I have no problem with everyone choosing their theological opinions regarding the deposing of a Pope, but I am going to insist that the Cajetan/John of St. Thomas version to be the correct one.
You should realize that in response to what I said was true you reacted that the Church has not defined what is the truth. Now, here you claim what the truth is! You need to get your story straight.
No, the Church doesn't have to define it. Yes, there can be the truth without a Church definition. The one you posit is not the truth, and here is why...
Theologians primarily write for other theologians, not the general public. What is approved for the general public is the truth, even without a solemn definition. Always has been.
Revisit St. Robert Bellarmine. In his time he directly covered the 5 extant opinions on this matter, and he said that the 5th opinion was the "true" one. St. Francis de Sales echoed this around the same time. Notice that both are Doctors of the Church, and Saints. The two theologians you are trying to promote on this question are not. For good reason.
Next, the quote by St. Francis de Sales was written, not to other theologians, but to Protestants, because it is the truth. A Saint doesn't categorically express something as true if it were merely an opinion with other valid opinions, but fail to mention the others. For example, there is an equal opinion about whether souls in purgatory can pray for us, and this is precisely why you will not find one or the other presented in an approved Catholic book as being categorically the truth. No responsible author would dare. Nor get approval.
Additionally, this quote by St. Francis was in a work publicly approved by a pope on the occasion of his elevation to the title of "Doctor". This was 7 years after Vatican I, and Pope Pius IX called his work, "a full and complete demonstration of the Catholic religion".
7 years before that, at the Council of the Vatican, a question was asked to all the Council fathers, and the answer that came back for all was what St. Robert and St. Francis said was the truth.
As well, this is categorically stated as the truth ever since Vatican I. In 1887,
Elements of Ecclesastical Law was a canon law work for the English speaking clergy, and the Holy Office scrutinized it and approved. It contains the same truth.
As does the
Catholic Encyclopedia and
A Catholic Dictionary. All the same, categorically teaching it as true, without a hint there is any other valid opinion on this.
The S&S book is a tragedy for traditionalists, mutilating the meaning of
"ipso facto" to make it mean something not traditional, and to oppose all the sources I have just related say it was the truth, in the manner I am explaining. It's actually a modernistic move to redefine a clear traditional concept in order to twist the truth.