on May 04, 2019, 08:31:14 PM
OK so I'm following most of this so far.  My main question/inconsistency I'm seeing here is, how then is it not heretical to deny or doubt the legitimacy of John XXIII?  I have no particular strong interest/investment in pushing that conclusion, but it seems like your internal logic would lead to a necessity of accepting John XXIII, and a belief that its heretical to doubt or deny it.  That many people doubted his pontificate after he was already dead seems irrelevant, per your reasoning.  Thoughts?

John XXIII is disputed even among sedevacantists.  It's not even particularly relevant, since John XXIII taught no error to the Universal Church.

There were, however, those close to the 1958 conclave who have alleged the his election was illegitimate.
Title: Re: The Secundum Quid/Quoad Nos" Thesis
Post by: Clemens Maria on May 04, 2019, 10:42:17 PM
John XXIII is disputed even among sedevacantists.  It's not even particularly relevant, since John XXIII taught no error to the Universal Church.

There were, however, those close to the 1958 conclave who have alleged the his election was illegitimate.
He also suppressed the cult of St Philomena.  Pope St Pius X had already condemned those who would cast doubt on her existence and/or sanctity.  He could do that because she had already been canonized and it is the common teaching of theologians that canonizations are infallible.  So casting doubt on her existence or sanctity is tantamount to saying that the Church can err in its solemn declarations.  Furthermore, many thousands of Catholics openly resisted J23 in this suppression as well as the suppression of the cult of St Christopher.  Seems like the R&R started before +Lefebvre.
Title: Re: The Secundum Quid/Quoad Nos" Thesis
Post by: X on May 04, 2019, 11:07:48 PM
Universal Acceptance isn't about math.  Of those who hold the Traditional faith, the vast majority have some doubt and do not accept their legitimacy with the requisite certainty of faith.

Have you seen the polls taken by the Novus Ordo?  At least 95% ... by their own numbers ... are heretics who no longer have the faith.  That's absolutely relevant.  Now Francis Bergoglio has gone so far as to elicit accusations of heresy from even within the Novus Ordo.

Universal acceptance isn't about math?

Then to remain logical, you must concur that so long as 1 person objected to the legitimacy of the papal claimant (say, Pius IX in 1864), universal acceptance would be lacking, and said papacy would not be a dogmatic fact.

Since I know you would not concur with such an absurd conclusion (which you disputed in your article) -but which is nevertheless justified by your logic- it should indicate you are not correct.

As regards the poor quality of faith held by 1.25 billion of the 1.3 billion Catholics in the world who accept Francis as pope, I have already pre-empted recourse to that argument by noting that however faulty their doctrine may be, unless they have become public heretics, covert material heretics (most probably) retain membership in the Church, and consequently, they remain Catholics who peaceably accept Francis as pope.  

Consequently, the conclusion must remain that Francis' papacy is a dogmatic fact (and therefore assenting to that fact is obligatory).

The proportion of those who question the legitimacy of Francis's pontificate is so miniscule and negligable as to be virtually unknown.

It is like pouring an eye dropper into the ocean, or dropping a grain of sand in the Sahara Dessert.

Conversely, if you look at those historical examples (like the GWS), where dogmatic fact was not established precisely because huge percentages (e.g., 30-60% of the Church, including the divided hierarchy) were in disagreement over the legitimacy of the papal claimants, there is really no proportionate comparison to today's situation.

The difference between 0.000029% and 30-60% is the difference between peaceful acceptance/dogmatic fact and its opposite.
Title: Re: The Secundum Quid/Quoad Nos" Thesis
Post by: Pax Vobis on May 04, 2019, 11:08:08 PM
When did the “Siri Thesis” take off?  Was this during or after J23’s papacy?
Title: Re: The Secundum Quid/Quoad Nos" Thesis
Post by: ByzCat3000 on May 05, 2019, 12:35:29 AM
Universal acceptance isn't about math?

Then to remain logical, you must concur that so long as 1 person objected to the legitimacy of the papal claimant (say, Pius IX in 1864), universal acceptance would be lacking, and said papacy would not be a dogmatic fact.

Since I know you would not concur with such an absurd conclusion (which you disputed in your article) -but which is nevertheless justified by your logic- it should indicate you are not correct.

As regards the poor quality of faith held by 1.25 billion of the 1.3 billion Catholics in the world who accept Francis as pope, I have already pre-empted recourse to that argument by noting that however faulty their doctrine may be, unless they have become public heretics, covert material heretics (most probably) retain membership in the Church, and consequently, they remain Catholics who peaceably accept Francis as pope.  

Consequently, the conclusion must remain that Francis' papacy is a dogmatic fact (and therefore assenting to that fact is obligatory).

The proportion of those who question the legitimacy of Francis's pontificate is so miniscule and negligable as to be virtually unknown.

It is like pouring an eye dropper into the ocean, or dropping a grain of sand in the Sahara Dessert.

Conversely, if you look at those historical examples (like the GWS), where dogmatic fact was not established precisely because huge percentages (e.g., 30-60% of the Church, including the divided hierarchy) were in disagreement over the legitimacy of the papal claimants, there is really no proportionate comparison to today's situation.

The difference between 0.000029% and 30-60% is the difference between peaceful acceptance/dogmatic fact and its opposite.
He could argue moral unanimity, though I don't know what exactly that would entail.  Though on the flip side, I doubt anyone could even prove that even one person said Pius IX was an antipope during his lifetime.

Here's my big question mark though.

Say 95% of Novus Ordos really do deny at least one dogma of the faith, while knowing its a dogma.  Say that makes them automatically not Catholic.

OK, are all the Trad Catholics in the world still more knowledgeable than 5% of the Novus Ordo?  TBH I don't know for sure.  But I have serious doubts about that.  There are a billion people in the world claiming to be Catholic.  5% of that is still 50 million. Whereas I think there are like 1 million or so Catholics going to SSPX chapels, and probably even less going to Resistance and Sedevacantist chapels.  I'm willing to admit to having some non zero amount of doubt about the recent popes myself, though I certainly think it would need to be the Church, and not me, to declare them invalid.  But I have about a dozen friends who went to the same tiny liberal arts school that I did, who converted, who all believe every single dogma of the Church, yet I don't think even ask the question of whether these guys are popes, or ever have.  Sedevacantism is unthinkable to them, yet dogmatically they're completely Catholic.

If you (X) are right that all of these people count as Catholic, I realize that increases the moral unanimity even more.  But even if Ladislaus is right, I still question whether that's enough to attain the desired result.

Title: Re: The Secundum Quid/Quoad Nos" Thesis
Post by: ByzCat3000 on May 05, 2019, 12:54:12 AM
I meant "numerous" not "knowledgeable".  ie. I'm wondering if conservative NOs are a moral consensus of the Church, even by Ladislaus' metric.
Title: Re: The Secundum Quid/Quoad Nos" Thesis
Post by: forlorn on May 05, 2019, 04:33:23 AM
I would dispute the assertion that the existence of 40,000 (at best) sedes/doubters suffices to call into question universal peaceful acceptance in a Church of 1.3 billion.

That’s like 0.000003% of membership not peacefully accepting, which would not suffice to upset moral unanimity.

If you would say, “Yeah, but those are all conciliarists,” then I would respond that, so long as they are members of the Church (and most theologians would opine material heretics are not severed from membership), then the fact that they are conciliarists is not relevant.
I think multiple Archbishops openly doubting your Pontificate and calling you the founder of a false religion in Rome is enough to disrupt Universal Peaceful Acceptance. The stature of the men is more important than the numbers. 
Title: Re: The Secundum Quid/Quoad Nos" Thesis
Post by: X on May 05, 2019, 05:39:18 AM
I think multiple Archbishops openly doubting your Pontificate and calling you the founder of a false religion in Rome is enough to disrupt Universal Peaceful Acceptance. The stature of the men is more important than the numbers.

Multiple archbishops doubting your pontificate?

Who are these archbishops?

I never heard of them.

Of the 6,000+ bishops currently in the Church, can you name a single one disputing Francis’s legitimacy?

I’d say 0/6,000 is pretty darn peaceful acceptance!
Title: Re: The Secundum Quid/Quoad Nos" Thesis
Post by: X on May 05, 2019, 05:44:04 AM
He could argue moral unanimity, though I don't know what exactly that would entail.  Though on the flip side, I doubt anyone could even prove that even one person said Pius IX was an antipope during his lifetime.

Here's my big question mark though.

Say 95% of Novus Ordos really do deny at least one dogma of the faith, while knowing its a dogma.  Say that makes them automatically not Catholic.

OK, are all the Trad Catholics in the world still more knowledgeable than 5% of the Novus Ordo?  TBH I don't know for sure.  But I have serious doubts about that.  There are a billion people in the world claiming to be Catholic.  5% of that is still 50 million. Whereas I think there are like 1 million or so Catholics going to SSPX chapels, and probably even less going to Resistance and Sedevacantist chapels.  I'm willing to admit to having some non zero amount of doubt about the recent popes myself, though I certainly think it would need to be the Church, and not me, to declare them invalid.  But I have about a dozen friends who went to the same tiny liberal arts school that I did, who converted, who all believe every single dogma of the Church, yet I don't think even ask the question of whether these guys are popes, or ever have.  Sedevacantism is unthinkable to them, yet dogmatically they're completely Catholic.

If you (X) are right that all of these people count as Catholic, I realize that increases the moral unanimity even more.  But even if Ladislaus is right, I still question whether that's enough to attain the desired result.

Moral unanimity is MY argument.

0.000028% rejection = 0% rejection = peaceful acceptance.
Title: Re: The Secundum Quid/Quoad Nos" Thesis
Post by: forlorn on May 05, 2019, 07:02:30 AM
Moral unanimity is MY argument.

0.000028% rejection = 0% rejection = peaceful acceptance.
He didn't say it wasn't your argument. He was agreeing with you and saying that even if Ladislaus is right that 95% of NOers are heretics to the point where they're no longer Catholic, that 5% of NOers still dwarf Trads to the point that those 5% accepting the pope would still count as moral unanimity.

Personally I think the importance and high standing of figures like Lefebvre and Thuc is enough to break moral unanimity, since I think the status/rank of those who doubt the pope is more important than pure numbers, but I can see ByzCat's point.
Title: Re: The Secundum Quid/Quoad Nos" Thesis
Post by: X on May 05, 2019, 07:28:59 AM
He didn't say it wasn't your argument. He was agreeing with you and saying that even if Ladislaus is right that 95% of NOers are heretics to the point where they're no longer Catholic, that 5% of NOers still dwarf Trads to the point that those 5% accepting the pope would still count as moral unanimity.

Personally I think the importance and high standing of figures like Lefebvre and Thuc is enough to break moral unanimity, since I think the status/rank of those who doubt the pope is more important than pure numbers, but I can see ByzCat's point.

Ah, thank you.  I misread his post.

As regards the issue of moral unanimity/peaceable acceptance, you seem to be advocating a "quality over quantity" conception.

But that notion would stand the very notion of peaceable acceptance on its head:

99.9992% of the Church could reject the legitimacy of a papal claimant, but a single bishop of high stature could recognize him, and thereby satisfy "peacable acceptance" even amidst a universal rejection.

This illustrates that "peaceable acceptance" is indeed considered from a quantitative (not qualitative) vantage.

Title: Re: The Secundum Quid/Quoad Nos" Thesis
Post by: forlorn on May 05, 2019, 08:10:49 AM
Ah, thank you.  I misread his post.

As regards the issue of moral unanimity/peaceable acceptance, you seem to be advocating a "quality over quantity" conception.

But that notion would stand the very notion of peaceable acceptance on its head:

99.9992% of the Church could reject the legitimacy of a papal claimant, but a single bishop of high stature could recognize him, and thereby satisfy "peacable acceptance" even amidst a universal rejection.

This illustrates that "peaceable acceptance" is indeed considered from a quantitative (not qualitative) vantage.
You're right, you have me beat there. 

There is still the issue however that a clear majority of its hierarchy and followers haven fallen to heresy and teach, as Bishop Williamson calls it, "a false religion". As more and more of the hierarchy embrace and teach greater and greater error, and use doubtful Sacraments, at what point does it stop being the moral unanimity of the Church? If the hierarchy who elects and recognises you abandons the Church, then when does it stop being the Church and start being the "false religion" that recognises you?
Title: Re: The Secundum Quid/Quoad Nos" Thesis
Post by: X on May 05, 2019, 07:52:15 PM
I was sent this excellent resource via email:

https://lumenscholasticuм.wordpress.com/2019/05/05/bouix-on-the-pope-heretic/?fbclid=IwAR1gzqaNrlRHPOc4vYjWQKRWp84YStjXKh20ia63gSy6TIp_FDqKsDFeLxg (https://lumenscholasticuм.wordpress.com/2019/05/05/bouix-on-the-pope-heretic/?fbclid=IwAR1gzqaNrlRHPOc4vYjWQKRWp84YStjXKh20ia63gSy6TIp_FDqKsDFeLxg)


Bouix on the pope heretic
by Gerardus Maiella
Dominique Bouix, Tractatus de papa, ubi et de concilio oecuмenico, vol. II , pars IIIa, cap. iii, p. 653ff (https://books.google.com/books?id=PgJRAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA653).

