Right now this report is just a trial balloon from the Synod, albeit a distressing one. If Francis, at the end of the process, presumes to declare a new teaching ex cathedra that is unequivocally contrary to faith and morals, he will have formally and publicly apostasized, and all Catholics will not only be released from obedience to him, but will also be required to oppose him and any bishop or priest who accepts his false teaching or commands the faithful to obey it.
While this event would no doubt be devastating, it would also be a salutary corrective to exaggerated notions of papal impeccability that are no less pernicious than modernist notions of the papacy as a mere office of honour without real authority.
The Holy Spirit's gift of infallibility will prevent an ex cathedra statement that is unequivocally contrary to faith and morals. So no worries there.
HOWEVER, Our Lord did not guarantee that the Holy Spirit would protect against a pope who implements a "pastoral practice" that has the effect of watering down the faith to such a degree that it becomes essentially heretical. That's the danger here - that the pope will implement practices that create a fig leaf that allows them to claim they have not changed doctrine, when in practice they have done exactly that.
... and all Catholics will not only be released from obedience to him, but will also be required to oppose him and any bishop or priest who accepts his false teaching or commands the faithful to obey it.
We will only be released from obedience to the pope in those matters where he has in practice deviated from the faith. If the pope promulgates a practice that is essentially heretical, I, for one, will personally confront my archbishop and ask him if he plans to implement such a practice. If so, then I will charitably offer him a fraternal correction and will not obey him in that matter. Same for my parish priest. At the parish level it will almost certainly require me to find a parish where the priest refuses to acquiesce to the new policy.
I've been praying and sacrificing for they synod since it was first announced. That's all I can do at this point. But if and when such a disaster formally happens, then that will drastically change things. I will no longer have the confidence that the pope or any bishop or priest who goes along, has the requisite intention to "do what the church does" when consecrating the Eucharist, hearing confession, baptizing, etc.
In other words, I fear that I will be left without the sacraments because they will be invalid, due to lack of proper intent on the part of the celebrant.
What is the mechanism by which a statement by the Pope is ruled in error? I’m not being sarcastic, what is the process?
the chance of that falls somewhere between "0" and none....it hasn't happened in 2,014 years and it isn't about to happen now...