What is legitimate criticism of the hierarchy by the faithful and what is schismatic conduct? What about when it involves the pope—or the ostensible pope? How should criticism of Jorge Bergoglio by Archbishop Vigano and that of others be understood in these terms?
Dr. Edmund Mazza, a professor of Church history, sheds light on these challenging questions in an interview with seasoned Vatican observer Dr. Robert Moynihan, founder and editor-in-chief of Inside the Vatican magazine. Citing St. Paul, St. Thomas Aquinas, and more contemporary Church theologians and canonists, Dr. Mazza argues for the legitimate role of the faithful and clergy in offering correction to members of the hierarchy for speaking and acting in heretical ways. Far from being schismatic, such correction when properly done assists the Church in remaining faithful to her Head, Our Lord Jesus Christ. This is true even when such correction may include raising sincere and reasonable doubts about the current papal claimant.
While the whole interview is worth watching, and we would encourage you to do so, we have highlighted below some of the points and quotations we believe are particularly significant in light of the crisis in the Church in general and the situation with the Mission of Divine Mercy in particular.
(Timestamps are noted parenthetically at the end of each item.)
- Thomas Cajetan (Dominican theologian, 1469-1534) on suspicion of the papal claimant and schism: “If someone, for a reasonable motive, holds the person of the Pope in suspicion and refuses his presence, even his jurisdiction, he does not commit the delict of schism, nor any other whatsoever, provided… he be ready to accept the Pope were he not held in suspicion.” (5:45)
- Significant suspicion of Jorge Bergoglio’s validity: In reference to Cajetan’s point that sincere suspicion of a papal claimant is not being schismatic (see above), Mazza points out that, “Somewhere between one-third to one-half of traditional Catholics do not believe that Francis is a pope; they believe he’s an anti-pope…so there’s certainly suspicion….” (6:30)
- Wernz and Vidal on schism: Consider perhaps the foremost canonists of their time, Fr. Franz Wernz and Fr. Pedro Vidal wrote, “they cannot be numbered among the schismatics, who refuse to obey the Roman Pontiff because they consider [him]… suspect or doubtfully elected on account of rumours in circulation.” (6:53)
- Cajetan on heretical and schismatic popes: Mazza quotes Cajetan: “The Church is in the pope when he behaves like a pope, as the head of the Church. But when he refuses to behave as the head of the Church, neither would the Church be in him, nor would he be in the Church.” (8:37)
- Wernz and Vidal’s high reputation and the charges against Vigano: Mazza quotes a “well-respected” canon lawyer who says he is not aware of any canonist that disputes Wernz and Vidal’s point that sincere doubt about a papal claimant should not be equated with schism. And the canonist can’t imagine there would be such disputants, given how highly regarded Wernz and Vidal’s reputation is in the field. For Mazza, this is of great significance because by the criteria of these two canonists, Vigano has not placed himself in schism. (10:44)
- Who is Vigano to say who is pope? Against this rhetorical charge posed by many in the Catholic media, Mazza cites St. Catherine of Siena’s letter to the Cardinals in 1378, during the Great Western Schism, where she denounces many of them for affirming anti-pope Clement VII rather than the true claimant, Urban VI, as pope. Mazza notes that she was an “unlettered woman” speaking the truth to the rulers of the Church. (13:30)
- Promoting heresy—canon law’s view: “Whoever… willingly and knowingly helps in the promulgation of heresy… is suspected of heresy.” (Canon 2316, 1917 Code. Slide not discussed in interview but appears at 29:15.)
- Criticizing error in superiors: Aquinas on how the authority of the Gospel (the “Deposit of Faith”) can rightly be used to do so: Mazza explains that Aquinas is making this point in the context of commenting on St. Paul’s statement that “even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to that which we preached to you, let him be accursed” (Gal 1:8), answering the question of how an inferior could correct a superior.
- St. Thomas Aquinas: Thirdly, we must solve the objections which arise on this point. The first is that, since an equal has no authority over his peers and much less over his superiors, it seems that the Apostle has no power to excommunicate the apostles, who are his peers, and less so, angels who are superior. “He that is the lesser in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he” (Matt. 11:11). Therefore the anathema is invalid. The answer to this is that the Apostle passed this sentence not on his own authority, but on the authority of the Gospel teaching, of which he was the minister, and the authority of which teaches that whoever says aught contrary to it must be expelled and cast out. “The word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day” (in. 14:48). (Commentary on Letter to the Galatians)
- Mazza calls this an “earth-shaking point,” because Aquinas “is saying that the authority of the Gospel gives bishops in the Church the authority that Archbishop Vigano seems to be using” in denouncing the errors of Jorge Bergoglio—another point against Vigano being schismatic. (27:17)
- Aquinas again on denouncing error in superiors: “When there is a near danger to faith, Church leaders must be questioned, even publicly by their subjects…” (Commentary on Galatians 2:14. Slide not discussed in interview but appears at 20:17.)
- Material heresy enough to disqualify from Church office: The theologian Karl Rahner, Mazza explains, in commenting in 1947 on Pope Pius XII’s encyclical “Mystical Body of Christ” (1943), argues that someone guilty of public heresy, even if it is only material and not formal, places himself outside the Church and thus cannot hold office in the Church. Mazza notes that Ludwig Ott, another prominent theologian who wrote The Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma in the 1950s, stated the same conclusion: even a material heretic cannot hold office. (31:58)
- Maintaining communion with fellow Catholics amidst controversy: By way of advocating for great charity in dealing with fellow Catholics who may disagree with our positions in these difficult and confusing times, Mazza cites St. Anthony of Florence as a role model. During the Great Western Schism, with many Catholics refusing communion with each other over different beliefs about who was pope, St. Anthony denounced such behavior and encouraged the faithful to remain united in communion as faithful Catholics. (1:10:15)