N.B. With the exception of one instance, marked [Auth.], all footnotes have been inserted by the translator.

A .pdf version of this may be found here. (https://lumenscholasticuм.files.wordpress.com/2019/05/bouix.-de-papa-iiia-pars-c.-iii.-de-casu-papc3a6-hc3a6retici.pdf)



CHAPTER III

CONCERNING THE CASE OF A POPE HERETIC. — NEITHER IN THIS CASE IS THE POPE SUBJECTED TO THE COUNCIL.

Preliminary notes. — 1° The case of heresy regarding the supreme Pontiffs is not understood to be that in which one of them, defining ex officio some dogma of faith, would define error. In this manner, no Roman Pontiff can ever be a heretic, on account of the infallibility conceded to him teaching ex cathedra, which we have proved as certain and absolutely to be held, in the second part of the present treatise. But we speak only of the case in which a Pope, as a private doctor, were to believe and pertinaciously to propound something contrary to any evident or defined article of faith, which is proper to heresy. — 2° This case is confidently invoked by the adversaries, that is, the followers of the Gallican system, in order that they might conclude that the council is superior to the Pope. Thus, for example, they argue: the Pope, even if he cannot teach heresy ex cathedra, at least as a private doctor can become a heretic: but it is necessary that a Pope heretic be able to be deposed by a general council, and hence that the council have right over the Pope: therefore in this case, at least, the Pope is subjected to the council. The major of this syllogism, that is, that there can be a case of a Pope heretic, is denied by many catholic authors, amongst whom is Albert Pighius (Hierarchiæ ecclesiasticæ assertio, lib. IV, c. viii (https://books.google.com/books?id=uWhWhbJTZAgC&pg=PA241)); whose opinion is not at all dependent upon trifling reasons, such that it prevents by itself the argumentation of the adversaries from being destructive. Now, the minor, that is, that in the case of a Pope heretic there belongs to the council a right over the Pope who here and now is Pope, is rejected as certainly erroneous in the common opinion of catholic doctors. Certainly, in the times of the council of Constance, when this question began to be agitated, and even for some time after, one can find in some authors, otherwise catholic, not a few things less considerately said; as customarily happens whenever a question recently sprung up is subjected to disputations. But afterward, all approved authors have with common opinion taught that it is certain and absolutely to be held, that in the aforesaid case (supposing that it is possible), the Pope, unless he should already have fallen from the papacy through heresy, is not subjected to the council. They differ in this, whether the Pope is ipso facto through heresy deposed [depositus], or whether he is to be deposed [deponendus], or finally whether he is neither deposed nor to be deposed [nec depositus nec deponendus]. But in this threefold opinion it is equally denied that any act of jurisdiction can be exercised by the council over the Pope. Regarding the first and third, it is clear of itself; if according to the first, the Pope is no longer Pope, and hence the council, in judging him, judges not the Pope, but an ex-Pope; and according to the third, he cannot be judged by the council, nor deposed. And according to the second opinion, he indeed can and ought to be deposed, but through a mere declaration of his heresy; which declaration is not an act of jurisdiction over the Pope; but, when it has been laid down, the Pontiff is deposed by Christ himself; just as, when he has been legitimately elected, he is created by Christ himself. These things having first been noted down, we shall first explain the various opinions of the catholic doctors, who concord in denying to the council any authority over the Pope. Then we shall confute the erroneous opinion, which subjects the Pope to the council on account of the aforesaid case of heresy.


§1. — The various opinions of the catholic doctors are expounded, who concord in denying to the council any authority over the Pope in the case of heresy.

THE FIRST OPINION which denies that there can be a case of a Pope heretic. — What reasons upon which this opinion depends is expounded thus in a few words by Fr. Martin of the Society of Jesus: « It can be said that the Roman Pontiff cannot be a heretic even privately: from these words of Christ: I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not, etc.,[1] (https://lumenscholasticuм.wordpress.com/2019/05/05/bouix-on-the-pope-heretic/?fbclid=IwAR1gzqaNrlRHPOc4vYjWQKRWp84YStjXKh20ia63gSy6TIp_FDqKsDFeLxg#_ftn1) which, although they pertain directly to Peter as a public doctor of the Church, yet when taken simply, express also this privilege, that his personal and private faith might never fail. And the same can be collected from other words of Christ, Thou art Peter, etc., in which, as remuneration for his confession of the divinity of Christ, there is promised to him an unshakeable solidity of faith; not only that through it he might sustain the Church, but also that he himself might always internally hold and profess this faith by which he sustains the Church. Also, because the supreme Pontiff ought continually and infallibly to teach the true faith; and the whole Church ought to agree with him as with the center of catholic unity, and with the faith which he teaches. Moreover, although absolutely speaking a privately heretical Pontiff would be able to teach the true faith, yet for this there would be required, aside from the supernatural assistance promised to the Pontiffs even rightly believing and thinking, a special miracle also,  posited outside of the order of this assistance, by which the heretic Pontiff would be induced to teach catholicly; for, according to the condition of man and the ordinary manner of acting, a heretic Pontiff would be prone to teaching heretically. Therefore an extraordinary assistance and divine motion would be required. Now, one cannot recur to this extraordinary motion. For Christ, according to his wisdom, in the government of his Church, although supernatural, should have and indeed did establish an order, which would perfect and elevate the natural order to a supernatural condition, but which would not destroy it or be opposed to it; and out of the necessity of this order he adapted the proper means to the end, that is, he instituted means aptly ordered to the end established. Now, for the end, which is that the supreme Pontiff continually teach the truth, there is no other ordinary means (that is, of itself aptly ordained and ordainable) than that the supreme Pontiff himself privately believe that which he teaches, and teach that which he believes; especially since the preaching and telling of the true faith is also of itself an act of faith, namely, by which that which is taught is believed. Therefore order required that the supreme Pontiff would always believe that which he would need continually to teach; and through this alone has Christ accommodated supernatural assistance to the order and condition of man; and he has done it sweetly, as the divine providence does, and mightily simultaneously; and has excluded any violence by which anything acts contrary to its proper inclination and motion. Therefore the supreme Pontiff ought always to believe catholicly, in order that he might always teach catholicly. Therefore the supreme Pontiff cannot ever be a heretic privately » (Tractatus de Ecclesia, issued in handwritten form, p. 312). — The experience of eighteen centuries does not contradict, but entirely agrees with, this opinion. Ballerini: « Indeed, not even any private error, ascribed to any Pontiff, contrary to any evident or defined dogma, has yet been found, or is thought to be forthcoming. » And a little before the same author had said of the case of a privately heretical Pope: « With God’s help, I trust that such a case shall never come to pass » (De potestate ecclesiastica, cap. ix, §2, n. 8 (https://books.google.com/books?id=aXcRjMkoLtwC&pg=PA127)). — Suárez adhered to the same opinion as more probable than all the others. To be sure, he expressly propounded another, namely: that a Pope heretic is not ipso facto deposed; he can and ought to be deposed, not through any act of jurisdiction of the council over the Pope, but through the mere declaration of his heresy; which declaration having been made, the Pontiff is immediately deposed by Christ himself, just as through the election of the Cardinals, he is immediately created by Christ himself. This opinion, I say, is propounded by Suárez; but only hypothetically, that is, in the hypothesis that the case of a heretic Pope is possible, as he says: « All these things have been said in a probable manner: yet they proceed by supposing that the true Pontiff is able to fall into heresy. And although many seem in truth to affirm this, yet briefly for my part, it seems both more pious and more probable, that the Pope, as a private person, can err from ignorance, yet not from contumacy. For although God could bring it about, that a heretic Pope not harm the Church, yet the sweeter mode of divine providence is that, because God has promised that the Pope, in defining, will never err, consequently he provides lest the Pope ever be a heretic. Moreover, that which has never yet occurred in the Church, should be considered to be unable to occur from the ordinance and providence of God » (De fide, disp. X, sect. vi, n. 11 (https://archive.org/details/rpfranciscisuare00suar_6/page/n223)).

Ferraris (Bibliotheca canonica, at the word Papa, art. 2, n. 63 (https://archive.org/details/gri_admrevpfluci06ferr/page/n231)), expounds and defends the same opinion thus: « More probably, the Pope, even as a private person, cannot fall into heresy and fail in faith. Thus Albert Pighius (Hierarchiæ ecclesiasticæ assertio, lib. IV, c. viii (https://books.google.com/books?id=uWhWhbJTZAgC&pg=PA241)), Gravina… (https://books.google.com/books?id=HetyvbLkyF8C&pg=PA172), Tirinus… (https://books.google.com/books?id=I6YZTzCJY4EC&pg=RA2-PA85), Fragosus… (https://books.google.com/books?id=28ZFAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA16), John Wiggers… (https://books.google.com/books?id=s_RVAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA76), Jadertinus… (https://books.google.com/books?id=7-serzR5ElIC&pg=PA30), Suárez (De fide, disp. X, sect. vi, n. 11 (https://archive.org/details/rpfranciscisuare00suar_6/page/n223)), Bellarmine (De summo pontifice, lib. IV, c. vi (https://books.google.com/books?id=6nCCW5N1qgEC&pg=PA805)), Matthæucci (Opus dogmaticuм, contr. VII, c. i, n. 3 (https://books.google.com/books?id=5YpLAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA368)), and many others. Barbosa (Ius ecclesiasticuм universum, lib. I, c. 2, n. 51 (https://books.google.com/books?id=7aMPWqjWvN8C&pg=PA35)) also thinks that this opinion is very probable; and many others hold it to be probable, contrary to Turrecremata (https://books.google.com/books?id=w1jdvze2SywC&pg=PA363), Cano (https://books.google.com/books?id=gkJWnIaS3QcC&pg=PA238), Cajetan (https://books.google.com/books?id=B0NKAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA11), Soto (https://books.google.com/books?id=_uxpQT6PTyoC&pg=PA956), Bañez (https://books.google.com/books?id=CH4l-UMLh7gC&pg=PA57), Valentia (https://books.google.com/books?id=7g3qRpW4Un4C&pg=PA225), Castropalaus (https://books.google.com/books?id=NSpUAAAAcAAJ&pg=RA19-PP6), Turrianus (https://books.google.com/books?id=7v7EZg29zp8C&pg=PA203), and many others…Now our opinion is proved from the words said by Christ to blessed Peter: I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not; and thou, being once converted, confirm thy brethren (Luke 22); which words we have shown above pertain not personally to Peter alone, but to all the successors in his seat…Wherefore, since it is clear that Peter was thus confirmed by God, that even his personal faith would not be able at all to fail, as those particles for thee and thy clearly denote, the same is also to be said concerning the other Roman Pontiffs his successors. For thus is such a privilege obtained for them, that they might confirm their brethren in the faith. But how shall they confirm them, if they themselves are either heretics, or infidels? Shall they make firm in others that faith which they themselves execrate and impugn in their hearts? Besides, since the Pontiff is a living rule, which all the faithful ought to follow and have ever in their sight, it is necessary that he be fortified by some singular privilege, by which not only his see, but also his own person, is preserved from error in those things which are of faith. Otherwise, if we admit that the Pope too slips into heresy and defects from the faith, what else can be hoped for, than that he, being blind, at the same time drags us into the pit?… Hence this singular excellence and prerogative is told of the Roman Church over all others, that all the other more principal and ancient Churches, have had not only heretic Bishops, but even heresiarch Bishops; for Antioch had Paul of Samosata; Alexandria had Dioscorus; Constantinople had Nestorius and Macedonius, and thus with the others…; but never the Roman Church. Indeed, out of so many Roman Pontiffs, although repeatedly some of them have been found to be of bad morals, never has there been one found, who has fallen into heresy or apostasy…And Pope Agatho testifies expressly to this, in the epistle to emperor Constantinus which was read in the sixth Synod, act. IV, and afterward approved by all in act. VIII. This, he says, is the rule of the true faith, which the apostolic Church of Christ hath held tenaciously, both in times of prosperity and of adversity, which Church, by the grace of God, is proved never to have erred from the footpath of apostolic tradition, nor hath it ever yielded to the depravity of heretical novelties, for that it was said to Peter: Simon, Simon, behold Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not. And thou, being once converted, confirm thy brethren. Here the Lord hath promised that the faith of Peter shall never be wanting, and admonished him to confirm his brethren; which, it is acknowledged by all, the apostolic Pontiffs, predecessors of my exiguity, have assuredly done… Nor is it valid to object that, if every Pope, as St. Peter, were unable, as a private person, to fall into heresy and defect from the faith, this would be de fide and consequently those holding the contrary opinion would be heretics; which ought not to be said, since most illustrious doctors, both canonists and theologians, hold to it; it is not valid, I say, because even if it were said to be de fide, as some wish it to be (amongst whom Matthæucci, loc. cit., contr. VII, c. i, n. 6 (https://books.google.com/books?id=5YpLAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA369)) as something revealed at least implicitly and virtually in the proposition, I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not, yet those thinking the contrary still would not be heretics, because they do not sustain their own opinion with pertinacity, as is required for heresy, but are prepared to yield to the definition of the Church ».

