Peter and John Before the Council
5And it came to pass on the morrow, that their princes, and ancients, and scribes, were gathered together in Jerusalem; 6And Annas the high priest, and Caiphas, and John, and Alexander, and as many as were of the kindred of the high priest. 7And setting them in the midst, they asked: By what power, or by what name, have you done this? 8Then Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost, said to them: Ye princes of the people, and ancients, hear: 9If we this day are examined concerning the good deed done to the infirm man, by what means he hath been made whole: 10Be it known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God hath raised from the dead, even by him this man standeth here before you whole. 11This is the stone which was rejected by you the builders, which is become the head of the corner. 12Neither is there salvation in any other. For there is no other name under heaven given to men, whereby we must be saved.
Did the high priest and the Sanhedrin have authority? Absolutely. Were Peter and John required to obey them when they ordered them to shut up about Jesus? And did they obey?Read on....
Peter and John Threatened, Released
13Now seeing the constancy of Peter and of John, understanding that they were illiterate and ignorant men, they wondered; and they knew them that they had been with Jesus. 14Seeing the man also who had been healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it. 15But they commanded them to go aside out of the council; and they conferred among themselves, 16Saying: What shall we do to these men? for indeed a known miracle hath been done by them, to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem: it is manifest, and we cannot deny it. 17But that it may be no farther spread among the people, let us threaten them that they speak no more in this name to any man. 18And calling them, they charged them not to speak at all, nor teach in the name of Jesus. 19But Peter and John answering, said to them: If it be just in the sight of God, to hear you rather than God, judge ye. 20For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard. 21But they threatening, sent them away, not finding how they might punish them, because of the people; for all men glorified what had been done, in that which had come to pass. 22For the man was above forty years old, in whom that miraculous cure had been wrought.
Clear answer on the question of obedience: When push comes to shove, the true lover of Christ follows Him rather than even a lawful authority whose command contradicts the truth, especially if it involves sinful matter!
What about our current situation? We have a pope who, being a priest for ten years, did not have the moral fortitude to refuse to bow down to Pachamama. Was he so badly formed he didn't know idolatry is a sin against the first commandment? After working in the missions was he really unaware of the satanic evil represented by Pachamama including human sacrifice? [Source]
So back to the question. Do we owe obedience to authority in all cases or do we owe obedience to the truth, as in "The Way, the Truth, and the Life?"
Pope Leo is the visible head of the Church on earth. But he is not the head of the Church. Jesus Christ is! And when there is a conflict between following the pope and following Christ, it's pretty obvious Who is the Shepherd and who is the hireling. We are not our own personal pope like the Protestants, but we have clear, unchanging, and unchangeable dogma and a millennia of papal documents to guide us.
If the pope is speaking according to unchanging dogma and doctrine, yes, he must be obeyed no matter how bad he is in other respects. When he articulates perennial Church teaching on contraception, abortion, sodomy, chastity, etc. we must obey. On the other hand when his teaching conflicts with dogma, that's another story. When he tells you that people living in adultery or in other gravely immoral situations may approach for Communion, he must be resisted and challenged. That is a novel doctrine that conflicts with 2000 years of Church teaching. It's a scandal that will lead people to hell and the Church is supposed to be about the salvation of souls. It's not about making people feel good or spreading the message that "all are welcome." Of course all are welcome. They are welcome to enter the Church, kneel down in the confessional and repent. They are not welcome to come into the Church wearing clothing that glorifies sin like they did at the LGBTQ "pilgrimage."
There should be no conflict between authority, obedience, and truth. Sadly, the crisis in the Church has created mass confusion where truth is undermined and authority is elevated to the divine right of popes to introduce novelties.
So who will you follow when those in authority tell you not to believe your lying eyes about Pachamama or the Ten Commandments or letting the communist church in China name bishops and persecute the underground Church? To me, the answer is simple. I will, like Joshua, serve the Lord. And if you think that's a problem, you need to read Aquinas, Borromeo, the Fathers and Doctors of the Church, and consider saints like Bishop John Fisher, the only English bishop to refuse to bend the knee to the authority of Henry VIII. We have the example of the martyrs as well.
Does it make a difference that these saints were challenging secular authority versus religious authority? I think so. In fact, because of the profound scandal by religious leaders who abandon truth, the situation is even graver and has the power to condemn more souls to hell. It defies the very reason for the Church on earth as canon law makes clear, "having before one's eyes the salvation of souls, which is always the supreme law of the Church." [Canon 1752]
We have no obligation to "follow the leader" when he is, like the herd of pigs in the region of the Gadarenes racing over the cliff into the sea possessed by demons. [Matthew 8] There's a quote by Chesterton to the effect that when men enter the Church they take off their hats, not their heads. Amen to that. Let us all pray for the gifts of the Holy Spirit and walk in the footsteps of the head of the Church, Jesus Christ. And when his vicar on earth, strays off the past, let us have the prudence to refuse to follow him.
May Jesus Christ be praised!
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