I think most people who currently hold him in high regard would drop him like a hot potato if he went sede.
Disagree, and here's why:
The big "hangup" I and other R&R types have with the current sedes are these:
1) Bellarmine vs JST/Cajetan, et al.
2) We have issues with violating UPA;
3) We have issues with any declarations/depositions which would not come from the hierarchy (similar but distinct from #1).
BUT
My "Fantasy thread" resolved all those "hangups" by either satisfying them or making them moot issues:
To Problem #1: We fear to side with St. Bellarmine, because on the one hand, there is a dispute that he has been properly understood by the sedes, and on the other hand, supposing he was properly translated and interpreted, what if he is wrong?
But supposing somehow that the bishops would follow JST/Cajetan/Suarez's method (i.e., First declaring the fact of Francis's heresy, then in a second declaration, declaring that God has deposed Francis for heresy), then
in concreto, the debate over St. Bellarmine vs JST/Cajetan/Suarez becomes both academic and moot, because in fact, there would be no pope:
Universal peaceful asssent that Francis is NOT pope is just as infallible as that same universal assent saying he IS pope.
But even 5% of cardinals and bishops rejecting Francis would destroy UPA, and with it, the obligations we feel to honor the legitimacy of Francis's pontificate. More on this below...
To Problem #2: Were a quality minority of bishops and cardinals to lobby for a declaration of Francis's heresy (the first step in JST/Cajetan's "method"), then UPA would effectively cease. 5% of the world's bishops and cardinals would suffice to dissolve UNIVERSAL (i.e., moral universality) assent. At that point, people who were previously non-sede would be at ease of conscience to become sedes, since the UPA argument vanishes into thin air, AND it is the Church which is running the process (Keep in mind: It is not the bishops and cardinals deposing the pope! It is the Cardinals and bishops declaring the fact of Francis's heresy, and in a second declaration that GOD has deposed him).
To Problem #3: We believe only those with jurisdiction can make this process legitimate. We know some of the sedes dispute this. No matter: So long as cardinals and bishops with jurisdiction did
in fact begin and conclude this process, there is no reason for sedes to oppose it: They still get what they wanted, while R&R also get what they wanted, and both are happy. The argument over whether jurisdiction was necessary, as with Problem #1, becomes merely academic and moot.
This is why I think that R&R would support a declaration of sedevacante, so long as the process worked out this way: The process removes the danger of error, which all R&R prudently apprehend.
In my Fantasy Thread, I laid out a scenario which could start this ball rolling.
I chose ++Burke precisely because he has jurisdiction (with +Vigano being the mastermind behind the scenes, and supplying the doctrinal firepower).
Once UPA is destroyed, +Vigano is elected Pope, and we are back to the GWS, with competing claimants, none of which enjoy UPA, but it is necessary to pass through this phase until one side or another gains UPA.
The Fantasy Thread lays out a scenario as to how +Vigano and his successor build momentum which eventually wins for them the UPA needed, and restores the Church from the top down.