In this crucial chapter, Rama Coomaraswamy addresses one of the thorniest and most urgent questions for the traditionalist Catholic confronted with the post-conciliar devastation: the possibility of a Pope deviating from the Faith and, consequently, losing his authority and office. The author dismantles the false notion of blind and unconditional obedience, demonstrating, through the perennial doctrine of the Church, the Holy Doctors, and Canon Law, that papal authority, though supreme, is not absolute, but rather limited by Divine Law and the Deposit of Faith. The analysis constitutes a severe theological indictment against the modern hierarchy which, under the mantle of authority, has introduced error into the bosom of the Church, establishing the theological grounds for understanding the vacancy of the Apostolic See.
⛪ The Nature and Limits of Papal AuthorityThe text begins by acknowledging the singular veneration Catholics owe to the Papacy. The Pope is the Vicar of Christ, the "Visible Head" of the Church, the "Shepherd of Shepherds." His authority derives directly from God, making him superior to any other man on earth. However, this supremacy carries an intrinsic and terrible limitation: "He can govern over others, but never govern over his Divine Master" (p. 107). The Pope is not Christ, but His representative; he cannot undo Truth nor dispense with Divine Law. As St. Cyprian warns, "he who gathers elsewhere, scatters," indicating that one cannot erect a new altar or a new priesthood contrary to those established by Christ (p. 107).
Papal infallibility, a dogma often misunderstood or exaggerated by defenders of conciliar innovations, is here situated within its proper and strict limits. The Pope is infallible only when speaking ex cathedra, exercising his office of preserving the Deposit of Faith. Outside these conditions, he is a fallible man, capable of sinning and erring. Coomaraswamy is categorical in stating that infallibility does not turn the Pope into a robot nor strip him of free will. The Holy Spirit was not promised to the successors of Peter so that they might reveal new doctrines, but that they might holily guard the revelation transmitted by the Apostles (p. 108). Therefore, "a Pope who presumed to abrogate the smallest iota of dogma... would step outside the bounds of orthodoxy" (p. 15). The central question that arises is: can a Pope separate himself from the Church (schism) or fall into heresy? And, if he does so, does he remain Pope?
🚫 The Nullity of the Election of a Heretic
First, the author deals with the impossibility of a non-Catholic being elected to the Papacy. Invoking the Bull Cum Ex Apostolatus Officio (1559) of Pope Paul IV, the text establishes that if an individual were to deviate from the Catholic Faith before his election, such an election is "null and void," regardless of the unanimous consent of the cardinals or subsequent enthronement. Such a person holds "no power to command," and obedience is not due to him (p. 109). This principle casts a shadow of illegitimacy over any candidate who was already committed to modernism before ascending to the throne of Peter, invalidating at the root the authority of conciliar pontiffs if their prior heresy is proven.
⚡ Schism and Heresy: The Automatic Loss of Office
Regarding the loss of authority by a validly elected Pope, Coomaraswamy explores the avenues of Schism and Heresy. A Pope can become schismatic if, by an act of will, he separates himself from the body of the Church or refuses to observe the universal rites and customs of Apostolic Tradition. Citing weighty theologians such as Francisco Suarez and Cardinal Torquemada, the author argues that if a Pope "wished to change all the ecclesiastical ceremonies, founded as they are on Apostolic Tradition," he would fall into schism (p. 110). In the face of the liturgical revolution of Vatican II, this accusation reverberates with devastating force upon the conciliar "Popes." Torquemada is even more explicit: by obstinately failing to observe the universal customs of the Church, "the Pope is capable of falling into schism" (p. 110).
The possibility of papal heresy is treated with equal rigor. Heresy, defined as the obstinate denial of a revealed truth, separates the individual from the Mystical Body of Christ. "A heretic is no longer a member of the Church," the text asserts. Consequently, if a Pope were to fall into notorious heresy, he loses his office ipso facto, without the need for a juridical declaration, for "he who is outside the Church cannot hold the keys of the Church" (St. Antoninus of Florence, p. 112). The author lines up testimonies from St. Robert Bellarmine, St. Francis de Sales, and St. Alphonsus Liguori to sustain that a manifest heretic Pope automatically ceases to be Pope. The 1917 Code of Canon Law (Canon 138) corroborates this doctrine by stating that all offices become vacant by public defection from the faith (p. 111).
❓ The Doubtful Pope and the Impossibility of Good Faith in Error
Coomaraswamy refutes the idea that one should "presume good faith" in a Pope who teaches error in his official capacity. Such a presumption is impossible, as it collides with the dogma of infallibility. If a Pope were to teach error officially, "God Himself would be the author of error among men," which is blasphemy. Therefore, official teaching of error is proof that the individual is not a valid Pope protected by the Holy Spirit, but a usurper or one who has lost the faith (p. 113). The text also addresses the concept of a "Doubtful Pope." Citing the principle "a doubtful Pope is no Pope at all" (Papa dubius, Papa nullus), the author explains that the Church cannot be obliged to obey someone whose authority is uncertain. In times of schism or confusion, doubt regarding the legitimacy of the election or the faith of the elect strips him of the right to command the obedience of the faithful (p. 113-114).
🛡️ The Duty of the Faithful and True Obedience
Faced with such a catastrophic scenario, what is the duty of the Catholic faithful? The author rejects the passive stance that laypeople cannot judge. Although it is not for the faithful to judge the Pope's soul, it is the strict obligation of every Catholic to judge the doctrine presented. "If he could not distinguish between what is Catholic and what is not, he would have no obligation to be a Catholic" (p. 6). The faithful must defend themselves when the shepherd turns into a wolf. Dom Guéranger is quoted to reinforce that "it is the duty of the flock to defend itself" (p. 114). Canon Law (Canon 1935) is invoked to remind us that any faithful can denounce offenses against the Faith that represent a public danger.
Obedience, often used as a weapon by modernists to subjugate traditionalists, is placed in its correct hierarchy. Obedience is a moral virtue, subordinate to the theological virtues of Faith, Hope, and Charity. "To obey a command that goes against the Faith is obviously wrong" (p. 115). If a Pope orders something against divine law, Holy Scripture, or the articles of Faith, "he ought not to be obeyed, but in such commands, to be passed over (despiciendus)" (Cardinal Torquemada, p. 116). Furthermore, St. Robert Bellarmine teaches that it is lawful to resist a Pope who tries to destroy the Church, hindering the execution of his will (p. 116).
The chapter closes with a powerful citation attributed to William of Ockham, which serves as a manifesto for the traditional Catholic facing apostate Rome: "I turned away from the obedience of the false Pope... to the prejudice of the orthodox faith... Against the errors of this pseudo-Pope I have turned my face like the hardest rock... because I prefer Holy Scripture to a man unlearned in holy science, and I have a higher esteem for the doctrine of the Fathers who reign with Christ than for the tradition of men dwelling in this mortal life" (p. 117).
In short, the text establishes that papal authority does not survive the loss of Faith. A "Pope" who promotes heresy, alters the sacred liturgy to please Protestants, and destroys apostolic traditions is not a vicar of Christ to whom submission is due, but a danger to souls who must be resisted or declared null.