[Elsie]

In short: don't do papolatry.

A simple yes/no for you:

Is Francis a valid pope?

[Mrs. Don-o]

I don't know whether you mean to distinguish between the pope being "valid" and the pope being "licit." There's controversy right now --- outside of the sedevacantist circles--- about the lawfulnes of his munus and his ministry.

I am not a sedevacantist. However, I hold that there is reasonable argument on both sides. You can read about one strand of the controversy at a current Free Republic post here, Is there a Suspense of... [Pope Francis's] Petrine Magisterium?

If you have any questions about that, though I'm no canonist, be specific and I'll explain as well as I can.