There are limits to obedience
A Catholic distinguishes himself by his adherence to the authority of the papacy. Our Lord Jesus promised the Church under the leadership of Peter would prevail. But that does not mean there is never a time when disobedience to the Pope is not only allowed but necessary. That time is when the pope is not obeying himself, meaning not obeying the doctrines and traditions that have been established under the papacy through the centuries – by popes who have guarded the teaching and the tradition. We are in such a time now. Dr Peter Kwasniewski discusses obedience below.
*****
True Obedience vs. Revolution in the Church
PETER KWASNIEWSKI, Crisis Magazine, 23 December 2021
For Catholics seeking to act uprightly before God and men, it is no exaggeration to say that discerning the nature and limits of the virtue of obedience is becoming the most critical question of the day.
In the civil as well as ecclesiastical spheres, Catholics face mounting pressure to submit to rulings or commands that are increasingly at odds with the teaching of Scripture, Tradition, and even natural reason. In the Church, no better illustration of such a troubling diktat can be found than that of Pope Francis’ motu proprio Traditionis Custodes and the Congregation for Divine Worship’s Responsa Ad Dubia, restricting access to the traditional sacramental rites and intending their eventual elimination from the life of the Church.
What is a faithful Catholic to do?
I offer the following excerpt from my forthcoming book, True Obedience in the Church, as an analysis of this aspect of the revolution currently underway in the Church and as a summons to practical action for Catholic clergy and laity.