It is objected 1°. — This opinion stands contrary to the more common and ancientopinion of the doctors of the school.

It is responded: That is true. But in questions not yet defined and permitted to the free disputation of the schools, it can happen that a more recent and less common opinion is true and ought at length to be recognized as such.

It is objected 2°. — Moreover, it stands contrary to the authority of Innocent III, whose words these are in the third sermon for the anniversary of his consecration (https://books.google.com/books?id=egkRAAAAYAAJ&pg=PT276): Faith is so necessary to me, that, while I have God for my judge in other sins, I am able to be judged by the Church on account of the sin which is committed against faith (see Sylvius, In IIamIIæ S. Thomæ, tom. III, q. xxxix, art. 3, concl. 2 (https://books.google.com/books?id=p1mNy0VqJJwC&pg=PA186)).

It is responded: Indeed, in that text Innocent III supposes that the Roman Pontiff can, as a private person, fall into heresy. But Innocent III spoke thus, following the opinion which was more accepted in his time; nor did he pronounce it as the Pontiff defining the faith; whence it can be said that in this, he erred. But this error of his is not heresy, because this proposition, the Pope cannot become a heretic even privately, even if it be true, is yet not an evident or defined ARTICLE OF FAITH. Therefore the cited dictum of Innocent III indeed favors the opinion which holds that the Pope can become a heretic privately; yet it does not have peremptory force.

It is objected 3°. — The canon Si papa (from the acta of Boniface of Mainz, in Gratian, dist. XL, c. vi (https://books.google.com/books?id=sfwfAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA145)) affirms that the Pope is exempt from the jurisdiction of his inferiors, with this exception: Unless he be discovered to have deviated from the faith. And in a similar docuмent of the fifth council under Pope Symmachus it is read: Unless he should deviate from the right faith. Therefore, even in remote antiquity the doctrine held sway undoubted, that the Pope could become a heretic.

It is responded: Concerning these two docuмents the erudite Ballerini thus observes: « I shall point out that the canon Si Papa, of which there is no sign amongst the acts yet known of St. Boniface the Archbishop, nor any mention of it amongst the canonists more ancient than Deusdedit, is certainly of uncertain authority and credit: but the fifth Roman council under Symmachus, commonly considered to be legitimate, seems to us to have been proved entirely spurious, in the treatise De antiquis canonum collectionibus, which is published in the third tome of our Venice edition of the Works of Saint Leo. See part III, cap. vi, n. 7, p. 217 (https://books.google.com/books?id=C9jBME94ttQC&pg=PR217) » (De potestate ecclesiastica, c. ix, §2, n. 8, fn. 3 (https://books.google.com/books?id=aXcRjMkoLtwC&pg=PA129)).

THE SECOND OPINION which, supposing that the Pope can become a heretic, holds that he is deposed by heresy ipso facto. — Turrecremata (https://books.google.com/books?id=w1jdvze2SywC&pg=PA363), Augustinus de Ancona (https://books.google.com/books?id=HIjVQardG-MC&pg=PA49), Paludanus (https://books.google.com/books?id=v0Z1PZoPJP0C&pg=PT93), Driedo (https://books.google.com/books?id=yq4yWFzOVAQC&pg=PA233), Castillio, Symmanchas (https://books.google.com/books?id=6GRGRSn74ZsC&pg=PA93), Jacobatius (https://books.google.com/books?id=RrxUAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA106), and Salmeron have defended this opinion. Its chief arguments generally are these: 1° Faith is the necessary foundation of any ecclesiastical jurisdiction whatsoever. Therefore the papal jurisdiction cannot stand simultaneous with heresy. Therefore the Pope, falling into heresy, by this very fact ceases to be Pope, that is, he is deposed. — 2° Many texts of the holy Fathers clearly indicate, that anyone who lacks faith is not able to have jurisdiction in the Church (see the citations in Suárez, De fide, disp. X, sect. vi, n. 2 (https://archive.org/details/rpfranciscisuare00suar_6/page/n221)). — 3° A heretic is not a member of the Church; therefore neither can he be the head. — 4° A heretic ought to be avoided (II Titus 13:10); and he ought not to be greeted (II John 10-11). Therefore a fortioriobedience is not owed to him. But a Pope to whom obedience is not owed, is no longer Pope, but has been deprived of the Papacy. Therefore the Pope, by falling into heresy, ipso facto loses the papal power.

This opinion is opposed by the following arguments: 1° If the Pope were deposed ipso facto because of heresy, this would happen either by divine law, or by human law. But it is neither. For since the penalty of deposition is most grave, in order that it be incurred by divine law, it would need to be expressed in divine law. But there is found no ordinance of divine law which establishes this, whether generally concerning heretics, or in particular concerning Bishops, or most particularly concerning the Pope. Nor is there any certain tradition concerning this. Moreover, neither by human law can a Pope heretic incur deposition ipso facto. For either a council would have passed that law, or a preceding Pope. If the former, it would be an invalid law, because passed by an inferior upon a superior. If the latter, it would still be invalid, because passed by an equal upon an equal. — 2° It would be most pernicious for the Church, if the Pope were deposed ipso facto because of heresy. For this is understood either only of notorious and public heresy, or also of external occult heresy, or of internal heresy. Regarding public and notorious heresy, there would be doubt as to how great the notoriety or infamy ought to be, in order that the Pontiff be considered to have fallen from the Papacy. Then there would follow schisms, and all would be perplexed, especially if, notwithstanding the notoriety alleged, the Pope were to retain the see through force or through some other way, and were to exercise many of the acts of his office. With regard to external but occult heresy, even greater detriments would arise. For all of the deeds of the Pontiff who is thus an occult heretic, would be null and void, and this would be known to but a few. It would be still more inconvenient, if the Pope were deposed ipso facto by internal heresy, as is clear. Wherefore it cannot be supposed that Christ willed the Pontiff to be deprived of the papacy on account of heresy, unless perhaps after the Church should declare the Pope to be a heretic in fact. — 3° Faith is not necessary for a man to be capable of spiritual and ecclesiastical jurisdiction, and be able to exercise true acts requiring such jurisdiction. For in extreme necessity, a priest heretic is able to absolve, as is taught in the treatises on penance and on censures; which absolution yet requires and supposes jurisdiction. Furthermore, the power of orders, which is more excellent in its mode, can exist without faith, that is, with heresy; therefore also ecclesiastical jurisdiction. — 4° Moreover, faith is lost through mere internal heresy, and yet there is no catholic doctor who would hold that Bishops or the Roman Pontiff are deprived of their jurisdiction on account of mere internal heresy; therefore jurisdiction can exist without faith. — 5° To the texts of the Fathers, in which it is taught that no one at all can have jurisdiction in the Church who lacks faith, it is responded: this is to be understood in the sense, that without faith, ecclesiastical jurisdiction cannot be fittingly exercised, and in the sense that a heretic merits the deprivation of his jurisdiction; or also, some texts of the same sort must be understood to concern canon law regarding deprived Bishops, namely, by which they are judged to be deposed ipso facto. — 6° To the argument, a Pope heretic is not a member of the Church, therefore neither is he its head, Suárez responds: « The Pope heretic is not a member of the Church as regards the substance and the form by which the members of the Church are constituted; yet he is the head as regards office and influence. And this ought not to be surprising, for he is not the first and chief head influencing by his own power, but is as it were instrumental, and the vicar of the first head, who can bestow spiritual influence upon the members even by means of a bronze head. By a proportional reason, he sometimes baptizes by means of heretics, and sometimes also absolves, as has been said » (De fide, disp. X, sect. vi, n. 5 (https://archive.org/details/rpfranciscisuare00suar_6/page/n223)). It can also be responded to thus: the Pope heretic is not member and head of the Church, so far as to the supernatural life which is begun through faith and perfected through charity, through which supernatural life all the members of the Church coalesce into one supernaturally living body, I concede: he is not member and head as regards the power of government proper to his office, I deny. Indeed, it is not repugnant for Christ to have willed that the Pope (the same goes for a Bishop in respect of his Diocese), although no longer a part of his supernaturally living body because of heresy, yet should still have the power of ruling the Church, just as if he had not lost that supernatural life. Indeed as regards the power of orders, Christ willed that the heretic priest and Bishop is not deprived of it, even if he has now ceased to be, in the aforesaid sense, a member of the Church. It is no more repugnant that jurisdiction should exist in a Bishop and in the Pope who is a heretic, whether internally only, or even externally.

THE THIRD OPINION. — A general synod can and ought to depose a Pope heretic; not indeed by exercising jurisdiction over him, which is not possible, since the Pope is superior to a council; but by simply declaring him to be a heretic; and after this declaration has been made, the Pope is immediately deposed by Christ himself. — The chief defender of this opinion is Suárez; who yet defends it only hypothetically, that is, in the hypothesis that there can be a Pope heretic; which hypothesis, he considers ought more probably to be rejected. Suárez’s discussion on this matter can be summarized in a few words:

Firstly, he poses this conclusion: « If the Pope be a heretic, and incorrigible, when first a declaratory sentence of the crime is announced against him by the legitimate jurisdiction of the Church, he ceases to be Pope » (De fide, disp. X, sect, vi, n. 6 (https://archive.org/details/rpfranciscisuare00suar_6/page/n223)). This conclusion, he says, is the common opinion of the doctors. — Secondly, he deduces the reasons for this conclusion in this manner: « It is gathered from Clement I, epist. I, where he says that Peter taught, that a Pope heretic is to be deposed. Now the foundation for this is, that it would be most gravely harmful to the Church to have such a pastor, nor be able to rescue itself in such grave peril. Moreover, contrary to the dignity of the Church, it makes her remain subject to a heretic Pontiff, nor can she drive him away from her. For as the ruler and priest is, so is the people customarily estimated to be. This likewise is confirmed by the arguments of the prior opinion; chiefly this one, that heresy spreadeth like a canker; because of which evil, heretics (so far as it is possible) are to be avoided; but much more is a heretic pastor to be avoided. But how can he be avoided, if he ceases not to be pastor? » (loc. cit., n. 6). — Thirdly, Suárez expounds by whom the aforementioned declaration is to be made; and he concludes that it is for all the Bishops of the Church, and hence for a general council. — Fourthly, he poses the objection of the difficulty of legitimately congregating a general council of this sort. And he says that perhaps a general synod ought not to be called, and provincial councils would suffice. Then he adds that a general council, even if it cannot ordinarily be called legitimately except by the Pope, yet in this case can be gathered, either by the Cardinals, or from the consensus of Bishops, even if the Roman Pontiff is unwilling. — Fifthly, he says that no act of superiority over the Pope is exercised by the Council by a declaration of this sort; but the Pope is deposed by Christ himself, as soon as the council has declared the Pope to be a heretic.

