Suppose - and I hope it is unlikely, although I don’t know - the Pope explained tomorrow that, like the ELCA, he ‘understood’ that the teaching of scripture is that our love for each other supports homosexual behavior/ordination. After all, didn’t Jesus say, “1 Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. 3Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?”
After all, who are we to condemn love, when we are sometimes unloving?
But, you say, scripture condemns homosexuality as sin!
Not to a faithful Catholic! Not if the Catholic Church interprets it in the way I describe. It is Sola Ecclesia - if the Church is the infallible interpreter of scripture, then scripture ‘says’ anything the church wants it to say.
And is my scenario any more far-fetched than Mariology, based on one verse in Luke using a past perfect participle before grace, and Eve in Genesis? Frankly, there is more scriptural basis for promoting homosexuality than there is for Mariology - although both are beyond believing for anyone who cares what scripture says.
Perhaps you should read what happened to Nestorius and how is tongue rotted in his mouth for blaspheming the Blessed Mother?
You both raise the possibility of a papal apostasy. In 630 Puget speaks of a pope possibly converting to Islam (well, literally, what you say simply makes no sense as “Allah” is simply Arabic for “God”, but I understand what you are getting at). Then Mr. Roger suggests that the pope embraces homosexuality.
We have had bad popes but we never had an apostate pope. Historically, bad popes were of bad behavior or were bad administrators, but they did not leave any doctrinal mark. The Holy Ghost seems to have guided the Church very well so far.
But let us say, a future pope commits an apostasy and attempts to proclaim it dogmatically. Well, if so, the Pope will leave the Church and a new pope will be elected. There will be massive confusion, yes. But the Church won’t fail.
The pope is not a commander in chief. He is not even like an American president, free to work out whatever he wants with the other branches of government. He is absolutely bound by the teaching of his venerable predecessors, and those of the entire Church. You, Mr Roger, noticed that as you were reading some apostolic constitution on Mary, didn’t you?
It is the perennial hope of the liberalizers in the Church that a Pope one day will have woman priests or allow contraception, etc. He cannot do that: he cannot alter existing teaching on faith and morals. All he can do is refine an existing belief, apply it to new conditions and define forms of worship.
We are very safe. We know for a fact (Mt. 16:18) what the final chapter will be: we win.