Editor’s Note: Here Dr. Mazza argues against Father Brian Harrison, on the question of whether a Catholic can personally hold that a heretical pope is no longer the pope, before any judgement of the Church.
This discussion of Dr. Mazza’s I find disingenuous, because I know he knows of the Sutri Initiative, but he prefers to argue against Father Harrison, as a protestant might argue, since he only appeals to private judgement and crafts a rebuttal to Father Harrison, as if the Church did not possess a competent tribunal to judge whether the man who is the pope have a valid claim to be the pope.
Father Harrison, also — though he correctly asserts that Catholics must regard as valid all the canonical but non-heretical acts of a superior, even if he be a heretic, so long as the competent authority has not declared his heresy — neglects any mention of what is the competent authority to make such a declaration.
I scratch my head in seeing two learned men act like protestants argue in such a manner. Protestants could be alleged to not know what is the competent authority to depose a claimant to the Papacy. But I have to publicly rebuke Dr. Mazza and Fr. Harrison for engaging in such a debate while omitting the truth, as they are intentionally manipulating the Faithful who hear them and are intentionally keeping them in the dark about an historically verified truth of the juridic structure of the Church.
To both, I remind them, that to behave in such a manner will merit your eternal damnation, because it is sin to bear false witness against Holy Mother Church and to intentionally deceive your audience by your silence.
