u/No_Lie_1176

Had some random thoughts on a flight yesterday, thought I’d collect them here, and see what you guys think.

As we all know and accept that the Roman pontiff has supreme universal and immediate power over the whole church[1].

And suppose we do away with the present canonical confusions about the extent of the excommunication, and assume that the holy father named each bishop, priest and faithful of the society that adheres to the “schism” and excommunicated them.

Can he do so validly?

The power bestowed upon the successors of Peter is of divine authority.

But divine authority cannot do evil. For example, it cannot command you to sin. Therefore if the holy father commands you to commit adultery, he does so invalidly.

Therefore it all comes down to a very simple question, is the work of the society objectively good.

We obviously would say yes. The preservation of the traditional priesthood and all that it entails is an objective good at this age.

Therefore sanctions put on such an objective good cannot be from divine authority, as God cannot do evil, and it cannot be valid, it is null and void.

Therefore when the superior general and the six bishops went ahead with the consecrations, did they disobey the authority of the Roman pontiff? They did not, they disobeyed an unlawful use of that authority. And they still remain obedient to all lawful use of that authority.

And if the consecrations is not an act of disobedience, what is the just cause for the excommunication of the priests of the society, and the faithful, and the taking away of the sacraments of confession and marriage? There isn’t any. And doing these sanctions with no cause is an evil, therefore it cannot be valid either.

This is how we can say that we are not disobedient, and not in schism.

Therefore, we can be rest assured that at the moment of our death, we will not be judged for the sin of disobedience and being separated from the communion of saints for having supported and remained with the society.

As regrettable as is our current situation, I hope I’ve demonstrated that we can avoid the more regrettable situation of believing ourselves to be in disobedience and separated from Rome. And whatever the situation with the nature of the See of Peter, we are not the authority, the society is not the authority, only God has the authority over the Pope to remedy the current mishaps. And however He does that is unbeknownst to us, but we can remain hopeful and joyous awaiting His justice.

[1]Pastor Aeternus: “We teach and declare that the Roman Church possesses a superiority of ordinary power over all other churches, and that this power of jurisdiction of the Roman Pontiff is truly episcopal, ordinary, and immediate… over each and all the churches, and over each and all the pastors and faithful.”

Such is the formula of adherence that one must sign if one wishes to be in communion with Rome. (Along with a profession of faith, for the laity):

I,_______________________________________________
 
promise fidelity to the Catholic Church and to the Roman Pontiff, the Supreme Pastor of the Church, the Vicar of Christ, the Successor of Blessed Peter in his primacy, and the Head of the College of Bishops, refraining from every public statement that would oppose either his person or his Magisterium (cf. canons 1373 and 1365 of the Code of Canon Law).
 
I accept the doctrine taught in No. 25 of the Dogmatic Constitution Lumen Gentium of the Second Vatican Council concerning the Magisterium of the Church and the adherence owed to it.

 
With regard to certain doctrines taught by the Second Vatican Council, or subsequent reforms in either the Sacred Liturgy or Canon Law, which may appear to some to be difficult to reconcile with previous declarations of the Magisterium, I undertake to follow a positive approach to their interpretation under the guidance of the Church's Magisterium, so that none of these teachings may be separated from the remainder of the Church's sacred doctrinal patrimony.
 
I further declare that I accept the validity of the Sacrifice of the Mass and of the Sacraments celebrated with the intention of doing what the Church does, and according to the rites contained in the typical editions of the Roman Missal and the ritual books promulgated by the Supreme Pontiffs Paul VI and John Paul II.
 
Finally, I promise to adhere to the common discipline of the Church and to her laws, especially those contained in the Code of Canon Law promulgated by Pope John Paul II.
 
I have signed all of the above in my own hand.
 
Given at ______________________
Date ______________________

Despite all the gaslighting about obedience, this whole thing is, at its core, still an issue about the council, and Leo has proved himself an ideological defender of the council, more than any previous popes, including Francis.