Referring to one who rejects the
legitimacy of a Pope who has been accepted as such by the Church, John of St.
Thomas wrote:
“Whoever would deny that a particular man is
pope after he has been peacefully and canonically accepted, would not only be a
schismatic, but also a heretic; for, not only would he rend the unity of
the Church, just as those do who from the beginning elect two popes, so that it
cannot be known which is the true one; but he would also add to this a perverse
doctrine, by denying that the man accepted by the Church is to be regarded as
the pope and the rule of faith.
Pertinent here is the teaching of St. Jerome (Commentary on Titus,
chapter 3) and of St. Thomas (IIa IIae Q. 39 A. 1 ad 3), that every schism
concocts some heresy for itself, in order to justify its withdrawal from the
Church. Thus, although schism is
distinct from heresy, in most cases it is accompanied by the latter, and
prepares the way for it. In the case at
hand, whoever would deny the proposition
just stated would not be a pure schismatic, but also a heretic, as Suarez also
reckons.”
