. . . if a pope in his private
capacity as an individual, should fall into manifest heresy, he would cease to
be a member of the Church, and consequence would also cease to be her supreme
pastor. But this is another purely theoretical hypothesis, since no Pope is
known to have fallen into heresy, and it is most probable that the vicar of
Christ is divinely protected from such a misfortunate, although the Church has
never defined anything in the matter.
In case a Pope becomes a scandal to
the Church on account of a sinful life, he can and ought to be admonished by
the bishops, singly or in council, but they have no authority to depose him.
“It would be unlawful to go beyond admonition; a change of heart must be left
to the Providence of God and sought only by prayer and supplication.” (Perrone,
“Praelect. Theolog.,” n. 644; cf. Suarez, “De Fide,” X, 6) (E. Sylvester Berry,
The Church of Christ: An Apologetic and Dogmatic Treatise [Frederick
County, Md.: Mount Saint Mary's Seminary, 1955; repr., Eugene, Oreg.: Wipf and
Stock, 2009], 229)
A DOUBTFUL POPE. When there is a
prudent doubt about the validity of an election to any official position, there
is also a similar doubt whether the person so elected really has authority or
not. In such a case no one is bound to obey him, for it is an axiom that a
doubtful law begets no obligation—lex dubia nom obligat. But a superior
whom no one is bound to obey is in reality no superior at all. Hence the saying
of Bellarmine: a doubtful pope is no pope. “Therefore,” continues the Cardinal,
“if a pap election is really doubtful for any reason, the eon elected should resign,
so that a new election may be held. But if he refuses to resign, it becomes the
duty of the bishops to adjust the matter, for although the bishops without the
pope cannot define dogmas nor make laws for the universal Church, they can and
ought to decide, when occasion demands, who is the legitimate pope; and if the
matter be doubtful, they should provide for the Church by having a legitimate
and undoubted pastor elected. That is what the Council of Constance rightly
did.” (Bellarmine, “De Concilio,” ii. 19) (E. Sylvester Berry, The Church of
Christ: An Apologetic and Dogmatic Treatise [Frederick County, Md.: Mount
Saint Mary's Seminary, 1955; repr., Eugene, Oreg.: Wipf and Stock, 2009], 229)