Catholics/papal sin

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Expert: - 1/21/2009


Question
If the current pope was living in sin and he refused to repent,does the church take steps to remove him?

Answer
The short answer is that:

1) The pope sins, as do we all.
2) Sins do not negate the office.

There have been times when popes have stepped down, but the church does not depose popes precisely because of the special authority promised to the pope.  Even Peter sinned (and Paul corrected him), but this did not negate his authority.

Councils can be called and it can be heavily encouraged that the current pope step down, but to my knowledge there is no formal means of deposing a pope.  They either die or step down.

See also:
http://www.cmri.org/02-bellarmine-roman-pontiff.html  

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J.M.J. West

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I will make an attempt at almost any question. I am a trained Catechist and Apologist, and I can answer most questions regarding: -Church Doctrine -Biblical questions (I have a cursory understanding of Greek, Hebrew and Aramaic) -Catholic Philosophy -History of the Church (especially the early church) -Apologetic questions (i.e. why we believe what we believe) -Ethics I look forward to your questions!

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I work as the College Catechist of Benedictine College in Atchison, KS, and the Director of RCIA. I am a revert to the Catholic faith and had to learn my way home, so to speak.

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B.A. Philosophy, Benedictine College B.A. History, Benedictine College

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