Concerning an SSPX Dossier on Sedevacantism - Novus Ordo Watch

But there is a further point to make in relation to this claim, which is that it omits to mention the
other half of the Bellarmine position, viz. that not only would a Pope who became a heretic lose his
office ipso facto, but also that if a heretic claimed the papacy his claim would be null from the
beginning. Would Fr. Boulet (or da Silveira) argue that Our Lord would not only sustain jurisdiction
in a bishop who disappeared into heresy, but also that He would provide ordinary jurisdiction to a
heretic who was somehow appointed to <strong>an</strong> episcopal office?
b) In relation to the papacy, it is alleged by Fr. Boulet that Our Lord Jesus Christ would maintain the
jurisdiction of a heretic “Pope” for some period after his disappear<strong>an</strong>ce into heresy. He writes,
“According to LNM [i.e. da Silveira], Christ Himself could maintain, at least for a while, the
jurisdiction of a heretical Pope.” Once again, this is contrary to Bellarmine, <strong>an</strong>d omits mention of the
question of a heretic who is elected Pope. But da Silveira offers <strong>an</strong> interesting proof for it. Let’s
read the entire proof <strong>an</strong>d consider its validity.
We judge that the revealed major premise from which we must start is the dogma that the
church is a visible <strong>an</strong>d perfect society. As a minor premise, we must put the principle, drawn
from nature itself, according to which the events of the public <strong>an</strong>d official life of a visible <strong>an</strong>d
perfect society ought to be notorious <strong>an</strong>d publicly divulged. Thence one would conclude
that the eventual destitution of the chief of the Church would not be a juridically
consummated fact as long as it did not become notorious <strong>an</strong>d publicly divulged.
In scholastic form, we would be able to draw up the following sorites:
• The Church is a visible <strong>an</strong>d perfect society.
• Now, the facts of the official <strong>an</strong>d public life of a visible <strong>an</strong>d perfect society, only become
juridically consummated when they are notorious <strong>an</strong>d publicly divulged.
• Now, the loss of the Papacy is a fact of the public <strong>an</strong>d official life of the Church.
• Consequently, the loss of the Papacy only becomes juridically consummated when it is
notorious <strong>an</strong>d publicly divulged.
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