This isn’t the 15th century, the pope does not have the same kind of top-down control. And the American clergy are notoriously conservative and dickish, and they fucking hate the pope, they hated the last pope too.
thats not how the power structure works at all. not everything is absolutist and the pope cant dictate others faith without risking separation if its a large group. its almost like you cant do whatever you want, not even the pope.
They are part of the same Catholic church. They answer to the pope.
This isn’t the 15th century, the pope does not have the same kind of top-down control. And the American clergy are notoriously conservative and dickish, and they fucking hate the pope, they hated the last pope too.
thats not how the power structure works at all. not everything is absolutist and the pope cant dictate others faith without risking separation if its a large group. its almost like you cant do whatever you want, not even the pope.
The Pope who is, to them, infallible (at least in certain contexts) and who could very easily say “fuck no, we’re not doing that, assholes”.
yah cuz that worked out everytime the church has done that. ignorance is not a shield, its a blindfold.