POPE FRANCIS - A HERETIC? ON THE PUNISHMENT OF HERETICS AND ESPECIALLY OF THE POPE WHO HAS BECOME A HERETIC WILLIAM OF OCKHAM Dial. 7 CHP. XLIII

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Chapter 43

Student: I am uncertain, should some powerful pope favoured by kings and princes ever become a heretic, that "a lying spirit" will be "in the mouth of all prophets" [2 Chronicles 18:21], or of many prophets, i.e. of doctors who, according to blessed Gregory (one reads this in dis. 43 c. Sit rector)[col. 153] are termed 'prophets' in Holy Writ. For that reason I intend to ask many questions (to which you will endeavour to respond briefly) about the doctors who will perhaps exist at the time of a heretic pope. First of all, however, discuss whether, should the pope be a heretic, doctors and masters would be obligated to preach against his false doctrine and effectively reject it.

Master: The answer is that, depending on time and place, and taking into account appropriate circumstances, all doctors, whether they are masters or hold a different teaching appointment in the faculty of theology, or whether they are simply charged with the function of preaching to the people, are bound by necessity of salvation to effectively reject the pope's erroneous doctrine (especially if this doctrine is popularized, taught and maintained in the presence of those among whom the doctors exercise the aforementioned functions), and to assert solidly the contrary truth. It appears that one can prove this in many ways. First indeed in this manner. In every physical and spiritual conflict paramount praise seems afforded to fighters who, indissolubly supporting their leader, endeavour to destroy his stronger, more dangerous, and deadlier enemies with proportionally commensurate energy. But in the army of Catholics opposing the heretic multitudes, doctors seem to be granted the leading role or at least not the most humble. According to Innocent III (we have it in Extra, De hereticis, Cum ex iniuncto)[col. 786] "the order of doctors is paramount, as it were, in the church". And Honorius III (we have it in Extra, Ne clerici vel monachi secularibus negotiis se immisceant, Super specula)[col. 660] describes preachers as 'fighters', saying: "but since we wish to magnify the study of theology, so that by expanding the location of its tents it might make its cords correspondingly longer, so that the catholic faith is protected by an unbreachable wall of fighters using them to successfully resist those who adversely confront it etc.", where the gloss comments on the word 'fighters': "i.e. preachers, who by the authority of Holy Writ can resist heretics arising against us and attacking us adversely".[cols. 1416-1417] Therefore the stronger, more dangerous, and deadlier should heretics prove to be, the more intensely should preachers and doctors endeavour to resist them and destroy them, attacking their doctrine by sacred authorities and effective arguments. But no heretic can be more dangerous or deadlier to the army of Catholics than a heretic pope. Indeed no other heretic could emulate the boldness or possess the following comparable to that of a heretic pope. Therefore doctors and masters must rise against the latter with particular zeal and with all their strength, attacking him openly and by ambushes, as well as by all appropriate methods.

Student: This argument does not appear to prove the point, for it is never the task of fighters to open hostilities, since according to blessed Augustine (we read this in 23 q. 1 c. Quid culpatur)[col. 893]: "the authority and competence to wage war resides in the rulers", where the gloss comments: "therefore no one may go to war without the authority of the ruler". [col. 1288] One gathers from these words that although all fighters must be ready for combat when the ruler orders it, no one, for all that, is allowed to go to war without the ruler's authority. Therefore even if (should the pope become a heretic) doctors and masters are bound to be ready for combat when war is proclaimed against the heretic pope by authority of the ruler, they must not, for all that, attack him on their own authority. Indeed, so long as the church tolerates him, doctors and masters must remain silent.

Master: Some deem this response to be worthless with respect to three points, which it seems to imply. The first is that spiritual war is not waged against a heretic pope by the very fact that he is a heretic but only as a consequence of the ruler's command. The second is that a heretic pope is in no way to be eliminated so long as the church tolerates him. The third is that under no circumstance is someone permitted to wage public or private war against an enemy without the ruler's authority. Some people naturally consider these three points to be utterly false.

