Pledge your prayers for Bp. Strickland HERE
(LifeSiteNews) — We all know that Vatican I infallibly taught that the Pope is the supreme governor of the Universal Church, with universal jurisdiction over disciplinary matters. But what would happen should we receive a bad Pope, and what can bishops do if said Pope attempts to oust them from their dioceses without cause?
My guest today on this important episode of The John-Henry Westen Show is Dr. Peter Kwasniewski. He discusses with me the role of bishops in the Church and their relationship with the Pope in light of the recent apostolic visitation paid to Bishop Joseph Strickland of Tyler, Texas, an outspoken critic of Pope Francis. We also discuss the ousting of Puerto Rican Bishop Daniel Fernandez Torres last year.
Kwasniewski discusses the role of bishops in the Church, beginning by stating that authority is part of natural law and intended by God. He also tells me that if an authority commands beyond what it is capable of commanding – commanding something ultra vires – then it is not a command at all.
Connecting the issue with the papacy and the removal of bishops, Kwasniewski holds that if the Pope were to command something ultra vires, such as remove a bishop without due cause, then people would not be bound to follow the command.
“I would argue … that if a pope removed a bishop arbitrarily for no good cause, there was no canonical process, there was no reason given and no reason could be discovered … then that act would be null and void,” Kwasniewski maintains. “The Pope can only remove somebody for just cause; he can’t arbitrarily remove people.”
“The papacy is not a tyranny, it’s a monarchy, and we have to remember that,” Kwasniewski continued.
Kwasniewski also explained the issue in light of what the Church teaches, referring to the document Lumen gentium of Vatican II. Reciting the document, Kwasniewski points out that the role of bishops in the Church is to “nurture” the whole flock of the Church, not just in their own diocese, as it is their duty to “safeguard the unity of faith and the discipline common to the whole Church,” something which they are bound to do by Christ’s ordinance. Nor are they to be considered as the Pope’s vicars.
He also goes into the nature of the episcopacy itself, stating that “if the Pope is not the source of [a bishop’s] episcopacy, then the Pope doesn’t have complete arbitrary authority over whether he gets to serve his flock as a bishop or not. That’s from Christ, it’s not from the Pope.”
“The Pope basically says, ‘You go to this diocese, I’m appointing you to this diocese, but it’s Christ who’s establishing you in authority over this diocese,’” Kwasniewski continued. “I’m not saying it’s an easy issue because these two spheres, they sort of collide in a way. The Pope has immediate supreme universal jurisdiction in the Church … which means, in practice he can do whatever is within the ambit of his authority to do, and nobody can stop him, and nobody is over him.”
Kwasniewski clarifies the position of the Pope’s authority by pointing out that it has limitations. Referencing the theological tradition of the Church, Kwasniewski states that theologians such as St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Robert Bellarmine, Francisco Suarez, and others maintain that the Pope, should he abuse his authority, can be subject to fraternal correction, and “even be resisted and disobeyed.”
For more on this fascinating topic, tune in to this episode of The John-Henry Westen Show, as well as read the articles Dr. Kwasniewski recommends about the topic below.
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Recommended reading
Peter Kwasniewski, ”Is the Pope the Vicar of Christ or CEO of Vatican, Inc?” (Catholic Family News)
“On the Common Good, Authority, and Obedience”
“Popes Who Fail to Rule for the Common Good”
“Honoring Authority by Refusing to Consent to Its Abuses”
Carlos A. Casanova, “The Duty of the Bishop and the Jurisdiction of the Pope” (OnePeterFive)
Pledge your prayers for Bp. Strickland HERE
