Is the current pope a Christian? Is he in fact possessed of the Holy Spirit? Because if he is not then he is certainly illegitimate, no matter how he came to be in office.
The substitution of Benedict certainly looks and smells like a coup d’état.
How can you know? Guided by scripture and right reason and the workings of the Holy Spirit, you already know. How do you get through it? Guided by scripture, and right reason, and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Pray and look for God to move. Prepare to move as he says “move”. Bergoglio isn’t the Church. The Church is the Church. Christ is the head of the church.
If you remember, several months prior to Benedict’s resignation, there were a lot of rumors (and maybe more than rumors) about homosexual infiltration and blackmail “at the highest levels”. I believe, in fact, that some sort of document or dossier on the subject was presented to Benedict in December 2012.
He resigned shortly afterwards. This prompted the famous Q&A wherein Francis said “who am I to judge?”, which closed the subject.
If I were a conspiracist, I would inquire about how Msgr. Ganswein managed to remain in his Vatican job while also continuing to serve Benedict.