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Sedevacantism ( la, Sedevacantismus) is a doctrinal position within
traditionalist Catholicism Traditionalist Catholicism is the set of beliefs, practices, customs, traditions, liturgical forms, devotions, and presentations of Catholic teaching that existed in the Catholic Church before the liberal reforms of the Second Vatican Council (1 ...
, which holds that the present occupier of the
Holy See The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of R ...
is not a
valid Validity or Valid may refer to: Science/mathematics/statistics: * Validity (logic), a property of a logical argument * Scientific: ** Internal validity, the validity of causal inferences within scientific studies, usually based on experiments ** ...
pope The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...
due to the pope's espousal of one or more
heresies Heresy is any belief or theory that is strongly at variance with established beliefs or customs, in particular the accepted beliefs of a church or religious organization. The term is usually used in reference to violations of important relig ...
and that therefore, for lack of a valid pope, the
See of Rome The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of Ro ...
is vacant. The term ''sedevacantism'' is derived from the Latin phrase ''
sede vacante ''Sede vacante'' ( in Latin.) is a term for the state of a diocese while without a bishop. In the canon law of the Catholic Church, the term is used to refer to the vacancy of the bishop's or Pope's authority upon his death or resignation. H ...
'', which means "with the chair .e. of the Bishop of Rome">Bishop_of_Rome.html" ;"title=".e. of the Bishop of Rome">.e. of the resignation Resignation is the formal act of leaving or quitting one's office or position. A resignation can occur when a person holding a position gained by election or appointment steps down, but leaving a position upon the expiration of a term, or choos ...
, the falling into insanity, or the public heresy of a pope to the election of his successor. Among those who maintain that the see of Rome, occupied by what they declare to be an illegitimate pope, was really vacant, some have chosen an alternative pope of their own, thereby in their view ending the vacancy of the see; such are known sometimes as ''conclavism">conclavists''. The number of sedevacantists is unknown and difficult to measure; estimates range from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands.


Positions


Origin

Sedevacantism owes its origins to the rejection of the theological and disciplinary changes implemented following the
Second Vatican Council The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the , or , was the 21st Catholic ecumenical councils, ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church. The council met in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome for four periods (or sessions) ...
(1962–65). Sedevacantists reject this Council, on the basis of their interpretation of its documents on ecumenism and Freedom of religion, religious liberty, among others, which they see as contradicting the traditional teachings of the Catholic Church and as denying the unique mission of Catholicism as the
one true religion Religious exclusivism, or exclusivity, is the doctrine or belief that only one particular religion or belief system is true. This is in contrast to religious pluralism. Buddhism Some attempts have been made to portray Buddhism in an exclusivis ...
, outside of which there is no salvation. They also say that new disciplinary norms, such as the
Mass of Paul VI The Mass of Paul VI, also known as the Ordinary Form or Novus Ordo, is the most commonly used liturgy in the Catholic Church. It is a form of the Latin Church's Roman Rite and was promulgated by Pope Paul VI in 1969, published by him in the 19 ...
, promulgated on 3 April 1969, undermine or conflict with the historical Catholic faith and are deemed blasphemous, while post-Vatican II teachings, particularly those related to ecumenism, are labelled heresies. They conclude, on the basis of their rejection of the revised Mass rite and of postconciliar church teaching as false, that the popes involved are also false. Among even
traditionalist Catholics Traditionalist Catholicism is the set of beliefs, practices, customs, traditions, liturgical forms, devotions, and presentations of Catholic teaching that existed in the Catholic Church before the liberal reforms of the Second Vatican Council ( ...
, this is a quite divisive question. Traditionalist Catholics other than sedevacantists recognize as legitimate the line of popes leading to and including
Pope Francis Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013. ...
. Sedevacantists, however, claim that the infallible
Magisterium The magisterium of the Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and larg ...
of the Catholic Church could not have decreed the changes made in the name of the Second Vatican Council, and conclude that those who issued these changes could not have been acting with the authority of the Catholic Church. Accordingly, they hold that
Pope John XXIII Pope John XXIII ( la, Ioannes XXIII; it, Giovanni XXIII; born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli, ; 25 November 18813 June 1963) was head of the Roman Catholic Church, Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City, Vatican City State from 28 Oc ...
and his successors left the true Catholic Church and thus lost legitimate authority in the church. A formal heretic, they say, cannot be the Catholic pope.


Justification

While Sedevacantists' arguments often hinge on their interpretation of
modernism Modernism is both a philosophical and arts movement that arose from broad transformations in Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement reflected a desire for the creation of new forms of art, philosophy, ...
as being a
heresy Heresy is any belief or theory that is strongly at variance with established beliefs or customs, in particular the accepted beliefs of a church or religious organization. The term is usually used in reference to violations of important religi ...
, this is also debated.


