I’m curious...
This Pope is not the only false Pope... or usurper... in history ?
But, the split between the Church in Rome and the Eastern Orthodox branch addresses solutions that appear today to have already been accepted by the current Pope, given his ongoing “accommodation” of the Emperor Xi of China.
Having already sold off one branch of the church to the highest bidder... not the faithful... seems it should leave the rest of the Church in a quandary, whether merely curious about what they may be worth in the market, or ready to buy themselves out of Papal control as the “Chinese Church” has... seems it misses entirely the Eastern Orthodox solution... or the history of having competing Popes in different seats ?
How the Church in America chooses, knowing that the risks include sustaining consequences in the element of error this Pope has imposed, tied to the failure to address sexual abuse and pedophilia in a convincing way... seems too little addressed. And, its not like the loss of the Eastern churches (Orthodox and Chinese) are the only losses experienced. Is there another Martin Luther lurking out there ?
What makes this different is the general decline in any interest in Christianity in the West for people under 50. I don’t see how even 25% of the parishes in my area remain open 5-10 years from now.