Against this opinion of Suárez, these things can be objected: 1° That a general council can be congregated to declare the heresy of the Pontiff, and that after this declaration the Pontiff is deposed by Christ, is not a dogma, but a mere opinion. Therefore the faithful and the doctors will be free still to consider the Pope who has been declared a heretic as the true and legitimate Pontiff; and to reject as false the one who would be elected in his place. No indeed, it would easily happen that many Bishops would consider such a general council to be illegitimate, and would refuse to attend. But if such a council were at least celebrated, its legitimacy could licitly be denied; and moreover, it could also be denied that the Pope, who, before the synodal sentence, had not yet been deposed for heresy, was now deposed after the declaratory sentence. Therefore this system not only offers an evil remedy, but it adds a much greater evil; namely, it opens the door to a very entangled schism. — 2° The chief foundation of this opinion is, that Christ willed that a Pope heretic would not be deposed ipso facto through heresy, but only after he was declared a heretic by a general council; and this will of Christ is gathered from the fact that it is necessary in order to guard the Church against evils. But this argument is not valid. For it is much less harmful for the Church if the Pontiff, who notwithstanding his heresy, retained his jurisdiction, and retained it until death. Indeed, a great deal of time would have to pass, before the greater part of the Bishops acquire sure knowledge of the Pope’s asserted heresy, and of the facts by which it is made clear; and likewise, that the congregation of a general council be discussed and the greater part of the bishops consent to it, especially since the legitimacy of such a general council is at least uncertain, as is the efficacy of this means for deposing the Pontiff. Whence, such a remedy generally would not be employed, except when the pontificate of the Pope heretic was already coming to an end. No indeed, generally the Pope heretic would have died before such a council could be called and its declaratory sentence pronounced. But meanwhile, the discussions about celebrating the general synod and deposing the Pontiff would fill the whole Church with scandal, commotions, and divisions. It would certainly be less evil, if the heretic Pontiff, who through heresy loses not the power of ruling the whole Church, were to proceed to rule the Church thus until death. Therefore, if that is to be considered the will of Christ which better provides for the Church, without doubt Christ willed, either that the Pontiff can never fall into heresy, even privately, or he retains Pontifical jurisdiction even until death, notwithstanding his private heresy.

THE FOURTH OPINION. — A general synod can in no way make it so that a Pope heretic (if there can ever be such) is deprived of Pontifical jurisdiction. — It relies upon these arguments: 1° The Pontiff is not deposed ipso facto by private heresy,[2] (https://lumenscholasticuм.wordpress.com/2019/05/05/bouix-on-the-pope-heretic/?fbclid=IwAR1gzqaNrlRHPOc4vYjWQKRWp84YStjXKh20ia63gSy6TIp_FDqKsDFeLxg#_ftn2) because of the reasons deduced above against the second opinion. — 2° Nor is the general synod able, by its own power or jurisdiction over the Pope, to depose him. For ex hypothesi, although a heretic, he is still the Supreme Pontiff, retaining supreme authority, to whom the whole Church, and the general synod itself, is subjected. But an inferior cannot judge and depose his superior. — 3° Nor can the general synod, by declaring the Pope to be a heretic, make it so that he is deposed by Christ himself. For, in order that such a deposition would have force, it would need to be certain; that is, it would need to be certain, after the council’s declaration has been made, that the Pope is immediately deprived of the Pontifical dignity by Christ. But this is not a dogma, nor anything certain, but a mere opinion. Therefore, since the Pontiff, prior to that synodal declaration, still held his power, and is not proved with certainty to have been deprived of it after the declaration, in practice it is just as if he still retained it. — 4° Indeed, Christ could not depose a Pope heretic in this fashion, according to his divine wisdom. For in order that the general synod be able to arrive at that juridically passed sentence, by which it would declare the Pontiff a heretic, the Bishops would need to resist the Pope, who would prohibit the congregation of such a council; that is, it would have to be preceded by a schism. Namely, those bishops who, against the will and prohibition of the Pontiff, nevertheless would attempt to procure the celebration of such a council, by this very fact would deny obedience to the Pontiff, who would still retain full power of government. From this ιnѕυrrєcтισn of inferiors against their superior, there would arise vast scandal and disturbance. Nor would the evil cease, even if the aforesaid synodal sentence were given: because after it was given, it would not be certain that the Pope was deposed, but this could be denied licitly. Moreover, a new Pontiff would be elected, who could licitly be considered false by all those hold to the contrary opinion. Certainly it should not be thought that Christ provided for his Church through a remedy which is worse than evil. — 5° Certainly a privately heretical Pope would be a grave evil; but not such that the Church could not subsist, and certainly not such that the mentioned remedy would need to be employed. For, ex hypothesi, such a Pontiff would retain full power of government prior to the sentence of the general council; neither would the Church thus perish in the meanwhile. There would be a lengthy period of time intervening before the general council would be celebrated, the congregation of which, in such circuмstances, surely would be extremely laborious, dare I say impossible. If, therefore, the Church can exist soundly for such a long time under a privately heretical Pope, why could she not remain sound until his death? To the faithful it would be said: Hold to the orthodox faith which the Pope teaches and defines ex officio as Pontiff: but reject the heresy to which he is said to adhere as a private person. Of this personal sin of the Pontiff it would be said, just as of his corrupted morals: The scribes and the Pharisees have sitten on the chair of Moses. All things therefore whatsoever they shall say to you (ex cathedra), observe and do: but according to their works do ye not.[3] (https://lumenscholasticuм.wordpress.com/2019/05/05/bouix-on-the-pope-heretic/?fbclid=IwAR1gzqaNrlRHPOc4vYjWQKRWp84YStjXKh20ia63gSy6TIp_FDqKsDFeLxg#_ftn3) Therefore, if the case of a privately heretical Pope is possible, it should be thought that Christ willed that he would nevertheless retain his supreme authority, and would be unable to be deprived of it through a general council.

This fourth opinion, it seems to me, ought to be preferred to the second and third; but the first is to be preferred overall. Certainly, just as to Suárez and many others, myself included, it seems more probable that the Pope, even as a private person, cannot fall into heresy. But in the hypothesis that the Pope could become a heretic privately, I would absolutely deny that he is ipso facto deposed, or capable of being deposed by any council.

Regarding the texts which suppose the contrary, we have already expounded them above after the first opinion.

§2. — That the Pontiff, for the crime of heresy, is subjected to the jurisdiction of the general council, and can be judged and deposed by it, is an erroneous opinion, and entirely to be rejected.

PROPOSITION I. It is not certain that there can be a case of a Pope heretic; because of this fact, the opinion which subjects him to the council for heresy would remain at least uncertain. — That the Pontiff cannot, even as a private person, fall into heresy, is supported by very weighty reasons, deduced in the paragraph above, where we expounded the first opinion; and many doctors think thus; and Suárez considers it to be more probable. Therefore the contrary opinion is by no means certain; but it is liable to controversy amongst catholic doctors. But now, if it is at least uncertain that there can be a Pope heretic, by this very fact it is uncertain that the Pope can ever be subjected to the jurisdiction of a general council for the crime of heresy.

PROPOSITION II. — Given, not conceded, that the Pope can fall into heresy, if the heresy were internal and occult, the Pontiff would never be able to be subjected to the council for it. — Indeed, no one ceases to be a member of the Church through internal and occult heresy. Likewise it is beyond controversy, that prelates of the Church are not deprived of their jurisdiction for heresy of this kind. And the reason is clear. For otherwise all jurisdictional acts would be of dubious valor, since it could not be known with certainty whether someone is an internal and occult heretic or not. This accordingly would lead to the greatest harm to the Church. Therefore it is repugnant that the Church have been constituted by Christ with this law, that the Pope or other prelates would lose their jurisdiction ipso facto for internal and occult heresy. But they cannot be deprived of it in any other way by any human tribunal; indeed, such heresy cannot be known and proved. Whence, if the matter is of internal and occult heresy, it would be absonous to contend that the Pope is subject to the general council for it. Moreover, occult heresy does not impede the supreme Pontiff from satisfying his office of ruling the Church. To be sure, ex hypothesi externally he teaches the right faith; and that which he perversely thinks internally, is unknown, so that this internal and occult heresy of his can be a scandal to no one, nor can it harm the universal governance of the Church.

PROPOSITION III. — Given, not conceded, that the Pope, as a private person, can fall into external and public heresy, by no means would the papal authority be subjected to the jurisdiction of the general council for such heresy. — For the Pope, because of heresy of this sort, either ipso facto is deposed, or not. But in neither case can it happen that the Pope be subjected to the jurisdiction of the general council. 1° If he is ipso factodeposed, he is no longer Pope. Hence the jurisdiction of the council over him, is not jurisdiction over the Pope, but only jurisdiction over a man who was Pope, but here and now is not Pope. Therefore in this hypothesis, jurisdiction or authority of the council over the Pope is metaphysically impossible. — 2° If, for the said heresy, the Pope is not ipso facto deposed, he still retains papal authority, that is, the primacy of jurisdiction. Then, so long as he retains papal authority, it is impossible that he be subjected to the jurisdiction of anyone. For it pertains to the papal authority that it be the ­full powerdivinely received of feeding, ruling, and governing the universal Church, as the Florentine general synod has defined. But as soon as the Pope were to have a superior and be subject to it, by this very fact he would lose that full power of government. To be sure, it would be mendacious to attribute to someone the full power of ruling and governing an entire society, if there were in this same society a superior authority to whom he himself would be subject. Wherefore if the Pope, notwithstanding heresy, retains papal authority, by this very fact it is impossible for him to be subject to the general council. — Likewise it pertains to the papal authority that it have the right of feeding the sheep and the lambs, that is, all the faithful; according to the words of Christ directed to Peter: Feed my lambs, feed my sheep. Now if, because of heresy, the Pope were subjected to the council, he would not feed the sheep, but would be fed and ruled by the sheep; that is, he would cease to be Pope. Therefore, if he does not lose the Papacy because of his heresy, by this very fact it is impossible for him to be subjected to the council. — Likewise, by force of the Pontiff’s primacy, the individual Bishops are bound to obey the Roman Pontiff. But it is repugnant that all of the Bishops as individuals be bound thus to obey, unless they are also bound collectively, that is, gathered in council, as has been proved above. Therefore even the entire conciliar consensus of Bishops is subject to the Roman Pontiff, so long as he has not lost the primacy, that is, the Papacy. Therefore, if, notwithstanding his heresy, the Pontiff retains the Papal authority, he is not subjected to the council, but rather the council is subjected to him. — Finally, such is the nature of the Papal primacy (from the words of Christ directed to Peter, and applying to his successors, from the definitions of the councils, from the doctrine of the Fathers, from the practice of the Church, and from the common opinion of catholic doctors), that it is a primacy of jurisdiction over the whole Church, that is, the supreme power of ruling the universal Church, the power which all the faithful and Bishops are bound to obey, a power which is truly monarchic. But now, it is repugnant that there exist in the Church a jurisdictional power which is above the primacy of jurisdiction, or (which is the same thing) over the first jurisdictional power with regard to the whole Church; likewise, that there be a power which is over the supreme power; likewise that there be a power over the monarchic power to which all are subject and which they are bound to obey. Therefore 2° if it be conceded that the Pope lapsed into heresy does not thus fall from the Papacy, but that he is still Pope and retains Papal jurisdiction, it is repugnant that he be subject to the general council, and that he be able to be judged and deposed by it. And 1° if it be said that the Pope is ipso facto deposed because of heresy, it is repugnant that the council be above the Pope, since one deposed from the Papacy is no longer Pope. Therefore in no case can it happen that the Pope be subject to the jurisdiction of the general council because of heresy.

You object. — These three things are to be admitted: 1° the Pope is not deposed ipso facto through heresy; 2° it must be thought that Christ had provided that a Pope heretic would be able to be deposed and expelled; 3° it must be thought that Christ willed and established that a Pope heretic would be able to be deposed through the authority of the general council. Therefore the Pope is subjected to the jurisdiction of the general council because of heresy.

