It is an amazing and repetitive occurrence one sees as the Church is immune to fall albeit not to heresy. Heresy reached as high as the second highest see of the Church. There was more than one heretical Bishop of Constantinople, and each and every time the orthodox bishops from the east sought refuse with the Bishop of Rome who, for all you know, could have been a less than exemplary person but whose office maintained steadfast orthodoxy.
+John Chrysostom and +Maximus the Confessor come to mind as people who sought support among orthodox popes, and the one Confessor knew was the one who was actually, post-mortem, excommunicated for allowing but not agreeing with the heresy of the Bishop of Constantinople! So, something protects the Church. And it ain't any fallible or brainy men.
Most definitely. And it certainly is not "public opinion" polls. I am thinking in particular the heresy of Arianism. St. Jerome once said "the world woke up one day to find itself Arian", when describing the speed in which many people in the Church turned to this heresy. It was only particular orthodox saints of the day guided by God, St. Athanasius corresponding with the Bishop of Rome before and after Nicea, especially, that the Church maintained its orthodoxy. Public opinion polls would have led us to regard Jesus as a different essence then the Father.
By the way, it is noteworthy that both Greeks and Latins consider the Confessor a major saintly figure in our respective communities who upheld the Holy Tradition of the Apostles in the face of heretics - who sometimes were political powers. I believe that St. Leo would be another.
something protects the Church. And it ain't any fallible or brainy men.
One only needs to look at the Medieval popes for proof of that. No doubt something supernatural was guiding these otherwise very poor quality men to continue in the teachings of the Church unadultered.
Regards