Pope Francis is the Pope. It's difficult to believe that's becoming a controversial statement among some Catholics, but such are the times we live in.

Increasingly, ultra-traditional Catholics are voicing the idea that Pope Francis not only "may" not be the legitimate Pope, but that he "definitely" is not the Pope. There are several reasons for this, all of which are easily enough debunked. Some argue that Pope Benedict XVI didn't step down in the appropriate way, and therefore never stopped being the Pope and making the election of Pope Francis invalid. Others say that Pope Francis is a heretic, and therefore cannot be the Pope. The list goes on.

Look, I'm a conservative Catholic and I love my traditionalist brothers and sisters. If I had my choice, I would attend the traditional extraordinary form of the High Mass every Sunday. At the very least, I wish the Novus Ordo was celebrated more reverently and that we would incorporate more of the Latin that's in our hymnals. I'm streaming myself hand writing two Bibles (the English Douay Rheims and Latin Clement Vulgate) while playing Gregorian chants in the background.

There have been a great many times where Pope Francis has left me jaw dropped (not in the good way) and ready to pull my hair out. In his desire to be authentic by not using prepared statements, I think he has unintentionally bred chaos in the world of Christian ethics with his desire to be the Pope of God's Mercy and Forgiveness. Sometimes, the Pope's words against the most faithful Catholics who have dedicated their lives to their vocations, whatever they may be, according to the guidance of the Church has just left me grasping in the dark for explanations and finding none.

But every time Pope Francis challenges us with something that leaves us dumbfounded, it should be a reminder that a good spiritual leader will challenge us. How often did Jesus leave the Apostles dumbfounded and questioning the meaning of the religious laws and ethics they grew up with? I don't mean to compare the Pope to Jesus in this case, as I do think there was a lot more reason behind Jesus' words and actions than Pope Francis'. However, throughout the history of the Church, God has willed some pretty lousy men to sit in the Chair of Saint Peter as Bishop of Rome. These "bad" Popes were still part of God's plan for the Church, eventually inspiring some change God desired for His bride.

Pope Francis is Neither Great Nor Evil

Pope Francis is no Pope Saint John Paul II, who was able to inspire the world with his word; nor is he a Pope Benedict XVI, who will one day be considered a Doctor of the Church for his extremely learned contributions to Catholic theology and his immense love of Christ.

But, it's important for us to realize that Pope Francis is also no Pope Stephen VI, who ordered the predecessor of his predecessor (Pope Formosus) to be exhumed and stand trial for alliances he had made during his Pontificate, had three fingers cut off his hand, stripped his corpse of his Papal garments, dressed in layman's clothes, and thrown in the Tiber river. Pope Francis' actions may lead some to question what exactly Catholic doctrine is, but he's no Pope John XII; who gave Church land to a mistress, murdered several people, and was eventually murdered himself by a jealous husband who caught the Pope in bed with his wife.

Pope Francis is challenging in both good ways and bad ways, but he ultimately seeks to rebuild the Church as an agent of God's mercy, without judgement. In the grand scheme of things, he's going to be remembered as an average Pope who suffered from the misfortune of having followed giants.

But What If He's Not?

So what? Extra Ecclesiam nulla salus (Outside the Church there is no salvation). Bishop Strickland of Tyler, Texas made this abundantly clear in his letter to his diocese; which was concerned about the invitees to the Synod on Synodality and himself being the target of an Apostolic Visitation.

Regrettably, it may be that some will label as schismatics those who disagree with the changes being proposed. Be assured, however, that no one who remains firmly upon the plumb line of our Catholic faith is a schismatic. We must remain unabashedly and truly Catholic, regardless of what may be brought forth. We must be aware also that it is not leaving the Church to stand firm against these proposed changes. As St. Peter said, “Lord to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” (Jn 6:68) Therefore, standing firm does not mean we are seeking to leave the Church. Instead, those who would propose changes to that which cannot be changed seek to commandeer Christ’s Church, and they are indeed the true schismatics.

Even if Pope Francis was not truly the Pope, is Schism the best way to handle that? Absolutely not! And schism is absolutely what would happen if the conservative Cardinals got together and elected an anti-Pope (or declared Francis an Anti-Pope and elected their own leader). The worst case scenario is that the Chair of Peter would be vacant for a few more years before a new Bishop of Rome could be elected.

Jesus Christ wants his followers united in one Church. We must hold steadfast to the faith when challenged by those seeking "to innovate upon what God in His great mercy has given us," but without abandoning the Church that Jesus Christ himself founded for us.

Then what should we do?

Pray for Pope Francis, for the Church, and for the unity of Christians and all humanity in the one, true Church of Christ. Wait for God's mercy, participate in the Sacraments instituted by Christ for our benefit, and stay steadfast and true to the teachings of the faith.