Why won’t Bishop Schneider see that a heretic can’t be Pope?

(LifeSiteNews) — After about four months, I find myself responding once more to Bishop Schneider, who has reiterated his concerns about Pope Francis’s doctrinal errors. 

Today also marks the anniversary of Bishop Schneider’s priestly ordination, so I extend my congratulations. I have known Bishop Schneider for many years; we’ve met on several occasions, and I hold him in deep esteem and gratitude. 

In an interview with Catholic radio host Joe McClane, streamed yesterday, Monday, March 24, 2025 [1], Bishop Schneider listed the errors that Pope Francis—or his successor—should correct. He called for public prayers asking that Pope Francis repent, formally withdraw some of his documents, and correct the doctrinal errors he has spread or helped to spread. 

Here is a non-verbatim summary of what, according to Bishop Schneider, Francis (or his successor) should do:  

• Clearly state that Jesus is the only Savior—no other religions. 

• Teach clearly the Church’s doctrine on sexuality, as divinely established. 

• Clearly affirm the indissolubility of marriage. 

• Emphasize the intrinsic evil of sexual acts outside of marriage, especially homosexual acts. 

• Condemn LGBT groups that promote a sexuality contrary to Christian morality. 

• Retract the allowance of Communion for divorced and remarried individuals (referring to the letter to the Argentine bishops). 

• Withdraw Fiducia Supplicans, which he describes as confusing, blasphemous, scandalous, a sophism, and a shame for the Church. 

• Withdraw the Abu Dhabi Document on Human Fraternity. 

• Halt the Synodal Path, which is undermining the divine structure of the Church and is, according to him, a trick to “Protestantize” the Church. Instead, meetings should be held to celebrate the beauty of the Catholic Church and liturgy, to share the Church’s treasures (its saints and martyrs), and to promote the Kingship of Jesus Christ. 

Coincidentally, my new book I Will Give You the Keys has just been published. In it, completely unrelated to current events, I address the theoretical issue of a heretical Pope. 

This topic has been widely explored in canon law for centuries, and the conclusion now commonly accepted—though not codified in law—can be summarized as follows: the papacy and heresy are incompatible. 

This principle encompasses all possible cases:  

• Only a member of the Catholic Church may be elected Pope. 

• The election of a heretic to the See of Peter would be invalid. 

• If a Pope were to fall into heresy—even material heresy—so long as it is manifest, he would lose his office. However, this has never happened historically. No validly elected Pope has ever lost the papacy due to heresy. For classical theologians, this is proof that Divine Providence will never allow a Pope to deviate from the faith—not only when speaking ex cathedra (which is impossible due to the dogma of papal infallibility), but even when speaking through his non-infallible magisterium. 

For all sources supporting these brief statements, I refer the reader to my book. I cannot reproduce here the full research that leads to these conclusions due to space constraints.  

There remains, of course, the case of an invalidly elected man. Such a person would not be Pope and therefore could fall into heresy without challenging dogma or canon law.  

I do not wish to express myself here on the specific case of Pope Francis. However, I want to adopt Bishop Schneider’s premise—that Pope Francis was validly elected—and highlight the internal contradiction of his position. I have already spoken on this matter, but I believe it is necessary to return to the subject.  

Bishop Schneider’s words depict a paradoxical and unprecedented scenario: a Pontiff who, far from being the guardian of the faith, instead of confirming his brothers in the faith, would have spread doctrinal errors of the utmost gravity.  

I do not wish to argue here whether the various documents cited could constitute the crime of heresy, even material heresy. I merely note that Amoris Laetitia and the letter to the Argentine bishops—both of which Bishop Schneider asks Pope Francis to retract—have been explicitly identified as acts of the authentic magisterium [2]. 

It is important to recall that the authentic magisterium, while not definitive, is nonetheless true (authentic, in fact) and requires religious submission of intellect and will. This involves not only external but also deep internal assent, to which every Catholic is bound.  

As I wrote in my book, the authentic magisterium must follow the rule of organic development. What comes later cannot completely contradict or overturn what was previously taught. Developments are possible, but not reversals. And here I encounter an insurmountable difficulty.  

I agree with Bishop Schneider in that this document and the others mentioned contradict doctrine. They are not examples of organic development. There is no way they can be regarded as such. They are true contradictions. In some cases, they directly oppose the words of the Gospel—for instance, Jesus’s words on the indissolubility of marriage and the gravity of adultery.  

How is it possible to think that a Pope could go that far?  

I explain in my book that the present time poses challenges never faced before. The very nature of the magisterium has changed: the ordinary non-infallible magisterium now carries such weight that the classical approach—focused on ex cathedra pronouncements—is no longer sufficient. 

Furthermore, to speak of heresy, one must prove that truths to be believed by divine and Catholic faith are being denied. But what about “pastoral orientations” that trigger heterodox practices? 

Cardinal Müller has stated: “Some of Pope Francis’ statements are formulated in such a way that they could be reasonably understood as material heresy, independent of their unclear subjective meaning.”[3] 

He also spoke of a “heresy of practice.”[4] 

Commenting on Fiducia Supplicans, Cardinal Müller said: “To bless these persons as same-sex couples is to approve their unions, even if they are not equated with marriage. This is therefore a doctrine contrary to the teaching of the Catholic Church, since its acceptance, even if not directly heretical, logically leads to heresy.”[5] 

All this is deeply troubling and calls for serious reflection: if Pope Francis was validly elected, we are faced with a Supreme Pontiff who may have fallen into heresy (and thus, as I explain in my book, would have lost the papacy), or who is at least contradicting truths of faith rooted in Revelation and the constant Magisterium. 

