Sedevacantism is the position of those Catholics who refuse to recognize Jorge Bergoglio as a true pope. The sedevacantists affirm that the See of Peter is vacant, on account of the apostasy from the faith on the part of the official hierarchy, since the promulgation, in 1965, of the documents of the Second Vatican Council. The sedevacantist reasoning is quite simple, and the facts on which it is based are empirically verifiable. When one compares the teachings of the Church before and after Vatican II, it is easy to realize that there was a substantial change in doctrine.

But the Church cannot substantially change its own teaching, since it enjoys a special assistance of the Holy Ghost by which it is infallible in questions of faith and morals, and therefore indefectible, that is, the Church will remain the same, as Christ founded it, until the end of times.

By the way, the infallibility and indefectibility of the Church are truths of faith, that is, if someone were to deny it its prerogatives, he would cease, by that very fact, to be a Roman Catholic. The only valid conclusion is that the hierarchy responsible for the doctrinal rupture in Vatican II, lacks all ecclesiastical authority. If we apply this to the papacy, it simply means that the See of Peter is vacant. Thus the term “sedevacantism”.

But, how is it that the See of Peter has been vacant for such a long time? Even though Vatican II gave origin to a new religion, it nevertheless did not found, in a juridical sense, a new church. The faculty to designate the pope belongs still today to the cardinals.

Heresy, which is an obstacle to jurisdiction or ecclesiastical authority, is not an obstacle to the power of designation, which is a human faculty. Since the cardinals, responsible for electing the pope, also adhere to the Vatican II teachings, the vacancy of the See will continue as long as this situation remains unchanged, that is, until the election of a candidate capable of receiving authority. For that to happen, one or more Cardinals must return to the Catholic faith. Well… difficult… yes… But let us remember that what is impossible for men, is easy for God.

Why does God permit this situation? A general principle is valid here: God allows evil to happen in order to draw from it a greater good. Sacred Scripture speaks about a general apostasy, a defection of the Christian West, which in turn will be the occasion for the conversion of the Jewish People.

Let us not forget that the rejection of Christ by the Jews became the occasion for the spread of the true faith among the Gentiles. If we look at it with the eyes of faith, living in these times is quite a privilege for true Catholics. If this is the first time you have heard about sedevacantism, read more about it, do some research. As you can see, there is much at stake.