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.
Just so. But the Church has been through bad times before. At the time of the Arian Heresy, which was supported by the Emperor Constantine, virtually every bishop in the Church supported the heretical side. Yet at the Council of Nicea, God stepped in and ensured that they made the right decision.
There even was an Arian elected Pope. But once he got elected, he changed his mind.
Yes, God will ultimately protect His Church. But in bad times like this, thousands or millions of souls are in danger of being lost because of bad teaching on the part of their bishops, priests, and religious instructors, not to mention ignorant fellow Catholics.
I have read all the documents of Vatican II, and numerous books and essays about them. There are no heresies, not a single word or phrase, although there are documents capable of being twisted and misinterpreted, and plenty of bishops and priests and nuns happy to twist them.
I’m afraid it does look like we’ll have to wait for yet another Pope before this mess is straightened out, unless Pope Francis suddenly has a conversion experience of some sort.
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What you’re saying is that this will put the Church into full schism.