Predictably, some will cite historical cases of “heretical Popes.” 

To them I say: St. Robert Bellarmine (Doctor of the Church) and Francisco Suárez (one of the greatest late-Renaissance scholastic theologians) both maintained that no Pope has ever been a heretic. A review of the commonly cited cases confirms this. At most, they expressed views on matters not yet defined at the time and which involved very subtle theological questions. 

According to Bishop Schneider, Pope Francis is contradicting the very foundations of Catholicism: the salvific uniqueness of Jesus Christ, the condemnation of adultery, the condemnation of homosexual acts (not of the inclination itself—on this delicate issue I prefer not to create misunderstandings). 

These are not unresolved theological intricacies like the divine and human wills of Jesus, His nature, or the Beatific Vision. 

In his interview, Bishop Schneider calls Fiducia Supplicans confusing, blasphemous, and scandalous, a shame for the entire Church [6]. 

Can a Pope, then, sign a document that is confusing, blasphemous, scandalous, a disgrace to the Church? 

RELATED: ‘There cannot be a heretical Pope’: Fr. Giorgio Maria Faré responds to Bishop Schneider

In a previous interview with Raymond Arroyo regarding Pope Francis’s statement in Singapore, “All religions are paths to God,” [7] Schneider remarked: “Such affirmation of Pope Francis, which you quoted, is clearly against divine revelation. It contradicts directly the first commandment of God, which is ever valid: ‘You shall not have other gods besides Me.’ This is so clear, and such a statement [as Francis’] contradicts the entire Gospel, where Jesus Christ said, ‘No one comes to the Father except through Me.’ He is the only way to God. There are no other ways or paths. So, in this statement, sadly, regrettably, Pope Francis plainly contradicts the first commandment of God and the entire Gospel.” [8] 

To admit that a Pope can go that far is to admit that a Pope can contradict the faith—and thereby strip the papacy of its fundamental and constitutive characteristics: “You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church” (Mt 16:18), “Strengthen your brothers”(Lk 22:32). 

If such a possibility is admitted, it undermines the foundations of the Church itself. If Peter, instead of being a rock, becomes a sand dune, then the entire Church is doomed to be swept away. 

But this cannot be. The Church is not a human institution. It cannot end up like a multinational corporation led by a reckless CEO. 

In conclusion, we cannot continue to ignore the gravity of the problem raised. If a validly elected Pope can openly contradict truths of the faith, sign documents that overturn Catholic doctrine, confuse the faithful, and sow ambiguity, then we are facing an unprecedented ecclesiological short circuit. And this cannot be trivialized or accepted as a mere “moment of crisis”, leaving the solution to a future Pope. 

The Catholic faith is not a negotiable construction to be adapted according to the times or the agenda of whoever temporarily leads it. If indeed—as Bishop Schneider claims—certain magisterial acts are blasphemous and scandalous, then we must have the courage to draw the consequences: either the validity of the election must be questioned, or we must affirm—with all that entails—that we are facing the realization of a theoretical case never before seen: a Pope who contradicts the faith. In such a case, we cannot simply wait. The canonical machinery already envisioned by classical theologians must be activated to declare the loss of the papacy. There are no third options. 

Those who today choose to live with this contradiction, who try to hold together both error and legitimacy, end up undermining the authority of the papacy far more than those who dare to raise the issue clearly. In the name of misguided prudence, they end up abandoning the truth. But when faith is at stake, the truth cannot be watered down or postponed. 

ENDNOTES

1. “A Catholic Take | Bp. Athanasius Schneider on Pope Francis & The Next Man on the Balcony” https://www.youtube.com/live/naLhyddHMX8?si=QaqMGXZ_HU_5cuNt  
2. Cfr. Región Pastoral de Buenos Aires, «Criterios básicos para la aplicación del capítulo VIII de Amoris Laetitia», AAS 108 (2016)1072-1074; Dicasterium pro Doctrina Fidei, “‘Appunto’ for the audience with the Holy Father: response to a series of questions posed by His Eminence Dominik Cardinal Duka, O.P., regarding the administration of the Eucharist to divorced people living in a new union”, protocol no. 311/15. This document also emphasizes that the Apostolic Exhortation Amoris Laetitia is a “document of the ordinary pontifical Magisterium, toward which all are called to offer the obseqium of intellect and will.” 
3. Card. Gerhard Müller, “Cardinal Müller: Some statements by Pope Francis could be understood as material heresy”, LifeSite News, 9 November 2023 https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/cardinal-muller-some-statements-by-Pope-francis-could-be-understood-as-material-heresy/). 
4. “Müller argued that through Francis’ implicit promotion and toleration of same-sex ‘blessings’ and Holy Communion for the divorced and civilly ‘remarried,’ the Pope is fostering a ‘heresy of practice’” (ibid). 
5. Card. Gerhard Müller, “Does Fiducia Supplicans affirm heresy?”, 16 February 2024, https://firstthings.com/does-fiducia-supplicans-affirm-heresy. 
6. “Then the entire document Fiducia Supplicans — which is a sophistry, which is really, confusion, and a blasphemy in some way — must be completely retracted. This is blasphemous. This is scandalous. This is pure sophistry, I repeat. It’s a shame, this document, for the entire Church.”
7. Francis, “Singapore, Interreligious Meeting with the Youth, 13 September 2024, Pope Francis,” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0M9vzZZzv4.  
8. Bishop Athanasius Schneider, “The World Over September 26, 2024 | NEW BOOK: FLEE FROM HERESY: Bishop Athanasius Schneider,” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eteg1snAn5Q