I respond: 1° Permitting the hypothesis that the Pope as a private doctor can fall into heresy (which hypothesis many doctors reject, and which Suárez esteems as more probably false), we willingly admit, that the Pope would not ipso facto be deposed, although many catholic theologians have argued for the contrary. — 2° There is no sufficient reason why Christ should be thought to have provided that a Pope heretic would be able to be deposed. Surely that reason would be the vast detriment which would come to the Church unless such a Pope were deposed. But that reason is not valid; as much because the Pope heretic is not so harmful an evil that the Church therefore must necessarily be ruined and perish; as because the remedy, the Pope’s deposition, would be a much worse evil. And firstly, the heresy of the Pope about which this question is moved, is not so grave an evil that it is necessary to think that Christ had willed the deposition of such a Pontiff. The matter is only of private heresy; not which the Pope professes as the Pastor of the Church and in his Papal decrees or acts, but to which he adheres as a private doctor, and only in his private sayings or writings. What is more, so long as the Pope, whenever he defines and speaks Pontifically, teaches the right faith, the faithful are sufficiently safe, although at the same time it would be clear that the same Pope privately adheres to some heresy. All would readily understand that the opinion argued for by the Pope as a private doctor lacks authority, and he is only to be followed when he defines and relates the faith ex officio and with Pontifical authority. If someone nevertheless contends that the private heresy of the Pope can be so harmful, that Christ could not have left his Church without a remedy against so great an evil, we respond that we also think it more probably thus; but for the remedy we assign the peculiar providence of Christ that the Pope, even as a private doctor, not fall into heresy. But we absolutely deny, that Christ could have provided for this through the remedy of the deposition of the Pope. For secondly, this remedy would be a much worse evil. For either this deposition is supposed to be done by Christ himself, as soon as the Pope were declared a heretic by the general council, according to the doctrine of Suárez; or it is supposed to be done by the authority of the general council. Now in both cases the evil would be increased, not lessened. For, that Christ himself deposes the Pope heretic as soon as he is declared a heretic by the general council, is a mere opinion rejected by many, and from which it is free to anyone to dissent. Indeed for Suárez himself it is a less probable opinion, and indeed he thinks it more probable that there cannot be a privately heretical Pope. Therefore when the declaration has been made through the general council that some Pope is a heretic, it would in no way be certain that this Pope is deposed; and in such doubt one rather should still yield to his authority. But if another Pope were to be elected, not only would his legitimacy be uncertain, but he would rather have to be considered as false. Therefore the remedy of deposition, to be performed by Christ at the declaration of the council, not only would not amend the evil, but would induce an even greater evil, that is, a most intricate schism. Hence Christ in no way should be thought to have provided by means of such a remedy. But neither is he to be thought to have provided by means of a deposition performed by the authority of the council. For, besides the fact that it is impossible for the Pope to be deposed by the council, as shall soon be said, if it were possible, a greater evil would follow. For that Christ bestowed such authority to the council over the Pope heretic, is naught but a mere opinion; most commonly it is rejected by the catholic doctors, no indeed it is easily proved to be intrinsically repugnant. Therefore after such a deposition, it would in no way be certain that the Pope heretic has been despoiled of the Pontifical primacy; and he who would be elected in his place would be considered false by many, and would be able to be rejected licitly as such. Therefore a remedy would not be introduced, but schism, confusion, and dissension. — 3° Not only should Christ not be thought to have provided by means of a deposition to be performed by the council, but it should be said that a remedy of this sort is repugnant and is simply impossible. For if the Pope heretic is to be deposed [deponendus], and is not already deposed [depositus], he is still Pope, and retains the primacy of jurisdiction over the entire Church. Hence he is superior to any member of the Church, and any collection thereof. Or, in other words, by the very fact that he is still Pope, he is superior to any general council separated from him, and the authority of the council relative to him is inferior. Now it is repugnant and simply impossible for a superior to be subject to an inferior, and able to be deposed by him. It may not be said, that a decree by which Christ established that the Pope heretic would be subject to the general council is not intrinsically repugnant. Indeed, such a decree is not repugnant, so long as at the same time it is supposed that the Pope is ipso facto by heresy already deposed. For then, since he is no longer Pope, he is not superior relative to the council, but inferior. But such a decree is absolutely repugnant, if it is supposed that the Pope is to be deposed [deponendus]. For then Christ would have willed him, notwithstanding the heresy, to be Pope still, that is, superior to the council; and at the same time he would have willed him to be subjected to the council, that is, to be inferior; which is contradictory. Now it is repugnant that Christ willed and established contradictory things. Therefore the opinion which holds that the Pope is subjected to the council for heresy, and can be deposed by it, is erroneous and entirely to be rejected.

PROPOSITION IV. — That the Pope is subjected to the council for heresy, and can be deposed by it, is an opinion leading to schism and heresy. — 1° It leads to this practical conclusion: it is permitted to the Bishops, for the sake of the attempted accusation of heresy to the Roman Pontiff, to rise up against him, although he is still Pope; to deny obedience to him when he prohibits the congregation of the council; to reject him who is here and now Pope; and to separate themselves from him as the head. Now this sort of subtraction of obedience and separation from the Church’s head, the Roman Pontiff, is schism itself. — 2° It logically deduces to this conclusion, which is heretical: To the Roman Pontiff there was not committed by Christ the full power of feeding, ruling, and governing the universal Church. For if the Roman Pontiff, although he still retains Papal authority, is subjected to a superior authority, namely that of the general council, it is false that there belongs to him the aforesaid full power of government.

[1] (https://lumenscholasticuм.wordpress.com/2019/05/05/bouix-on-the-pope-heretic/?fbclid=IwAR1gzqaNrlRHPOc4vYjWQKRWp84YStjXKh20ia63gSy6TIp_FDqKsDFeLxg#_ftnref1) Luke 22:32.

[2] (https://lumenscholasticuм.wordpress.com/2019/05/05/bouix-on-the-pope-heretic/?fbclid=IwAR1gzqaNrlRHPOc4vYjWQKRWp84YStjXKh20ia63gSy6TIp_FDqKsDFeLxg#_ftnref2) The present discussion concerns only this: for he cannot be a heretic as Pontiff, that is, when he teaches the faith and defines it ex officio, or, as it is said, ex cathedra. [Auth.]

[3] (https://lumenscholasticuм.wordpress.com/2019/05/05/bouix-on-the-pope-heretic/?fbclid=IwAR1gzqaNrlRHPOc4vYjWQKRWp84YStjXKh20ia63gSy6TIp_FDqKsDFeLxg#_ftnref3) Matt. 23:2-3.
Title: Re: The Secundum Quid/Quoad Nos" Thesis
Post by: SeanJohnson on May 05, 2019, 08:31:45 PM
Fr. Marie-Dominique Bouix was an interesting person: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie_Dominique_Bouix (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie_Dominique_Bouix)

Had his battles against the Gallicanists (and their heretical belief that a council could depose a pope) ill-disposed him to being receptive to John of St. Thomas and Cajetan (and Turrecremata, Banez, et al) that, as regards an heretical pope, said council would only declare the fact of the deposition, while it was Christ Himself who deposed him?

Not sure.

But interestingly (unless I missed it), is the fact that John of St. Thomas is not even so much as mentioned in this tract (while practically every other previous major theologian/commentator on the heretical pope is).

How does one writ on the subject, and completely ignore JST (pro or con)?  

On another note, I am wondering what the value of manuals such as this are in today's circuмstances: If Bouix considered it impossible for a pope to be heretical even covertly as a private doctor, how much more would he have rejected the notion of a 60 year (+) interregnum?

I think Bouix is interesting and useful insofar as he has compiled a list of heavyweight theologians and their opinions on the matter (despite the glaring omission of JST), but both sede and R&R are forced to acknowledge he was wrong.

And more to the point, the secundum quid/quoad nos thesis is not addressed.

Nevertheless, it is an interesting article.

Title: Re: The Secundum Quid/Quoad Nos" Thesis
Post by: Clemens Maria on May 05, 2019, 08:36:29 PM
You're right, you have me beat there.

There is still the issue however that a clear majority of its hierarchy and followers haven fallen to heresy and teach, as Bishop Williamson calls it, "a false religion". As more and more of the hierarchy embrace and teach greater and greater error, and use doubtful Sacraments, at what point does it stop being the moral unanimity of the Church? If the hierarchy who elects and recognises you abandons the Church, then when does it stop being the Church and start being the "false religion" that recognises you?
It’s easy to understand what happened if you can rid yourself of the idea that the Conciliar Church is the Catholic Church.  Instead you can think of the promulgation of Lumen Gentium as the foundation of a new non-Catholic Church.  If many Catholics were tricked into going along with this new non-Catholic church, it doesn’t mean that therefore it is the Catholic Church.  Any acts of the hierarchy of the Conciliar Church don’t constitute official acts of the Catholic Church.  So there is no peaceful acceptance by the clergy of the Catholic Church.  
"For there shall arise false Christs and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders, insomuch as to deceive (if possible) even the elect."
[Matthew 24:24 (http://www.drbo.org/cgi-bin/d?b=drb&bk=47&ch=24&l=24#x)]
Title: Re: The Secundum Quid/Quoad Nos" Thesis
Post by: ByzCat3000 on May 05, 2019, 10:01:01 PM
He didn't say it wasn't your argument. He was agreeing with you and saying that even if Ladislaus is right that 95% of NOers are heretics to the point where they're no longer Catholic, that 5% of NOers still dwarf Trads to the point that those 5% accepting the pope would still count as moral unanimity.

Personally I think the importance and high standing of figures like Lefebvre and Thuc is enough to break moral unanimity, since I think the status/rank of those who doubt the pope is more important than pure numbers, but I can see ByzCat's point.
Well I'm less arguing a particular point, and more working with the logic I'm being given, and trying to figure out where it leads.  It seems like this argument differs a bit from the one Ladislaus made, but I might be wrong and I might misunderstand why.  The tricky thing is that, while I see the usefulness of "Traditional Catholic" as a generic descriptor to communicate roughly where one stands on certain issues, I don't see how its a particularly meaningful term in the strictest sense of the word.  ie. I don't see how we can come up with some arbitrary definition of "Traditional Catholic", say that most people who meet that definition doubt the legitimacy of Francis and other recent pontificates, and therefore conclude that "the faithful haven't accepted it."  Particularly when its very possible one is defining "Traditional Catholic" in a manner that necessarily presupposes such doubt anyway.

I'm more open to the distinction I thought Ladislaus was making, that anyone who knowingly denies a dogma isn't Catholic, but again, even if we go by that definition, there are a whole lot of Catholics who wouldn't count as "Traditional" by the standards of this forum, but yet still hold to every single dogma of the Church.  Even if only 5% of the Novus Ordo is in this category, that's 50 million people, which is gonna be a lot more than there are "Traditional" Catholics by any definition.  So if moral unanimity comes down to anything remotely connected with sheer numbers, it seems to me highly probably that more than 90% of the real Catholics, even by the definition Ladislaus seems to have offered, have probably never seriously doubted the pontificate of any of the Novus Ordo popes save *maybe* Francis (I'm suspecting there's more doubt of Francis in the Novus Ordo, but that there was never any doubt of anyone else in the Novus Ordo.) 

As far as the other argument goes, TBH I don't see why Thuc gets much controversy.  Even if there's some kind of excuse for his imprudent decisions, like consecrating Palmarians and such, I don't feel particularly inclined to weight his opinions very much.  He clearly at least to some extent lacked prudential judgment.  I might be missing something, but I'd really need serious convincing to be inclined to give much weight.

So that seems to leave Lefebvre, who certainly had the Catholic faith, beyond any doubt, and certainly is worthy of our respect and admiration.  TBH I struggle with the notion that a singular Archbishop, even one as saintly as this man, breaks the moral consensus.  But maybe that's the case, and if that is in fact the case, that could be the key here.

But TBH I'm open to other explanations. Like even if his doubt here was objectively heretical (to be clear, I'm not asserting this, I'm just saying it as an EVEN IF kind of thing), he was clearly in good faith, and he was clearly professing the Catholic faith, and obviously even by Feeneyite standards (again, I use this as a descriptor of a certain kind of Catholic, not as an insult), CATHOLICS believe in things that are objectively heretical without realizing it and while subjectively being in good standing, so I wouldn't feel the need to completely flip out if ultimately it was determined that Lefebvre was objectively wrong to doubt here.  But its also possible that one saintly archbishop is indeed sufficient to throw the consensus of the faithful into doubt.  Again, I'm not arguing for any particular position here for the most part (I did express that I don't see Thuc as particularly weighty, but even there I said so as my own opinion), but more taking the logic that other people are using and questioning whether the conclusions they are coming to based on that logic make sense or don't.
Title: Re: The Secundum Quid/Quoad Nos" Thesis
Post by: ByzCat3000 on May 05, 2019, 10:05:52 PM
Universal Acceptance isn't about math.  Of those who hold the Traditional faith, the vast majority have some doubt and do not accept their legitimacy with the requisite certainty of faith.

Have you seen the polls taken by the Novus Ordo?  At least 95% ... by their own numbers ... are heretics who no longer have the faith.  That's absolutely relevant.  Now Francis Bergoglio has gone so far as to elicit accusations of heresy from even within the Novus Ordo.
I guess I just don't see how "Traditional Catholic" is a particularly meaningful category when it comes to a matter like this.  I don't think its invalid as a quick two word descriptor to give a rough estimate on where someone stands on the controversial issues of the day.  But as long as a Novus Ordo Catholic is completely in line with all dogmas of the Church with which he is aware, and has the correct motive of faith (ie. he will believe whatever the Church teaches, even if he's wrong on what the Church teaches on this or that issue), I don't see why his having zero doubt about the pontificate could be irrelevant just because he isn't a "trad", which seems more like a social term than an ecclesiastically relevant one.

I grant though that my argument here might not apply to Francis.  I'm also addressing this particular argument, not all possible Sedevacantist or Sede-doubtist arguments.
Title: Re: The Secundum Quid/Quoad Nos" Thesis
Post by: Ladislaus on May 06, 2019, 09:54:34 AM
Universal acceptance isn't about math?