Positions within sedevacantism


On clergy, Mass, and sacraments

Some sedevacantists accept the consecrations and ordinations of sedevacantist bishops and priests, and the offering of Masses and the administration of sacraments by the said bishops and priests, to be licit because of ''epikea'',Most Rev.
Mark Pivarunas Mark Anthony Pivarunas (born 31 October 1958) is an American sedevacantist Traditionalist Catholic bishop and the Superior General of the Congregation of Mary Immaculate Queen (CMRI). Biography Early life and family Mark Anthony Pivarunas was ...
, CMRI
"Episcopal Consecration During Interregnums"
Most Rev.
Mark Pivarunas Mark Anthony Pivarunas (born 31 October 1958) is an American sedevacantist Traditionalist Catholic bishop and the Superior General of the Congregation of Mary Immaculate Queen (CMRI). Biography Early life and family Mark Anthony Pivarunas was ...
, CMRI
"The Consecration of Bishops During Interregna"
 i.e. "the interpretation of the mind and will of him who made the law". In this case, the ecclesiastical laws (e.g. prohibition of consecrations of bishops without papal mandate; prohibition of administration of sacraments without ecclesiastical authorization) are interpreted to cease when to follow them would be impossible, harmful, or unreasonable, or would mean transgressing divine laws (e.g. the church must have bishops and priests; Catholics must attend Mass and receive the sacraments), and because of a historical precedent for consecrating Catholic bishops during a long vacancy of the Holy See.


On liturgy

Another divisive question among sedevacantists is whether it is permissible to go to "''una cum''" masses (Traditional Latin Masses where the name of the person considered by mainstream Catholics as Pope is spoken in the
Roman Canon The Canon of the Mass ( la, Canon Missæ), also known as the Canon of the Roman Mass and in the Mass of Paul VI as the Roman Canon or Eucharistic Prayer I, is the oldest anaphora used in the Roman Rite of Mass. The name ''Canon Missæ'' was used in ...
, specifically in the "''Te igitur''" prayer, where the priest says "''una cum famulo tuo Papa nostro N.''" together with Thy Servant N., our Pope". Such "''una cum''" masses are offered by the priests of the
Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter The Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter ( la, Fraternitas Sacerdotalis Sancti Petri; FSSP) is a traditionalist Catholic society of apostolic life for priests and seminarians which is in communion with the Holy See. The society was founded in 19 ...
. Some argue that it is, or may be, permissible, while others argue that it is not permissible, and that such masses are
illicit Illicit may refer to: * Illicit antiquities * Illicit cigarette trade * Illegal drug trade, Illicit drug trade ** Recreational drug use, Illicit drug use ** Illicit Drug Anti-Proliferation Act * Illicit financial flows * Illicit major * Illicit m ...
and forbidden to Catholics.


Relationship to sedeprivationism

A sizeable portion of sedevacantists affirm the
Thesis of Cassiciacum Sedeprivationism is a doctrinal position within Traditionalist Catholicism which holds that the current occupant of the Holy See is a duly-elected pope, but lacks the authority and ability to teach or to govern unless he recants the changes brough ...
of the Dominican theologian Bishop
Michel-Louis Guérard des Lauriers Michel-Louis Guérard des Lauriers (25 October 1898 – 27 February 1988) was a French Dominican theologian and, later in life, a traditionalist Catholic bishop who supported sedevacantism and sedeprivationism and was excommunicated by the ...
as being a valid position, which states that John XXIII and his successors are popes ''materialiter sed non formaliter'', that is, " materially but not formally," and that the post-Vatican II popes will become pope if they recant their heresies.


Demography

There are estimated to be between several tens of thousands and more than two hundred thousand sedevacantists worldwide, mostly concentrated in the United States, Mexico, Canada, France, the United Kingdom, Italy and Australia, but the actual size of the sedevacantist movement has never been accurately assessed. It remains extremely difficult to establish the size of the movement for a wide range of reasons, such as the fact that not all sedevacantists identify themselves as such, nor do they necessarily adhere to sedevacantist groups or societies.


Early proponents

Early proponents of sedevacantism include: *
Patrick Henry Omlor Patrick Henry Omlor (June 13, 1931 – May 2, 2013) was an American Traditionalist Catholic author. He was most notable for his rejection of the Second Vatican Council, the Mass of Paul VI and for his contribution to the development of Sedevacantism ...
, an American author who, in 1965, expressed the view that Paul VI was not the pope. *
Francis Schuckardt Francis Konrad Schuckardt (July 10, 1937 – November 5, 2006) was an American sedevacantist Roman Catholic independent bishop. Schuckardt is described by Michael W. Cuneo as "the rock-and-roll outlaw of Catholic traditionalism—the bad inf ...
, an American who was part of the
Blue Army of Our Lady of Fátima The Blue Army of Our Lady of Fátima, now mostly known as the World Apostolate of Fátima, is a public international association of the Christian faith