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Clowns like Drew and Stubborn confuse indefectibility with mere material continuity.  But why did Our Lord found this Church and this Magisterium in the first place?  Precisely in order to keep people anchored in the truth and to help save their souls.  But if it does the OPPOSITE, lead them into error and endanger their souls, then it has FAILED IN ITS MISSION.  That is more defectibility than if some office or another remains vacant for a length of time.

Ladislaus,
 
It is impossible for a Catholic to confuse “indefectibility with mere material continuity.”  Why?  Because, Indefectibility is primarily an Attribute of God.  It is an Attribute of the Catholic Church because the Catholic Church is a divine institution.  Indefectibility as an Attribute is a spiritual power that cannot be confused with crass materialism.  God has promised that the papal office would be preserved with perpetual successors until the consummation of the world.  The spiritual authority cannot be lost without the destruction of the office.
 
Indefectibility relates primarily to the proper worship of God and the sanctification of the faithful as said before.  The proof of the Indefectibility of the Church is that the true worship of God and the means of sanctification of the faithful have never been absent from the Church even with the corruptions since Vatican II.  There has always been a faithful remnant that have not accepted any Novus Ordo prevarications in doctrine, worship or morals.
 
Furthermore, the Magisterium, the teaching authority of the Church grounded upon its Attributes of Authority and Infallibility has not at any time failed to teach the truth even on those rare occasions when engaged by heretical popes. 
 
Those who make the pope their rule of faith will fail.  Those who keep dogma as their rule of faith will not.  
 
Drew

Stop. Just stop.

‘I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail; and when you have turned again, strengthen your brethren.’
This gift of truth and never-failing faith was therefore divinely conferred on Peter and his successors in this See so that they might discharge their exalted office for the salvation of all, and so that the whole flock of Christ might be kept away by them from the poisonous food of error and be nourished with the sustenance of heavenly doctrine.
- Vatican I

The Church has therefore explicitly taught that the Pope has the gift of unfailing faith (identified by Innocent III with his personal faith through the very citation from Luke found in the preceding text of Vatican I, so spare me the nonsense about it referring to the faith of the Church). Nothing Jesus Christ prays for is refused.

Theosist,

Go back to the beginning of the thread.  This has been covered multiple times.  You are not the first to make this claim.  It is made by everyone who holds the pope as their rule of faith.  If after reading the previous posts you have a problem then offer your objections.  There are those like Cantarella who would agree with you but not one Church Father held that a personal never-failing faith was promised to the successors of St. Peter.  The never-failing faith of the popes only means that they cannot engage the Magisterial power of the Church to bind doctrinal and/or moral error and this was dogmatically defined at Vatican I.
 
Rev. Cornelius a Lapide addresses this directly and explicitly in his Great Commentary.

Drew