What I have never understood, and have never heard addressed by the
Francis-Is-Indubitably-The-Pope types is as follows: if the lowly
laypeople are incompetent to determine papal validity, then why isn't
Michael, in his own estimation, endangering his immortal soul by
affirming Bergoglio as Pope? If you can't know who isn't the Pope, how
can you know who is? Or are even laypeople capable of, and responsible
for, reading UD Gregis independently and comparing it against
established facts? Voris and his ilk can't have their cake and eat it,
too. If CM considers itself disqualified from saying who the Pope
isn't, they should be considered disqualified where the affirmation of
papal validity is concerned as well.
This isn't to say that
laypeople can declare a pope invalidly elected or deposed, but that
laypeople can and must express their valid concerns to those whose
competence and indeed responsibility it is. To argue that laypeople qua
laypeople are not permitted by the Church to use their own eyes and
ears and minds is revolting. Does CM apply this same standard to other
issues--such as, for instance, clerical sexual abuse? No, it does not.
Applying the Voris Francis-Is-Indubitably-The-Pope standard across the
board, CM would have to insist that, unless you are a bishop or a
prosecutor, you must consider every ordained man or other suspect as
absolutely squeaky clean, unless and until their diocese or local police
department elects to do something about it. But if that was how the
ordinary people were persuaded to behave, how many dioceses or police
departments would be prodded to take action at all?
No; the whole
thing just doesn't pass the smell test. Voris applies an egregious
double standard to the question of papal validity. If everything is up
to the authorities, then abandon all the victims defended at the CM
website, because CM has no official authority to do anything about it.
If on the other hand investigative journalism and frank fact-finding can
have a good effect on those who do have the power to act, then use this
same approach towards thean from Argentina who shielded Grassi,
promoted Pena Parra, etc etc. etc.
Consider 's lies and falsehoods about Bergoglio being indubitably the Pope trapped and exposed.
Note: This is written by a friend of the Catholic Monitor.