POPE FRANCIS - A HERETIC? ON THE PUNISHMENT OF HERETICS AND ESPECIALLY OF THE POPE WHO HAS BECOME A HERETIC WILLIAM OF OCKHAM Dial. 6 CHP. XL

Pope Francis & His Grace Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury & Wifey

Chapter 40

Student: I reckon from the aforesaid that these theorists use the term "defense" in the widest sense when they say that catholics must defend the opponents of a heretic pope, and therefore I have a greater understanding of the assertion we are discussing than I did before. Nevertheless I would like to know whether this oft mentioned assertion might be explained more extensively than it earlier was.

Master: It seems that ultimately the assertion may be explained as follows. Every catholic and believer is obligated by necessity of salvation to defend (in a manner possible and appropriate to his situation) those who oppose a heretic pope for the love of orthodox belief, when they are obviously and necessarily in need, or when there is imminent danger to the Christian faith, if someone else does not readily appear whom the initially obligated person probably believes to be willing and able to defend these opponents of the heretic pope.

Student: What if someone thinks that these opponents are badly motivated in their attack on the heretic pope, and are proceeding out of rancor or hatred or out of some other evil root, is he then still bound to defend them in the manner discussed.

Master: No one must presume these persons to be badly motivated in their attack on a heretic pope unless this becomes legitimately apparent to him and is not the result of unsophisticated opinion. If it should nevertheless become apparent to him that these persons were badly motivated in their attack on the heretic pope, he would still have the duty to defend them, so that they would not suffer because of their opposition to heretical wickedness, above all if there was an imminent danger to the faith by this neglect of their defense; because in this context it is the catholic faith which would be defended, more so than the persons of those who are attacking heretical wickedness. And all catholics are bound to defend the catholic faith.

Student: What imminent danger to the faith is understood by the assertion we are discussing when it states that such opponents of a heretic pope must be protected when there is an imminent danger to the faith.

Master: The answer is that this is understood of an imminent danger to the faith in one region, or one kingdom, indeed even in the soul of a single person, because if someone were probably to surmise that one kingdom or one region or one city or even a single human being would be turned away from the faith or would give support to heretical wickedness unless defense was provided to the opponents of a heretic pope, that someone would commit a mortal sin by failing to give them protection if he could.

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