The Decretals were used by the Roman church to usurp authority it did not by right have any claim to. The system that developed from there on was developed from fraudulent authority based in lies. Now if you want to say that isn't an invalidation, then you are deluding yourself. Non-authority doesn't become authoritative just because you believe it. As regards myself, I'm certainly not stupid enough to buy into it. Knowing the truth ahead of time, there is no way I can ever view the Roman Church as having any legit authority. The Orthodox have their own problems. They are closer to Christianity than Romanism; but, I'm not buying into either. I have the real thing. I have Jesus living in me and the Holy Spirit operating in my life. I don't need to look to false doctrine to find what I already have. I can command demons in Jesus name because I have that authority as a child of God. I have done so. When you've seen creative miracles, you can't accept fraud for the real thing either.
Proof, Havoc? I'm still waiting for you to prove anything about the decretals. Anything.
SD
Bad rhetoric, Dave. The proof's in the pudding. You won't look at the pudding or taste it, you merely pick up the packaging your church offered and want to show us their picture of it and their description. I've presented the documents - which both by circumstance and by the types they are serve as proof in and of themselves in some cases - ie the effect on doctrine.
You have had proof before you. You're still trying to tell us that a black wall isn't a black wall - because you say so. Your clergy lied through it's teeth to try and take power over all of catholocism and anything that called itself christian. They caused a schism in the process. And they used forgeries and frauds to do it. It's no wonder Pius was so defensive about it in that 'we aren't responsible for the schism' remark. Couldn't fess up then, and won't fess up even now. Revisionists on inquisition, decretals, crusades..... It's sad the number of things your clergy has to lie about or distort nowadays. But mistating facts to bolster claims is standard - just like the non-unanimous unanimous consent. All noise and no substance.