I think we need to submit to God’s authority but not the authority of self appointed Bishops, Cardinals and Popes.
You have yet to prove that they are self-appointed and that God’s authority is not enacted through the Holy Church.
The reason why the Catholic Church has so many problems is that it has drifted from its original democratic roots.
You also have yet to prove that the Church was ever democratic in nature.
(See previous posts.) That Ratzinger is a dictator can be seen in his ignoring a signed petition from WE ARE CHURCH numbering in the millions of signatures, asking that the ancient rite of lay election of bishops be followed for all new appointments.
I think that with any thought you can see that the Pope should not be acquiescing to the demands of heretics like We Are Church. Truth, interestingly, is not determined by vote. So it does not matter how many signatures they might have.
The relationship between laity and clergy is that of employer and employee. As defined in the Council of Constance 1414-1418:
all popes, cardinals, and bishops can be dismissed by a general council of laity and teachers,who are their superiors.
The above is not to be found in the documents of the Council of Constance.
legionofmarytidewater.com/faith/ECUM16.HTM
So, no, the relationship is not that of employer and employee nor has it ever been. The Church is not a corporation. Clergy are not some kind of salary earners. They are ordained by God, which has been recognized since the very beginning of the Church and continued to be so in the Council of Constance.
Just like with the Second Vatican Council, you apply ideas here to the Council of Constance which are not there. Perhaps next time you cite a Council you ought to actually read its documents.
Also, Constance was not a council of laity. It was a council primarily of Cardinals, Abbots, Bishops, and Archbishops. There were around a hundred scholars of theology in attendance, which does not make it a council of laity by any stretch.
The council of Constance, from the very beginning, proposed the following three topics:
- To bring unity back to the church and to make an end to the schism which had divided the church since 1378. When the council of Constance opened, Christians owed obedience to three different popes: some owed obedience to Gregory XII of the Roman party others to Benedict XIII of the Avignon party, and others to John XXIII of Pisa. All three men resigned under pressure from the emporer. It was decided that none of them could be re elected and that a wide variety of edicts issued by all three popes were null and void . Martin V was elected pope on 11 November 1417 and he was regarded as the legitimate pontiff by the church as a whole.
- To eradicate heresies, especially those spread by John Wyclif in Britain and by John Hus and Jerome of Prague in Bohemia.
- To reform the corrupt morals of the church.
A general eccumenical council was recognized as infallible as it was governed by the presence of the Holy Spirit. All popes since
Martin V have recognized the authority of this council as binding.
And who verified the presence of the Holy Spirit? It was the authority of the Bishops of the Church. You seem to think that there were just some random people about saying, “Oh, yes, I really feel the Spirit here.” The reason they could say the Spirit was present was because the Church’s Bishops were gathered in that place.
Further, the Council did not seek to “reform the corrupt morals of the Church” because the Church itself was not corrupt, never has been, nor ever will be. Individual members did commit abuses and thus disciplinary measures were declared. However, that is not at all what you portrayed it.
Generally, I am content to let you sink your own ship under the weight of your own absurdity. However, when you cite Councils incorrectly I do feel I ought to set the record straight.