Sedevacantism, a Moral Imperative - Fr. Michael DeSaye 09-30-24

1. Main SummaryFr. Michael DeSaye addresses the renewed interest in sedevacantism following Jorge Bergoglio’s recent statement that “all religions are paths to God.” He begins by distinguishing between the commonly used but ultimately insufficient “heretical pope” argument and a more solid, irrefutable argument based on the Church’s teaching on papal infallibility and indefectibility.The “heretical pope” argument—while simple and appealing—lacks the support of Scripture, Tradition, canon law, or magisterial teaching on what should be done if a pope becomes a heretic. No Church Father, theologian, or catechism instructs the faithful to treat the See as vacant on that basis alone.Instead, Fr. DeSaye uses an unassailable premise: if a man officially teaches error in faith or morals to the universal Church, he cannot be the Roman Pontiff, because the Holy Ghost prevents a true pope from doing so. Vatican I (1870) defined that the faith will always be preserved in the See of Peter. Since the Novus Ordo “popes” have taught such errors—particularly religious indifferentism—they cannot be true popes.He demonstrates that accepting them as true popes would imply that the Catholic Church has defected and become a “temple of lies,” something contrary to its very nature as indefectible and the pillar and ground of truth. Therefore, sedevacantism is not just permissible but necessary to preserve the Catholic faith and the Church’s indefectibility.2. Doctrinal ContextFr. DeSaye’s argument rests on two dogmatic principles:Infallibility of the Pope in Universal Teaching – Defined by Vatican I and affirmed by Pope Pius XII, the Pope, when teaching the universal Church on faith or morals—even outside solemn definitions—cannot teach error.Indefectibility of the Church – The Church can never fail in her mission to save souls or teach truth; to say otherwise is to accuse Christ of founding a defective Church.This context undercuts the common modern claim that papal teaching is only rarely infallible and usually subject to error. Fr. DeSaye stresses that to deny the reliability of the Magisterium is to destroy the credibility of the Church itself.3. Key Quotes“There is no dogma on what to do with a heretical pope… Therefore, those who rely on this argument find themselves lacking support.”“If anyone should promulgate errors against faith or morals to the Catholic Church universally, then it is impossible that that man be the Roman Pontiff.”“If we accept these men as true popes, then we would have to say that Rome has lost the faith—and we are prohibited from saying this.”“The Catholic Church can never become a temple of lies… It is indefectible.”“Who would join a church in which the people considered their supreme teacher to be subject to error most of the time? This is madness.”“If the teachings of the Church could in any way be false, then God Himself would be the author of error in man.”“To not be a sedevacantist is to admit that Christ gave us a false and defective Church.”4. Key Points & TakeawaysFlawed Popular Argument – The “heretical pope” argument has no binding magisterial or canonical precedent to justify treating the See as vacant.Solid Dogmatic Basis – The indefectibility of the Church and the infallibility of papal universal teaching provide an irrefutable proof against the legitimacy of Vatican II “popes.”Vatican II Religion Contradicts Catholic Doctrine – Religious indifferentism has been officially promulgated in the Novus Ordo religion, proving it is not Catholic.Magisterium’s Reliability is Absolute – Papal teachings to the universal Church cannot be dismissed as “probably wrong”; this is contrary to both faith and reason.Sedevacantism as Necessity – To preserve faith in Christ’s promises and the Church’s indefectibility, one must conclude the Vatican II claimants are not true popes.5. ConclusionFr. DeSaye concludes that sedevacantism is not a personal choice or extremist reaction but a moral and theological necessity. The Church’s infallibility and indefectibility are divinely guaranteed; thus, any claimant to the papacy who officially teaches doctrinal error cannot truly be pope. Accepting them as such would require believing that Christ’s Church has defected—a blasphemous impossibility. Therefore, Catholics must reject the Vatican II hierarchy and remain faithful to the unbroken tradition of the Church.6. Commentary from a Sedevacantist Pre–Vatican II PerspectiveFr. DeSaye’s reasoning is entirely consistent with pre-Vatican II theology, especially the teachings of Vatican I, Pope Pius XII (Humani Generis), and St. Thomas Aquinas on the indefectibility of the Church. His rejection of the “heretical pope” argument as a primary proof aligns with the caution of pre-1958 theologians who recognized the speculative nature of that scenario.Instead, he grounds his conclusion in what is certain: that the Magisterium of the Church, when teaching universally on faith or morals, is protected from error by the Holy Ghost. This position destroys the modernist narrative that Vatican II’s doctrinal reversals can coexist with papal legitimacy.By showing that the Vatican II religion officially teaches heresy—religious indifferentism—Fr. DeSaye proves it is not the Catholic Church but a counterfeit. This mirrors the traditional Catholic insistence that “where Peter is, there is the Church”—and that if there is no Catholic faith, there is no Peter.His sermon offers not merely a defense of sedevacantism but a pastoral warning: accepting the Vatican II claimants as true popes undermines one’s faith in the Church’s divine constitution. The only faithful response is to hold fast to the faith and sacraments of the pre-Vatican II Church, praying for the restoration of a true pope.TrueCatholicFaith.com