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Dear CoD,

"What do you do when your bishop is disobedient to Rome? Follow the bishop or follow the Pope?"

If the bishop requires an intrinsically evil act, such as jumping off a bridge, disobedience is acceptable.

If the bishop requires something not intrinsically evil, such as exclusively saying the new rite publicly, obedience is required.

As for following the Holy Father, he has not directly instructed this priest to say the old rite. He has not generally instructed priests to say the old rite. He has said that priests MAY say the old rite WITH THEIR ORDINARY'S PERMISSION. Permission not granted, this priest is actually disobeying the pope, too, by saying the old rite publicly (noting that he'd already been given permission to say it privately).

Thus, even if the bishop is being disobedient to the Holy Father by refusing the indult in his See, the priest is not obeying the Holy Father by disobeying the bishop.

Rather, he is disobeying the bishops AND disobeying the pope, in that the pope's permission for the indult REQUIRES the bishop's permission.

sitetest

No, the act need not be "intrinsically evil" to be resisted and disobeyed. You are raising the bar unnecessarily--which is telling to say the least. Interesting how the same people who proclaim the rights of conscience and of dissent are the first ones yammering about obedience when it's their own ox being gored.

Stay faithful to the Deposit of Faith, obey the Divine Law and when given a choice between violating that Law and violating a man-made rule, follow the Law.

narses, that's what I would say too.

sitetest, this bishop is not obeying a previous Pope's papal decree which stated all priests for all time have the right to say the Tridentine. It cannot be abrogated by anyone. Even the current hierarchy in Rome admits this. So, Rome is simutaneously saying, "You have the right to say the Tridentine and no one, not even another Pope can take that away but then again, you have to ask us permission." That is completely illogical and inconsistent.

Do you believe that one Pope can overturn a Council/Papal decree or ignore it completely? Can the Pope make up any new rule he wants?