O
Orionthehunter
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If a Pope were to attempt to teach on a matter of faith and morals that are contrary to Truth, Tradition, Scripture, Teaching he would immediately become a heretic and excommunicated.
See Below (found on this website johnthebaptist.us/sbw/rjmi/bkqrm.htm#_Toc139937095 but I’ve seen it on other ones too. Just can’t find that original):
A Pope can become a heretic and be Excommunicated
Laymen and clerics (bishops and priests), popes included, who become heretics are automatically excommunicated by the authority of Church law. This dogmatic truth is professed in the Papal Coronation Oath, the oath the pope takes when he takes possession of the papacy:
The Papal Coronation Oath: “I Vow: …To guard the holy canons and decrees of the Popes, as likewise the Divine Ordinances of Heaven, because I am conscious of Thee, Whose place I take through the grace of God, Whose Vicarship I possess with Thy support, being subject to the severest accounting before Thy divine tribunal over all that I confess. … If I should undertake to act in anything of contrary sense, or should permit that it will be executed, Thou willst not be merciful to me on the dreadful day of Divine Justice. Accordingly, without exclusion, we subject to the severest excommunication anyone - be it ourself, or be it another - who would dare to undertake anything new in contradiction to this constituted evangelic tradition and the purity of the Orthodox Faith and the Christian Religion, or would seek to change anything by his opposing efforts, or would concur with those who undertake such blasphemous venture.”[17]
Infallible vs. Fallible teachings of a pope
In the Papal Coronation Oath, the pope admits he can be excommunicated if he seeks to implement a teaching contrary to past infallibly defined dogmas (the orthodox faith). He obviously is not referring to teaching heresy in his infallible capacity, for that is impossible. He is referring to the public teaching of heresy in his official capacity as pope but in fallible documents in which he has not engaged his charism of infallibility. When a pope is not teaching infallibly (ex cathedra), he is said to be teaching in his private capacity. This is how a pope can publicly teach heresy and attempt to impose it upon Catholics. If he does, he becomes ipso facto excommunicated and deposed. This also protects the deposit of faith and Catholics from being infected with his heretical teachings.
The pope is the most responsible man on earth
There is a hierarchy of responsibility in the Church. The pope is the most responsible to know the faith, because he has the highest office, the papacy; then the Cardinals; then the bishops; then the priests; and then the laymen. Therefore, a pope is guiltier than bishops, priests, or laymen for falling into heresy. The popes and bishops, being of the ruling hierarchy, have no excuse for teaching heresy, even in relation to deeper dogmas.
(deleted for brevity to fit in CAF allowed limit)
A Commentary of Canon Law: “c. 2203. For greater diligence is required in important cases then in cases of a less serious nature. Besides, diligence must be applied in proportion to the position or condition of the agent or person, ex qualitate personae. For persons in a responsible position, like prelates, physicians, and lawyers, are justly supposed to employ more attention, and to consider more carefully than ordinary human beings the circumstances and consequences of an action they are about to perform. The general rule is that a man shall omit nothing of his own accord that he can and must do in order to dispel ignorance.” (vol. 8, p. 35, c. 2203.)
A Commentary on Canon Law: “Canon 2207 considers the personal and official circumstance. The higher the dignitary who commits a crime or against whom a crime is committed, the greater the crime itself. For not only is the scandal greater, but the law itself surrounds these persons with greater protection and inflicts severer penalties for crimes committed against them. Consequently clergymen are more severely punished than laymen. A heavier penalty must be meted out to calumniators of the clerical state than to detractors of the lay state. Heresy is more severely punishable in clerics than in laymen. But authority and office may be abused, and such abuse is the more detestable, the higher the office, and being an abuse of public trust, also enhances imputability.” (vol. 8, p. 45-6, c. 2207)
See Below (found on this website johnthebaptist.us/sbw/rjmi/bkqrm.htm#_Toc139937095 but I’ve seen it on other ones too. Just can’t find that original):
A Pope can become a heretic and be Excommunicated
Laymen and clerics (bishops and priests), popes included, who become heretics are automatically excommunicated by the authority of Church law. This dogmatic truth is professed in the Papal Coronation Oath, the oath the pope takes when he takes possession of the papacy:
The Papal Coronation Oath: “I Vow: …To guard the holy canons and decrees of the Popes, as likewise the Divine Ordinances of Heaven, because I am conscious of Thee, Whose place I take through the grace of God, Whose Vicarship I possess with Thy support, being subject to the severest accounting before Thy divine tribunal over all that I confess. … If I should undertake to act in anything of contrary sense, or should permit that it will be executed, Thou willst not be merciful to me on the dreadful day of Divine Justice. Accordingly, without exclusion, we subject to the severest excommunication anyone - be it ourself, or be it another - who would dare to undertake anything new in contradiction to this constituted evangelic tradition and the purity of the Orthodox Faith and the Christian Religion, or would seek to change anything by his opposing efforts, or would concur with those who undertake such blasphemous venture.”[17]
Infallible vs. Fallible teachings of a pope
In the Papal Coronation Oath, the pope admits he can be excommunicated if he seeks to implement a teaching contrary to past infallibly defined dogmas (the orthodox faith). He obviously is not referring to teaching heresy in his infallible capacity, for that is impossible. He is referring to the public teaching of heresy in his official capacity as pope but in fallible documents in which he has not engaged his charism of infallibility. When a pope is not teaching infallibly (ex cathedra), he is said to be teaching in his private capacity. This is how a pope can publicly teach heresy and attempt to impose it upon Catholics. If he does, he becomes ipso facto excommunicated and deposed. This also protects the deposit of faith and Catholics from being infected with his heretical teachings.
The pope is the most responsible man on earth
There is a hierarchy of responsibility in the Church. The pope is the most responsible to know the faith, because he has the highest office, the papacy; then the Cardinals; then the bishops; then the priests; and then the laymen. Therefore, a pope is guiltier than bishops, priests, or laymen for falling into heresy. The popes and bishops, being of the ruling hierarchy, have no excuse for teaching heresy, even in relation to deeper dogmas.
(deleted for brevity to fit in CAF allowed limit)
A Commentary of Canon Law: “c. 2203. For greater diligence is required in important cases then in cases of a less serious nature. Besides, diligence must be applied in proportion to the position or condition of the agent or person, ex qualitate personae. For persons in a responsible position, like prelates, physicians, and lawyers, are justly supposed to employ more attention, and to consider more carefully than ordinary human beings the circumstances and consequences of an action they are about to perform. The general rule is that a man shall omit nothing of his own accord that he can and must do in order to dispel ignorance.” (vol. 8, p. 35, c. 2203.)
A Commentary on Canon Law: “Canon 2207 considers the personal and official circumstance. The higher the dignitary who commits a crime or against whom a crime is committed, the greater the crime itself. For not only is the scandal greater, but the law itself surrounds these persons with greater protection and inflicts severer penalties for crimes committed against them. Consequently clergymen are more severely punished than laymen. A heavier penalty must be meted out to calumniators of the clerical state than to detractors of the lay state. Heresy is more severely punishable in clerics than in laymen. But authority and office may be abused, and such abuse is the more detestable, the higher the office, and being an abuse of public trust, also enhances imputability.” (vol. 8, p. 45-6, c. 2207)