CANON 212 EVEN APPLIES TO A POPE

As a lay Catholic, I stand by my statement during the interview: “Pope Leo XIV should tell us how to get to heaven. He has no authority over the government; he has to stay in his lane.” That was a statement I made and I qualified that statement with everything I wrote below, but the British Broadcasting  Corporation (BBC) interviewer chose not to print my justification for making this lawful statement. Of course, the Pope can weigh in on politics when it touches upon the moral teachings of the Catholic Church (CCC 2246). I know this, I’m a Catholic apologist, that was a hyperbolic statement, such as “If your eyes causes you to sin, pluck it out” (Matt 18:9).

The point of my interview is that the Pope's primary role is spiritual leadership—teaching, governing, and sanctifying the Church for the salvation of souls—not intervening in secular political matters like U.S. immigration policy or border enforcement. When the Pope steps beyond the realm of faith and morals into prudential judgments on politics, economics, or national security, lay Catholics have not only the right but sometimes the duty to respectfully disagree and offer correction. This is grounded in Scripture, Tradition, Canon Law, and the teachings of saints, theologians, and even recent Popes. Criticism offered in charity is not rebellion; it is an act of love for the Church, aimed at preserving truth and unity.

Below, I outline key supports for this position from Catholic sources. These demonstrate that laypeople are not mere passive observers but active participants in defending the faith, especially when superiors appear to stray into areas outside their expertise or authority.

1. Canon Law and the Catechism Affirm the Rights and Duties of Lay Catholics

Canon 212 §3 states: "According to the knowledge, competence, and prestige which they possess, [lay faithful] have the right and even at times the duty to manifest to the sacred Pastors their opinion on matters which pertain to the good of the Church and to make their opinion known to the rest of the Christian faithful, with due regard to the integrity of faith and morals, reverence toward their Pastors, and attentiveness to common advantage and the dignity of persons." This explicitly allows laypeople to voice concerns to Church leaders, including the Pope, when it benefits the Church.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) 907 echoes this, emphasizing laypeople's role in manifesting opinions based on their expertise.

CCC 2447 lists "instructing the ignorant" as a spiritual work of mercy, done in fraternal charity. As St. Paul urges, we must "speak the truth in love" (Eph. 4:15), for "love rejoices in the truth" (1 Cor. 13:6) and "the truth will set you free" (John 8:32). Scripture also commands: "Rebuke them sharply, so that they may be sound in the faith" (Titus 1:13). A prime example is Galatians 2:11-14, where St. Paul publicly rebuked St. Peter for hypocrisy that risked scandal, showing that even the first Pope could be corrected to uphold Gospel truth.

2. Saints and Theologians Support Correcting Superiors

St. Thomas Aquinas teaches that correcting a prelate in sin is an act of mercy applicable to laypeople, citing Ecclesiasticus 17:12 and Galatians 2:14. In cases of danger to the faith, public correction is obligatory. This view is shared by saints like St. Augustine and theologians like St. Robert Bellarmine.

Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen declared in a 1972 talk: "Who is going to save our Church? Not our bishops, not our priests and religious. It is up to you, the people. You have the minds, the eyes, the ears to save the Church. Your mission is to see that your priests act like priests, your bishops act like bishops, and your religious act like religious."

3. Historical and Theological Works on Papal Authority and Criticism

Marian Horvat, Ph.D., in her article "Theological Doctrine & Canon Law: Laymen Can Question Their Superiors," argues that laypeople have the right and duty to correct superiors when they risk abandoning orthodoxy, drawing on St. Thomas Aquinas, Canon 212, and examples like Msgr. Henri Delassus, praised by St. Pius X.

Patrick Madrid, in his book Pope Fiction (pp. 56-67), dedicates a chapter to "Can You Rebuke the Pope?" affirming that Catholics can confront superiors, including the Pope.

Cardinal Raphael Merry del Val, in his 1902 book The Truth of Papal Claims, clarifies: "Great as our filial duty of reverence is towards whatever [the Pope] may say... we do not hold that every word of his is infallible, or that he must always be right. Much less do we dream of teaching that he is infallible... when he speaks on matters that are scientific, or historical, or political... Even to-day a Bishop might... expostulate with a Pope, who, in his judgment, might be acting in a way which was liable to mislead those under his own charge." (pp. 19, 74).

4. Modern Popes and Figures Acknowledge the Need for Criticism

Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (later Pope Benedict XVI) in a 2004 letter to the USCCB, distinguished between absolute moral norms and prudential judgments (e.g., immigration, war, economics), allowing Catholics to disagree on the latter. In the 1970s, he wrote that criticizing papal pronouncements is "necessary" when they lack support in Scripture or the Creed.

As Pope Benedict XVI, in Jesus of Nazareth, he invited contradiction: "Everyone is free, then, to contradict me. I would only ask my readers for that initial goodwill without which there can be no understanding."

Pope Francis himself told Italian bishops in 2018: "It is not a sin to criticize the Pope here! It is not a sin, it can be done." In 2018, he admitted regarding the Chile abuse crisis: "I have made serious mistakes... I ask forgiveness."

Dr. Scott Hahn and Fr. Gerald Murray, in their discussion "Can You Criticize the Clergy... Even the Pope?", affirm a duty to offer "filial correction" when the Pope deviates from the deposit of faith, citing St. Paul and St. Catherine of Siena.

Dr. Ralph Martin, in his video "I Never Thought I’d See This Happen," warns of doctrinal confusion under Pope Francis (e.g., on sexuality and salvation) and urges speaking up, as silence allows error to spread.

Msgr. Charles Pope, in a November 2023 social media post, lamented Pope Francis's dismissals of conservatives (e.g., Cardinal Burke, Bishop Strickland) as "petty" and "mean-spirited," noting even allies' concern and praying for a unifying successor.

The Roles of Church and State According to Divine Revelation

So what is the function of Government according to Divine Revelation? God has ordained a structure, we are called to submit to Government and honor our leaders (Romans 13:1-4; Titus 3:1; 1 Peter 2:13-17; John 19:7-11). It doesn’t mean that every person is God ordained, we vote for the individuals or sometimes rogue governments select our leaders for us.. We are mandated to pray for those governmental leaders who are over us (1Timothy 2:1-2). The Government is meant to punish evil doers and reward those who do right (1 Peter 2:14Matthew 22:17-21

Conclusion

If a corporation fails, we hold the CEO accountable; likewise, when the Church faces spiritual crises at high levels, it's logical to criticize leadership respectfully. Pope Leo’s actions or inactions, his words or his silence is subject to praise and respectful criticism.

My motto as a Catholic lay evangelist and apologist is to: 1) Love God, 2) save souls, 3) slay error.

This is based on Sacred Scripture: —loving God as the greatest commandment (cf. Matthew 22:37), zeal for souls (cf. James 5:20), and combating error (cf. Titus 1:9-11).

Let us pray: O God, the Pastor and Ruler of all the faithful, look down in Your mercy upon Your servant, Leo, whom You have appointed to preside over Your Church; and grant, we beseech You, that both by word and example, he may edify all those under his charge; so that, with the flock entrusted to him, he may arrive at length unto life everlasting. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.