Then to remain logical, you must concur that so long as 1 person objected to the legitimacy of the papal claimant (say, Pius IX in 1864), universal acceptance would be lacking, and said papacy would not be a dogmatic fact.

Your example is an illustration precisely of why it isn't about math.  Universal means 100%.  So if one person objects, it's no longer Universal.  If you're looking at it as math.  So is there a precise number that suffices for Universality?  85%, 90%, 93.652%?  That's why it can't be about math.  So I'll get back to this.  It's similar to why sedevacantism can't be about math either, the number of years the See has been vacant.  It's impossible to quantify in terms of MATH how many years is too many, so there has to be some other principle involved.  So what is it when it comes to Universality?  Let's explore that a little.  I'll get back to this when I have time.
Title: Re: The Secundum Quid/Quoad Nos" Thesis
Post by: ByzCat3000 on May 06, 2019, 10:15:56 AM
Your example is an illustration precisely of why it isn't about math.  Universal means 100%.  So if one person objects, it's no longer Universal.  If you're looking at it as math.  So is there a precise number that suffices for Universality?  85%, 90%, 93.652%?  That's why it can't be about math.  So I'll get back to this.  It's similar to why sedevacantism can't be about math either, the number of years the See has been vacant.  It's impossible to quantify in terms of MATH how many years is too many, so there has to be some other principle involved.  So what is it when it comes to Universality?  Let's explore that a little.  I'll get back to this when I have time.
Is it really true that not even one person doubted Pius IX?  I mean are we confident there wasn’t even one?
I usually assume there’s at least one person who believes any given ridiculous thing.
That said I do wanna hear your further thoughts on this 
Title: Re: The Secundum Quid/Quoad Nos" Thesis
Post by: Ladislaus on May 06, 2019, 10:31:10 AM
Is it really true that not even one person doubted Pius IX?  I mean are we confident there wasn’t even one?
I usually assume there’s at least one person who believes any given ridiculous thing.
That said I do wanna hear your further thoughts on this

Oh, I imagine that you had one crackpot or another who's doubted the existence of any given Pope.  I'm sure that a number of Old Catholics thought that about Pius IX.  Again, that's why Universality isn't strict math, aka, absolutely 100%.  First of all, the opinions of the Old Catholics are irrelevant because they're not Catholic.  And any given crackpot can be dismissed as not compromising Universality.

So, then, what kind of threshold has to be reached (other than simple math) before Universality is compromised.  If it's mathematical, then one has to come up with an exact number?  3%, 5%, 10%, 13.259%.  This is why it's not about math.

This is where Traditional Catholicism is crucial.  If in fact the Novus Ordo has gone off the rails in terms of their sensus Catholicus, and Traditional Catholics do in fact represent the most genuine expression of the true Catholic sensus fide and are therefore the best representatives of the Ecclesia Credens, then it's absolutely significant that a vast majority of Traditional Catholics do NOT hold the V2 papal claimants to be dogmatically certain, and entertain some degree of doubt about their legitimacy.  By their own polls, 95%+ of the Novus Ordo members are HERETICS who do not hold the Catholic faith, pertinaciously doubting one Catholic dogma or another.  So how is the Conciliar institution more representative of the Ecclesia Credens than Traditional Catholics?  Answer: they're not.  It's no more significant than if the Arians (who according to some estimates outnumbered orthodox Catholics at least 4 to 1) had managed to get an Arian pope installed and gave him their recognition.

So, to me, the fact that the vast majority of Traditional Catholics have doubts about their legitimacy/orthodoxy rises to the level or threshold of compromising Universal Acceptance.
Title: Re: The Secundum Quid/Quoad Nos" Thesis
Post by: Ladislaus on May 06, 2019, 10:48:05 AM
LOL ... I meant "legitimacy" not "existence", although I'm sure you could find people who doubted that too.
Title: Re: The Secundum Quid/Quoad Nos" Thesis
Post by: Stubborn on May 06, 2019, 10:59:18 AM
Is it really true that not even one person doubted Pius IX?  I mean are we confident there wasn’t even one?
I usually assume there’s at least one person who believes any given ridiculous thing.
That said I do wanna hear your further thoughts on this
It isn't about math, nor is it about the theory of the universality of acceptance. It's about the sedes challenge to the law due to their unwillingness to accept  the law, established by the pope, to let the world know that the newly elected pope is indeed the pope.

I forget which cardinal it was who said it, but he said something along the lines of: "The infallible sign that the pope is the pope, is the universal, peaceful acceptance of him as pope" - or words to that effect. Never mind what the popes themselves have said - it's what the cardinal said that matters to the sedes.  


"After this agreement has been furnished within a time limit to be determined by the prudent judgment of the Cardinals by a majority of votes (to the extent it is necessary), the man elected is instantly the true Pope, and he acquires and can exercise full and absolute jurisdiction over the whole world. Hence, if anyone dares to challenge the docuмents prepared in regard to any business whatsoever that comes from the Roman Pontiff before the coronation, We bind him with the censure of excommunication to be incurred ipso facto."  - Pope St. Pius XII, Vacantis Apostolicae Sedis
Title: Re: The Secundum Quid/Quoad Nos" Thesis
Post by: forlorn on May 06, 2019, 11:10:21 AM
Oh, I imagine that you had one crackpot or another who's doubted the existence of any given Pope.  I'm sure that a number of Old Catholics thought that about Pius IX.  Again, that's why Universality isn't strict math, aka, absolutely 100%.  First of all, the opinions of the Old Catholics are irrelevant because they're not Catholic.  And any given crackpot can be dismissed as not compromising Universality.

So, then, what kind of threshold has to be reached (other than simple math) before Universality is compromised.  If it's mathematical, then one has to come up with an exact number?  3%, 5%, 10%, 13.259%.  This is why it's not about math.

This is where Traditional Catholicism is crucial.  If in fact the Novus Ordo has gone off the rails in terms of their sensus Catholicus, and Traditional Catholics do in fact represent the most genuine expression of the true Catholic sensus fide and are therefore the best representatives of the Ecclesia Credens, then it's absolutely significant that a vast majority of Traditional Catholics do NOT hold the V2 papal claimants to be dogmatically certain, and entertain some degree of doubt about their legitimacy.  By their own polls, 95%+ of the Novus Ordo members are HERETICS who do not hold the Catholic faith, pertinaciously doubting one Catholic dogma or another.  So how is the Conciliar institution more representative of the Ecclesia Credens than Traditional Catholics?  Answer: they're not.  It's no more significant than if the Arians (who according to some estimates outnumbered orthodox Catholics at least 4 to 1) had managed to get an Arian pope installed and gave him their recognition.

So, to me, the fact that the vast majority of Traditional Catholics have doubts about their legitimacy/orthodoxy rises to the level or threshold of compromising Universal Acceptance.
There's a bit of faulty logic here. You're saying Old Catholics are irrelevant because they're not Catholic, but that's effectively saying they're wrong because they're wrong. They're not Catholic because they rejected V1 and Pope Pius IX, and Pope Pius IX had universal approval because the Old Catholics who rejected him are not Catholic. While I agree that they're schismatic heretics, that's circular reasoning right there. Universal Peaceful Acceptance is meaningless if anyone who doesn't accept is automatically outside of the Church for doing so - that means there there can never NOT be Universal Peaceful Acceptance.

One could apply similar logic to sededoubtist Trads and say that they're not Catholic because they doubt the pope who has received Universal Peaceful Acceptance, and that therefore their doubts regarding him don't count. It'd be circular reasoning true, but no different to the above.

Furthermore, "Traditional Catholics" is a bit of an arbitrary grouping. It's going to by definition be largely made up of people who doubt the pope, as to be a Trad Catholic(by this site's definitions anyway) you have to at very least resist the pope and doubt his rites of Sacraments enough to avoid them. So it's to be expected that such a group would be large part doubtists, and it arbitrarily excludes Indults and Conservative NOers who hold all the dogmata of the Church.
Title: Re: The Secundum Quid/Quoad Nos" Thesis
Post by: forlorn on May 06, 2019, 11:13:29 AM
It isn't about math, nor is it about the theory of the universality of acceptance. It's about the sedes challenge to the law due to their unwillingness to accept  the law, established by the pope, to let the world know that the newly elected pope is indeed the pope.

I forget which cardinal it was who said it, but he said something along the lines of: "The infallible sign that the pope is the pope, is the universal, peaceful acceptance of him as pope" - or words to that effect. Never mind what the popes themselves have said - it's what the cardinal said that matters to the sedes.  


"After this agreement has been furnished within a time limit to be determined by the prudent judgment of the Cardinals by a majority of votes (to the extent it is necessary), the man elected is instantly the true Pope, and he acquires and can exercise full and absolute jurisdiction over the whole world. Hence, if anyone dares to challenge the docuмents prepared in regard to any business whatsoever that comes from the Roman Pontiff before the coronation, We bind him with the censure of excommunication to be incurred ipso facto." - Pope St. Pius XII, Vacantis Apostolicae Sedis
It'd do you well to read the full quote you pasted, instead of just the first sentence. It refers to claims that the acts of a pope before his coronation are not valid, and that a pope only becomes pope upon coronation. The above quote rejects that viewpoint and affirms that the pope is pope from the moment of election. It does not mean that an election having taken place is proof that the man is the real pope, because there are such things as illegal elections and Canon Law mentions many impediments that could make a legitimate election invalid.
Title: Re: The Secundum Quid/Quoad Nos" Thesis
Post by: X on May 06, 2019, 11:14:06 AM
Your example is an illustration precisely of why it isn't about math.  Universal means 100%.  So if one person objects, it's no longer Universal.  If you're looking at it as math.  So is there a precise number that suffices for Universality?  85%, 90%, 93.652%?  That's why it can't be about math.  So I'll get back to this.  It's similar to why sedevacantism can't be about math either, the number of years the See has been vacant.  It's impossible to quantify in terms of MATH how many years is too many, so there has to be some other principle involved.  So what is it when it comes to Universality?  Let's explore that a little.  I'll get back to this when I have time.

Hi Ladislaus-

There might be a misunderstanding here:

I was not seriously suggesting that 1 rejection of a papal claimant would suffice to destroy universal peaceful consent, but used that example to rebut the idea that it was NOT about math (ie., someone else had suggested that the matter is decided qualitatively rather than quantitatively; that just 1-2 archbishops of high stature and repute questioning the status of the papal claimant would suffice to destroy universal peaceful consent).  

I opposed that position by noting the inverse would also then be true (ie., that if 99.9992% of the world’s bishops rejected the current claimant, but only 1-2 of high stature accepted him, then such a claimant would have satisfied universal peaceful consent, according to the “qualitative” method).

Obviously, that would be absurd, and none would deny there was a morally unanimous rejection of such a claimant.

Well, so too today: There is not a single bishop today vested with jurisdiction who denies the legitimacy of the current claimant (which is not only moral unanimity, but mathematical/universal unanimity as well).

In short, if the unanimous and peaceful consent of the  conciliarists hierarchy must be left out of consideration because of their modernism, and only trads can judge (despite having no authority to do so), and only their votes/judgments may be taken into consideration as regards peaceful consent, then what is to stop the followers of Pope Michael from declaring his “papacy” a dogmatic fact, in light of the unanimous peaceful consent of his own followers?

Every faction would naturally disqualify all claimants which do not hold its tenets, again, despite having no authority to do so.

Hopefully this suffices to explain why universal peaceful consent must be considered quantitatively (by those possessing authority), and not qualitatively (which would involve private judgement by those without authority).

Such judgment could never rise to the level of dogmatic fact, because:

1) It would not be a determination made by those with authority in the Church;

2) It could (and would) result in unknown and insignificant sect leaders claiming to be pope (allegedly legitimately, with the backing of the Church’s theologians), with only the judgments of the followers of each sect being of any relevance, because of the qualitative assessment which will disqualify all others.

Hence, Pope Michael becomes a dogmatic fact, because his mom decided that only the votes of herself and 16 other laymen mattered.
Title: Re: The Secundum Quid/Quoad Nos" Thesis
Post by: ByzCat3000 on May 06, 2019, 11:21:22 AM
Quote
Oh, I imagine that you had one crackpot or another who's doubted the existence of any given Pope.  I'm sure that a number of Old Catholics thought that about Pius IX.  Again, that's why Universality isn't strict math, aka, absolutely 100%.  First of all, the opinions of the Old Catholics are irrelevant because they're not Catholic.  And any given crackpot can be dismissed as not compromising Universality.

So, then, what kind of threshold has to be reached (other than simple math) before Universality is compromised.  If it's mathematical, then one has to come up with an exact number?  3%, 5%, 10%, 13.259%.  This is why it's not about math.

