Not being an expert in Roman Catholic church government, can someone make this simple for me? Is there not a way to remove an errant pope? I know it might be difficult, but it ought to be possible.
Or are the Cardinals, like the Republicans, terrified of the media bashing them for opposing the first “South American” Pope?
“Is there not a way to remove an errant pope?”
There was in the time of the Borgias.
There is actually no legal process for removing a Pope. I.e., there is no process in Canon Law for doing so.
If the entire College of Cardinals, or a large majority of them, were to become convinced that a Pope was a) not Pope, by reason of heresy; b) proving himself totally unqualified for the job or harmful to the Church, they could communicate their belief to the Pope, using whatever means at their disposal to persuade him to resign.
As we know, a Pope can resign.