[Mrs. Don-o]

You seem to be conflating disciplines with dogmas. It's a very easy mistake to make, and I can tell you for a fact that Catholics do it all the time. The validity of elections and so forth is a matter of canon law. That can change. It is not a doctrine of the Church.

If this present Pope wanted his successor to be chosen by taking a name out of a hat, he could do that and what would change is electoral practice, not a doctrine of the Faith.

Dogmas, properly called such, are very few and very firm.

[ealgeone]

You seem to be conflating disciplines with dogmas. It's a very easy mistake to make, and I can tell you for a fact that Catholics do it all the time. The validity of elections and so forth is a matter of canon law. That can change. It is not a doctrine of the Church.

If this present Pope wanted his successor to be chosen by taking a name out of a hat, he could do that and what would change is electoral practice, not a doctrine of the Faith.

But don't you think it casts a negative shadow of the papacy? I mean, he's supposed to be the vicar of Christ per rcc teaching. I'd think the rcc would want that selection to be as above board as possible.

[Elsie]

Dogmas, properly called such, are very few and very firm.

Yet they seem tom be SO hard to put into practice.