But if Pius IX was an antipope than Vatican I wouldn't be a valid council.  And if Vatican I wasn't a valid council, then conciliarism/old Catholicism is still debatable.  Which gets into Forlorn's point.  This seems to be arbitrary.   Yes, they're schismatic heretics, because they reject Vatican I.  And they reject Vatican I.... well if Pius IX were in fact not Pope then they'd be justified in rejecting Vatican I.  Maybe our sensus Catholicus is off?

Quote
This is where Traditional Catholicism is crucial.  If in fact the Novus Ordo has gone off the rails in terms of their sensus Catholicus, and Traditional Catholics do in fact represent the most genuine expression of the true Catholic sensus fide and are therefore the best representatives of the Ecclesia Credens, then it's absolutely significant that a vast majority of Traditional Catholics do NOT hold the V2 papal claimants to be dogmatically certain, and entertain some degree of doubt about their legitimacy.  By their own polls, 95%+ of the Novus Ordo members are HERETICS who do not hold the Catholic faith, pertinaciously doubting one Catholic dogma or another.  So how is the Conciliar institution more representative of the Ecclesia Credens than Traditional Catholics?  Answer: they're not.  It's no more significant than if the Arians (who according to some estimates outnumbered orthodox Catholics at least 4 to 1) had managed to get an Arian pope installed and gave him their recognition.

So, to me, the fact that the vast majority of Traditional Catholics have doubts about their legitimacy/orthodoxy rises to the level or threshold of compromising Universal Acceptance.


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Except "Traditional" is a social category, not one that has any kind of dogmatic meaning.  And let's say 5% of the Novus Ordo holds to the Catholic faith.  That's still 50 million Catholics, vs maybe a couple million we'd label as "traditional"



Title: Re: The Secundum Quid/Quoad Nos" Thesis
Post by: Stubborn on May 06, 2019, 11:34:15 AM
It'd do you well to read the full quote you pasted, instead of just the first sentence. It refers to claims that the acts of a pope before his coronation are not valid, and that a pope only becomes pope upon coronation. The above quote rejects that viewpoint and affirms that the pope is pope from the moment of election. It does not mean that an election having taken place is proof that the man is the real pope, because there are such things as illegal elections and Canon Law mentions many impediments that could make a legitimate election invalid.
The point is, "universal acceptance", whatever that means, means absolutely nothing meaningful whatsoever. That argument is proven to be altogether futile in light of the established law enacted by the pope that tells us he is "instantly the true pope" upon acceptance of his election.

Why is there any question on this I don't know because what the pope states, is crystal clear.
Title: Re: The Secundum Quid/Quoad Nos" Thesis
Post by: forlorn on May 06, 2019, 12:21:33 PM
The point is, "universal acceptance", whatever that means, means absolutely nothing meaningful whatsoever. That argument is proven to be altogether futile in light of the established law enacted by the pope that tells us he is "instantly the true pope" upon acceptance of his election.

Why is there any question on this I don't know because what the pope states, is crystal clear.
They're completely different issues. The quote you posted teaches that the pope becomes pope when he is elected, not when he is coronated. Universal Peaceful Acceptance is about how you know whether or not the election was valid in the first place. 
Title: Re: The Secundum Quid/Quoad Nos" Thesis
Post by: Stubborn on May 06, 2019, 12:29:03 PM
They're completely different issues. The quote you posted teaches that the pope becomes pope when he is elected, not when he is coronated. Universal Peaceful Acceptance is about how you know whether or not the election was valid in the first place.
Amazing.
Title: Re: The Secundum Quid/Quoad Nos" Thesis
Post by: forlorn on May 06, 2019, 12:36:08 PM
Amazing.
Ok I'll try make it simple for you:
(1) If a pope is validly elected, he is instantly the pope and has full powers of his papacy from the moment of his election onwards, and does not have to wait until coronation to truly become pope.
(2) However, not all elections are necessarily valid. An election may be illegally held, or a candidate with impediments may be elected. If it were impossible for an invalid election to ever take place, there would be no listen impediments in canon law and there would be no such thing as an anti-pope. The fact that there are means that elections may be invalid.
(3) Therefore the historical fact that cardinals met and elected man as pope does not necessarily mean that he is the true pope, since the election may have been illegal or invalid as there are cases of during the Great Western Schism. Therefore, saying "cardinals elected the man as pope, he must be pope" is simply not true, and is not what Pope St. Pius XII meant in the text you quoted. Rather, he meant what I stated in (1), as it clearly states in the second sentence of your quote which you ignored.

Also to argue that Universal Peaceful Acceptance is "the sedes challenge to the law" as you have is incredibly moronic, since Universal Peaceful Acceptance would DISPROVE sedevacantism, and it shows you have not read the thread and have no idea what the term even means.

Does that make sense, or do you want me to bust out the crayons next time?
Title: Re: The Secundum Quid/Quoad Nos" Thesis
Post by: Stubborn on May 06, 2019, 01:09:20 PM
Does that make sense, or do you want me to bust out the crayons next time?
No, keep your crayons, it makes perfect sense to sedes.

Do you ever wonder why the popes never thought to include all the rhetorical requirements that you add to his formula?
Title: Re: The Secundum Quid/Quoad Nos" Thesis
Post by: Stubborn on May 06, 2019, 01:11:02 PM
Also to argue that Universal Peaceful Acceptance is "the sedes challenge to the law" as you have is incredibly moronic, since Universal Peaceful Acceptance would DISPROVE sedevacantism, and it shows you have not read the thread and have no idea what the term even means.
If the pope saying "the man elected is instantly the true pope" does not disprove sedeism, nothing will.
Title: Re: The Secundum Quid/Quoad Nos" Thesis
Post by: ByzCat3000 on May 06, 2019, 01:41:31 PM
It isn't about math, nor is it about the theory of the universality of acceptance. It's about the sedes challenge to the law due to their unwillingness to accept  the law, established by the pope, to let the world know that the newly elected pope is indeed the pope.

I forget which cardinal it was who said it, but he said something along the lines of: "The infallible sign that the pope is the pope, is the universal, peaceful acceptance of him as pope" - or words to that effect. Never mind what the popes themselves have said - it's what the cardinal said that matters to the sedes.  


"After this agreement has been furnished within a time limit to be determined by the prudent judgment of the Cardinals by a majority of votes (to the extent it is necessary), the man elected is instantly the true Pope, and he acquires and can exercise full and absolute jurisdiction over the whole world. Hence, if anyone dares to challenge the docuмents prepared in regard to any business whatsoever that comes from the Roman Pontiff before the coronation, We bind him with the censure of excommunication to be incurred ipso facto." - Pope St. Pius XII, Vacantis Apostolicae Sedis
I suppose a sede would question the infallibility of this law, or would say St Pius X (is it St Pius X, or Ven. Pius XII?) had an implicit "unless he's a heretic" distinction in mind.

I'm not condoning the reasoning used by Ladislaus here BTW, I'm not knowledgeable enough to really comment on that, I'm just trying to figure out if its even consistent on its own terms, and I'm not sure how it is consistent even on its own terms, for the reason previously mentioned.

At least like 5% of the NO is Catholic, by Ladislaus' metric, and it seems like 5% of the NO would still be the moral unanimity of the Church, or at least really really close to it.  So in order to get to a place where doubt was permissible, you'd have to argue that the doubt of even one sufficiently reputable figure (Lefebvre probably) or at least a comparatively small number of them, is sufficient to make doubt justifiable.  I have serious, serious logical problems with it, however much I might sympathize, if only because Lefebvre did seem to struggle with doubt as to whether these men are popes, and we all know he was a good Catholic. 
Title: Re: The Secundum Quid/Quoad Nos" Thesis
Post by: forlorn on May 06, 2019, 01:43:15 PM
No, keep your crayons, it makes perfect sense to sedes.

Do you ever wonder why the popes never thought to include all the rhetorical requirements that you add to his formula?
They did. The impediments to being elected as pope are all in the canon law you buffoon. 
Title: Re: The Secundum Quid/Quoad Nos" Thesis
Post by: Stubborn on May 06, 2019, 01:50:03 PM
They did. The impediments to being elected as pope are all in the canon law you buffoon.
No, they are not.
Title: Re: The Secundum Quid/Quoad Nos" Thesis
Post by: ByzCat3000 on May 06, 2019, 02:00:35 PM
If the pope saying "the man elected is instantly the true pope" does not disprove sedeism, nothing will.
I think there are three ways, logically speaking, Sede could still be true (and to be clear, I don't believe sede is true.)  

1: The Papal statement in question could be fallible, as we all know some papal statements are 

2: The election could have actually been invalid/fraudulent/etc. (Siri thesis, cօռspιʀαcιҽs about Benedict)

3: The Pope could have left exceptions unstated.  

Title: Re: The Secundum Quid/Quoad Nos" Thesis
Post by: Stubborn on May 06, 2019, 02:00:58 PM
I suppose a sede would question the infallibility of this law, or would say St Pius X (is it St Pius X, or Ven. Pius XII?) had an implicit "unless he's a heretic" distinction in mind.
We have to agree that the pope who wrote the law is not exactly an idiot, and that he put the law in place so that the whole world can be certain 1) that there is a pope, 2) when he became pope and 3) who the pope is. Beyond that, it's entirely out of our hands and we have no need to concern ourselves further. The sedes do not accept this. 

As one sede told me a few years ago, popes must pass additional scrutinization by them before being accepted as pope. That's just the way they see it. 
Title: Re: The Secundum Quid/Quoad Nos" Thesis
Post by: ByzCat3000 on May 06, 2019, 02:04:42 PM
We have to agree that the pope who wrote the law is not exactly an idiot, and that he put the law in place so that the whole world can be certain 1) that there is a pope, 2) when he became pope and 3) who the pope is. Beyond that, it's entirely out of our hands and we have no need to concern ourselves further. The sedes do not accept this.  

As one sede told me a few years ago, popes must pass additional scrutinization by them before being accepted as pope. That's just the way they see it.
Well there have been times when we legitimately weren't certain who the Pope is.  St Vincent Ferrer was wrong.  Conceivably that could happen again.

That said, yeah, I'm pretty much in agreement that unless the Church eventually declares the putative claimant an antipope, and there's only one serious claimant, and 99.999% of people who call themselves Catholic think he's the Pope, yeah, I'm certainly not gonna be the one to say "but he fell from his office without any declaration."  
Title: Re: The Secundum Quid/Quoad Nos" Thesis
Post by: Stubborn on May 06, 2019, 02:09:20 PM
I think there are three ways, logically speaking, Sede could still be true (and to be clear, I don't believe sede is true.)  

1: The Papal statement in question could be fallible, as we all know some papal statements are

2: The election could have actually been invalid/fraudulent/etc. (Siri thesis, cօռspιʀαcιҽs about Benedict)

3: The Pope could have left exceptions unstated.  
Yes, the whole election procedure is a changeable (by popes) act of administration, not doctrine, so certainly it is fallible. The law is enacted so that it be followed - so as to avoid conspiracy theories and exceptions that might leave the whole election and process null. You just need to remember that with sedes, all roads begin - and end with an empty chair, which is why forlorn adds all the additional requirements so as to insure an empty chair.   
Title: Re: The Secundum Quid/Quoad Nos" Thesis
Post by: Pax Vobis on May 06, 2019, 02:26:52 PM
Quote
Yes, the whole election procedure is a changeable (by popes) act of administration, not doctrine, so certainly it is fallible.
Right.  But because this has to do with administration and the govt aspect of the Church, I’d argue that the man elected pope would receive the material chair until he is deposed, even if the spiritual side is under debate (because no one can know if the pope has his spiritual faculties until the Church decides the matter.  But I agree that it must be presumed he has spiritual faculties until the Church tells us, unless there is obvious proof he was ineligible before the election).
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So even if there is NOT peaceful acceptance of the pope (whatever that means, because it’s debatable), I would hold that, as a matter of law, being that the Cardinals PEACEFULLY elected him (assuming he election was valid), he would be matterially pope.  His spiritual office would have to be determined later.
Title: Re: The Secundum Quid/Quoad Nos" Thesis
Post by: forlorn on May 06, 2019, 02:45:29 PM
Yes, the whole election procedure is a changeable (by popes) act of administration, not doctrine, so certainly it is fallible. The law is enacted so that it be followed - so as to avoid conspiracy theories and exceptions that might leave the whole election and process null. You just need to remember that with sedes, all roads begin - and end with an empty chair, which is why forlorn adds all the additional requirements so as to insure an empty chair.  
I was actually defending a doctrine that goes against sedevacantism, as you'd know if you actually read the thread and didn't just run off into an ill-informed rant as always(like the last time you declared a doctrine NO before an actual Novus Ordo priest explained it and THEN you accepted it). I didn't add any extra requirements, I just explained what your own quote meant because you refused to read half of it.