That indeed the first one is false is shown in this manner. Against a heretic pope war has already been declared, both by the ruler of rulers, namely by our Lord Jesus Christ, and by his vicars the apostles. Indeed that Christ has clearly commanded spiritual war against a pope if the latter becomes a heretic appears from the following text of Matthew 10[: 34] where Christ states: "I came not to send peace but a sword". By 'sword' is meant the power to wage war. Therefore Christ granted the right to wage spiritual war to all Catholics. But the paramount war of Catholics seems to be against heretics, and no heretic is deadlier or more dangerous than a heretic pope, therefore spiritual war is to be waged above all against a heretic pope, nor must one await the ruler's command, since the command has already been issued by the ruler, Christ. And blessed Paul promulgated this command by Christ's authority, writing to the Ephesians, for he states in chapter 6: "take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day"[Ephesians 6:13], and afterwards: "your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God". [Ephesians 6:15-17] Although this command is addressed to all persons with respect to some matters, it appears nevertheless to specifically reference preachers and doctors as to particular activities. For it will be an evil day, indeed the worst of days, should a powerful pope favoured by kings and princes ever lapse into heretical wickedness. And many think it probable that at that time there would be such a threshing of Catholics as was not ever experienced since the beginning of Christianity, and yet the physical destruction of Christians for their faith would perhaps be nonexistent or insignificant. For although the multitude of Christians would perhaps undergo countless conflicts for the sake of worldly goods at the time of a heretic pope, it would nevertheless suffer no persecution whatsoever for the faith, because the multitude would support the heretic pope willfully, spontaneously, and without being pressured or coerced, with perhaps very few people attempting to resist him, despite the fact that the Apostle warns everyone to take the armour of God so that in the evil day they might be able to resist a heretic pope. On the other hand, Paul specifically admonishes preachers and doctors to prepare themselves for resistance when he states: "your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace" [Ephesians 6:15] (here the gloss says: "i.e. that you may be ready to preach the gospel"[Glossa ordinaria to the Bible], and Paul declares how they ought to prepare when he states: "take the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God"[Ephesians 6:17]. This is known as particularly relevant to preachers and masters. It is their task to destroy all heretics, and especially a heretic pope, by the word of God wielded as the sharpest of swords. And thus the command to wage war against a heretic pope which had issued from Christ when he said " I came not to send peace but a sword", Paul publicly promulgated here when he asserted that "the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God" was to be taken up for the utter defeat of heretics. Whence the gloss also states in this context: "concerning this sword the Lord said 'I came not to send peace but a sword'"[Glossa ordinaria to the Bible]. Therefore both the master (Christ) and the disciple (Paul) speak of the identical sword, and hence it follows that the command to wage war against heretics and especially against a heretic pope has already been issued by the ruler, Christ.

Student: Provide other authorities, but without extensive discussion, whereby one proves that the command to wage spiritual war against a heretic pope has already been issued by the ruler.

Master: This may be gathered from the words of Christ when he states in Matthew 16: "take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees"[Matthew 16:6]. At first the apostles thought this referred to breads, but afterwards through Christ's explanation "they understood how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees"[Matthew 16:12]. But one must beware of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees only because it is contrary to catholic truth. Therefore if the doctrine of a heretic pope were contrary to catholic truth one would need to beware of it heartily. But preachers could not perform this warning task without spiritual combat, therefore a relevant command to wage war against a heretic pope has already been issued by Christ. Christ also conveyed this command when he stated in Matthew 10: "behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents"[Matthew 10:16] so that, to be sure, the doctrine of a heretic pope does not deceive you. Again, in Matthew 24[:4] he states: "take heed that no man deceive you". By these words Christ cautions all Catholics not to be deceived by anyone's false doctrine, whether he is a pope or someone else, and to unite boldly for the purpose of destroying it. Again, blessed Peter in chapter 5 of his First epistle states: "be vigilant, because your adversary the devil etc." (up to "steadfast in the faith")[1 Peter 5:8-9]. But if one must resist the devil by faith, then it is also proper for true believers to resist a heretic pope, who is one of the devil's main generals.

Student: Although these and other most numerous authorities seem to imply that it is proper for true believers to wage war against a heretic pope, they do not for all that specifically prove that preachers, doctors, and masters must preach and teach against a heretic pope and publicly reject his doctrine.

Master: It is conceded that the authorities advanced earlier and very many others are general ones, imposing on all Catholics the duty of waging spiritual war against a heretic pope. For since a heretic pope attacks the faith, and according to the Apostle "the faith is one"[Ephesians 4:5], that is the reason why all Catholics must wage war against a heretic pope as a common cause which unites them all. However, just as in an army which is preparing itself for physical combat not all perform the identical task, nor are all involved in physical combat (for clerks, although they must not actually slash and cut, may nevertheless participate in a just war to encourage others and to advise what is expedient for security; and many attendants of the active fighters are hardly fit for physical combat themselves), nor even do all active fighters attack enemies in the same way (for horsemen and footmen attack enemies differently

Student: My stated objection can be confirmed otherwise, since in all the authorities previously advanced no mention is made of a heretic pope. Therefore if these authorities show that preachers and doctors must reject the pope's false doctrine, by the same token they must attack the false doctrine of any heretic. But they are hardly bound to do this, because no preacher or doctor can possibly root out all the false doctrines of heretics.

Master: The answer is that even though there is no verbal mention of a heretic pope in the argued authorities, and therefore they must be understood of all heretics, and indeed of all wicked individuals, they must nevertheless be primarily applied to a heretic pope, because he would be more harmful than other heretics of lesser power who possessed a smaller contingent of followers. For if it is proper to wage spiritual war against such as are wicked and deceitful, then one must resist more strongly against those who are wicked to a higher degree, and who can more easily and expeditiously deceive the true believers. Therefore since a heretic pope has the power to deceive many people with greater ease and alacrity than other less significant heretics, he must be spiritually attacked with the utmost vigour.