Not all elections are valid, that much is a fact. There have been elections with much pomp and circuмstance with dozens of Cardinals and the support of many Christian rulers that were completely invalid. Therefore the fact that an election historically took place does not make it valid. That's basic logic, not my fault your grasp of logic is as weak as your grasp of history. Since not every election is valid, it is false to say that the fact an election took place means that the pope is the pope. The election must still be valid, and canon law recognises the possibility of invalid elections(which have occurred many times historically) as it mentions the requirements for them to be valid. So the fact that a purported election took place does not immediately make someone the true pope, and that is not what the text you quoted says at all, what it says is that a pope becomes pope from the moment of their election, NOT their coronation.
Title: Re: The Secundum Quid/Quoad Nos" Thesis
Post by: Stubborn on May 06, 2019, 03:08:00 PM
Therefore the fact that an election historically took place does not make it valid. That's basic logic,...

....Since not every election is valid, it is false to say that the fact an election took place means that the pope is the pope....

....So the fact that a purported election took place does not immediately make someone the true pope.
Yes, that is actually basic sede logic, altogether necessary and wholly fundamental to the sede position. As I said above, after accepting their election, popes must then pass additional scrutinization by the sedes before being accepted as pope - so we are in agreement here. If they do not pass your scrutinization, they do not get to be pope. Still, amazing.

Title: Re: The Secundum Quid/Quoad Nos" Thesis
Post by: forlorn on May 06, 2019, 03:15:43 PM
Yes, that is actually basic sede logic, altogether necessary and wholly fundamental to the sede position. As I said above, after accepting their election, popes must then pass additional scrutinization by the sedes before being accepted as pope - so we are in agreement here. If they do not pass your scrutinization, they do not get to be pope. Still, amazing.
Was this man a true pope?: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antipope_John_XXIII (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antipope_John_XXIII) 
No? Then not every election is valid. Simple logic, beyond your grasp, since you can't even read the quotes you cite yourself. 
Title: Re: The Secundum Quid/Quoad Nos" Thesis
Post by: Stubborn on May 06, 2019, 03:50:49 PM
Was this man a true pope?: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antipope_John_XXIII (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antipope_John_XXIII)
No? Then not every election is valid. Simple logic, beyond your grasp, since you can't even read the quotes you cite yourself.
As I said, we are in agreement that sede logic dictates.

Just fyi, it seems as though this anti-pope had universal and peaceful acceptance for almost the whole 5 years he was in office, at least there was nothing in the article stating the election was otherwise.

Also, the conciliar popes of the last 60 years had no other claimants to contend with, and finally, sedes did not depose him, The Church made the determination and it was The Church who deposed him. See what I mean now?

 
Title: Re: The Secundum Quid/Quoad Nos" Thesis
Post by: forlorn on May 06, 2019, 04:11:35 PM
As I said, we are in agreement that sede logic dictates.

Just fyi, it seems as though this anti-pope had universal and peaceful acceptance for almost the whole 5 years he was in office, at least there was nothing in the article stating the election was otherwise.

Also, the conciliar popes of the last 60 years had no other claimants to contend with, and finally, sedes did not depose him, The Church made the determination and it was The Church who deposed him. See what I mean now?

 
Dodging the question again I see, classic. 
Title: Re: The Secundum Quid/Quoad Nos" Thesis
Post by: ByzCat3000 on May 06, 2019, 05:38:53 PM
I was actually defending a doctrine that goes against sedevacantism, as you'd know if you actually read the thread and didn't just run off into an ill-informed rant as always(like the last time you declared a doctrine NO before an actual Novus Ordo priest explained it and THEN you accepted it). I didn't add any extra requirements, I just explained what your own quote meant because you refused to read half of it.

Not all elections are valid, that much is a fact. There have been elections with much pomp and circuмstance with dozens of Cardinals and the support of many Christian rulers that were completely invalid. Therefore the fact that an election historically took place does not make it valid. That's basic logic, not my fault your grasp of logic is as weak as your grasp of history. Since not every election is valid, it is false to say that the fact an election took place means that the pope is the pope. The election must still be valid, and canon law recognises the possibility of invalid elections(which have occurred many times historically) as it mentions the requirements for them to be valid. So the fact that a purported election took place does not immediately make someone the true pope, and that is not what the text you quoted says at all, what it says is that a pope becomes pope from the moment of their election, NOT their coronation.
But can we reasonably distinguish cases where large numbers of Catholics disagree between *multiple claimants* (in which case the identity of the Pope would not be a dogmatic fact) and a situation in which there's only one purported claimant? (in which case at least usually the identity of the Pope *would* be considered a dogmatic fact?)  If this wasn't the case, you could theoretically work your way up to Protestantism without denying the papal office by simply saying nobody has ever occupied the office since St Peter.
Title: Re: The Secundum Quid/Quoad Nos" Thesis
Post by: Pax Vobis on May 06, 2019, 05:58:56 PM
Quote
So, to me, the fact that the vast majority of Traditional Catholics have doubts about their legitimacy/orthodoxy rises to the level or threshold of compromising Universal Acceptance.
Ladislaus, I think we started a similar debate but never finished it.  Here's my question:  Wouldn't the "doubt" about the legitimacy of the pope have to be a legitimate doubt in the first place?  I.e.  If I doubt the pope is pope because someone told me that a papal election has to happen on Wednesday and +Benedict was elected on Tuesday.  In this case, sure, I have a doubt, but the doubt is not based on correct info.
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In the same way, most Trads who have doubts about the post-V2 popes did NOT have doubts when the popes were elected, but Trads only doubted AFTER the election, and Trads based such doubts on the popes' heretical acts/words.  I say that this kind of "doubt" is misplaced because the theologians at the time of +Bellarmine always held open the possibility that a pope's private faith could fail and he could be declared a heretic.  Hence, the idea that the post-V2 popes aren't popes because of a lack of orthodoxy is NOT A VALID REASON TO DOUBT THEIR LEGITIMACY.  Only the Church can rule on their legitimacy.
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So, being that most Trads follow this faulty reasoning, then i'd say their "doubts" do not affect Universal Acceptance because their doubts are wrong.
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If one wants to argue that some/all of the post-V2 popes were Freemasons and not eligible for election, then ok.  But I'd counter that St Pius X and Pius XII changed the election laws, so that doubt is invalid too.
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The only rational doubt that has only facts to support it is for Paul VI, which one could doubt based on the Siri Thesis.  But, any pope JPII and after is not affected by this.
Title: Re: The Secundum Quid/Quoad Nos" Thesis
Post by: ByzCat3000 on May 06, 2019, 06:11:48 PM
Ladislaus, I think we started a similar debate but never finished it.  Here's my question:  Wouldn't the "doubt" about the legitimacy of the pope have to be a legitimate doubt in the first place?  I.e.  If I doubt the pope is pope because someone told me that a papal election has to happen on Wednesday and +Benedict was elected on Tuesday.  In this case, sure, I have a doubt, but the doubt is not based on correct info.
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In the same way, most Trads who have doubts about the post-V2 popes did NOT have doubts when the popes were elected, but Trads only doubted AFTER the election, and Trads based such doubts on the popes' heretical acts/words.  I say that this kind of "doubt" is misplaced because the theologians at the time of +Bellarmine always held open the possibility that a pope's private faith could fail and he could be declared a heretic.  Hence, the idea that the post-V2 popes aren't popes because of a lack of orthodoxy is NOT A VALID REASON TO DOUBT THEIR LEGITIMACY.  Only the Church can rule on their legitimacy.
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So, being that most Trads follow this faulty reasoning, then i'd say their "doubts" do not affect Universal Acceptance because their doubts are wrong.
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If one wants to argue that some/all of the post-V2 popes were Freemasons and not eligible for election, then ok.  But I'd counter that St Pius X and Pius XII changed the election laws, so that doubt is invalid too.
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The only rational doubt that has only facts to support it is for Paul VI, which one could doubt based on the Siri Thesis.  But, any pope JPII and after is not affected by this.
If you bought Siri thesis JPII would be invalid as well, because he was elected while Siri was still alive ,and presumably thus still pope (according to this theory.) 

Furthermore, IF the New rite of episcopal consecration are invalid, that would prevent Benedict or Francis from becoming Pope even if they had valid elections, if I understand correctly.

Title: Re: The Secundum Quid/Quoad Nos" Thesis
Post by: forlorn on May 06, 2019, 06:23:03 PM
But can we reasonably distinguish cases where large numbers of Catholics disagree between *multiple claimants* (in which case the identity of the Pope would not be a dogmatic fact) and a situation in which there's only one purported claimant? (in which case at least usually the identity of the Pope *would* be considered a dogmatic fact?)  If this wasn't the case, you could theoretically work your way up to Protestantism without denying the papal office by simply saying nobody has ever occupied the office since St Peter.
Mate I'm actually trying to defend Universal Peaceful Acceptance vs Stubborn here. I was just trying to point out that he was misusing/misintepreting his quote, and in the process he pretty much declared that it's impossible an election could ever be invalid. Well the first John XXIII proves that it can, as does canon law but he ignored that point when I tried it. I didn't bring up the possibility of invalid elections as proof of sedevacantism here, but rather as proof he was misinterpreting the quote. 

I get your confusion since I argued a bit about the mechanics of it earlier, but I conceded the point there and now I'm trying to correct Stubborn's illogical arguments against it. I still have a lot more to read up on it myself, but it doesn't take knowing and agreeing with something for certain to see when arguments against it are fallacious.
Title: Re: The Secundum Quid/Quoad Nos" Thesis
Post by: ByzCat3000 on May 06, 2019, 07:53:11 PM
OK fair enough that makes sense.
Title: Re: The Secundum Quid/Quoad Nos" Thesis
Post by: Pax Vobis on May 07, 2019, 11:24:56 AM
Quote
If you bought Siri thesis JPII would be invalid as well, because he was elected while Siri was still alive ,and presumably thus still pope (according to this theory.) 

Furthermore, IF the New rite of episcopal consecration are invalid, that would prevent Benedict or Francis from becoming Pope even if they had valid elections, if I understand correctly.
You're right, it would affect JPII as well.  However, the only concrete fact which supports this theory is the white smoke.  It's not very provable.
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For the episcopal consecrations, again, this isn't provable.  They are only doubtful.  Also, even if they were invalid 100%, those who were elected would still hold the material papal office.  Again, can one base their rejection of a pope on this theory alone?  Very unprovable.
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So, I say that most Trad "doubts" as to why they reject this or that pope are not very solid.  This proves that the Church was never designed to be governed "by the people" but as a monarchy (i.e. Until the Church tells us that something has changed, or a decision is made, we stick with the status quo).  This is true Catholic thinking.  Most all other thinking is tainted by Protestant, Democratic or independent-mindedness, which are errors.
Title: Re: The Secundum Quid/Quoad Nos" Thesis
Post by: Stubborn on May 07, 2019, 12:16:19 PM
Mate I'm actually trying to defend Universal Peaceful Acceptance vs Stubborn here. I was just trying to point out that he was misusing/misintepreting his quote, and in the process he pretty much declared that it's impossible an election could ever be invalid. Well the first John XXIII proves that it can, as does canon law but he ignored that point when I tried it. I didn't bring up the possibility of invalid elections as proof of sedevacantism here, but rather as proof he was misinterpreting the quote.

I get your confusion since I argued a bit about the mechanics of it earlier, but I conceded the point there and now I'm trying to correct Stubborn's illogical arguments against it. I still have a lot more to read up on it myself, but it doesn't take knowing and agreeing with something for certain to see when arguments against it are fallacious.
Misusing/misinterpreting Pope Pius X's (and Pius XII's) quote? What is it you don't get about the pope saying what he said? Is it not authoritative enough for you, or too incomplete, or too lacking in requirements, or is it in some way so unclear to you that you must reject what he said and instead, look to canon law as if the pope who wrote the law did not, and cling to a cardinal's words for what he said is infallible proof - of which you do not believe anyway?

Yes, I can see that in your effort to defend the empty chair, why you would say that, simply because there is no other reason to say that - except to defend an empty chair.

Per the pope, infallible proof is that the man accepted his election, and by that act "is instantly the true pope" - and upon his acceptance, "he acquires and can exercise full and absolute jurisdiction over the whole world" - that is the law as established by the pope which, by adding all your ridiculous additional requirements and rules and misinterpreting where no interpreting is even necessary, you reject.