Uncle Joe, you were attacking the pope because you feel like he pays too much attention to one subject and not to another. This is not your right to judge as a layperson. St Pius X makes that clear.
With regard to the sex abuse, which we were not talking about originally:
This would be an extreme case, and you will note in the quote that I provided from St Pius X at the bottom it says:
'At most, it is allowed in matters of grave complaint to refer the whole case to the Roman Pontiff, and this with
prudence and moderation as zeal for the common good requires, not clamorously or abusively, for in this way dissensions and hostilities are bred, or certainly increased'In an extreme case, you can refer the entire case to the pope. And I would point out that the Vatican has also asked people to report serious crimes committed by bishops to the police. But you must do this with 'prudence and moderation', 'not clamooursly or abusively'
For example, you can report it to the pope and to the police, but you do not make a global scandal of it, publish it on websites, openly proclaim it so that everyone knows about it... because firstly, this is entirely unnecessary to punish the offender (the police will still arrest the person whether or not the case is famous) and secondly this is clearly breaking what St Pius X calls for in modesty and avoiding abuse or the creation of dissensions. It damages the church, in fact it drives people away from the church... what is the really the goal in publicizing it?
For the second issue of apostasy in bishops, this is very simple: if a bishop commits apostasy (actually if any catholic commits apostasy this is also true), then he is automatically excommunicated according to canon law and no longer a valid bishop; it doesn't need to be publicized or confirmed, because it is automatic. Therefore, if you know of a bishop who has committed apostasy, then he is no longer a valid bishop and therefore no longer protected by the same measure. Furthermore, you are then obligated by conscience to not take the sacraments from him or from any priest who follows him in his apostasy, unless there is no other reasonable way for you to get access to the sacraments.
That being said, I hardly think emphasizing one thing over thing can be called a proof of apostasy. Permitting abortion drugs in catholic hospitals is not apostasy either; the bishops at least think that it doesn't cause an abortion, and therefore they are still keeping catholic teaching in their own mind- it may be a mistake in judgment, but it is not 'apostasy'.
If you wish to speak out in the face of sin, you may do it to any and every person in society, but simply not to the bishops and popes. You can go to abortion clinics and protest them, you can stand on the street and tell people that masturbation leads to hell... and you would earn a lot of hatred from people, but you would be doing good work in saving souls. But you simply may not do this to those who carry Christ's authority, Christ Himself will punish them if they sin, you do not have the right to.
St John Chrysostom was the Patriarch of Constantinople, a Patriarch is the highest form of bishop underneath the pope, so he had a right to criticize any bishop he pleased, because they are lower than him in authority... but you or I do not.
Acts 23:
1Paul looked straight at the Sanhedrin and said, “My brothers, I have fulfilled my duty to God in all good conscience to this day.”
2At this the high priest Ananias ordered those standing near Paul to strike him on the mouth.
3Then Paul said to him, “God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! You sit there to judge me according to the law, yet you yourself violate the law by commanding that I be struck!”
4Those who were standing near Paul said, “How dare you insult God’s high priest!”
5Paul replied, “Brothers, I did not realize that he was the high priest; for it is written: ‘Do not speak evil about the ruler of your people.’”
When the High Priest strikes St Paul in Acts, St Paul responds by saying 'God strike you, you white-washed tomb' and then someone says 'is that how you speak to the High Priest' and St Paul does not respond by saying that it was OK to criticize the High Priest when he hits someone, but instead he says 'I did not know he was the high priest, for it says in the law 'you shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people''
If St Paul considered it a sin to speak evil of the Jewish High priest, even when the High Priest was publicly persecuting the church, then how on Earth could it be alright to speak evil of our bishops and popes, who are even higher in authority than the Old Testament High Priesthood and who are not openly declaring war on those who believe in Jesus?
If it was still wrong even then to speak evil of the High Priest, then how could it be right to attack a bishop today who fails to deny communion to someone we think he ought to deny him too? Or any of the issues that get mentioned frequently on this website?
The devil always looks for where people are weak or lacking of something in order to supply them with an answer to this need of theirs which will seem to fulfill what they really need, but which will ultimately lead them in the wrong direction. People who are lacking faith in God, the devil tells them that life is short and that they should live for now without concern for others. People who are poor, the devil tells them the only solution is to have revolution and attack the rich to get their wealth. People who lack faith that God punishes sinners, the devil tells them that the only way for justice to happen is for them to take vengeance themselves.
The Laity fighting a war with the Clergy and dividing the church, comes from Satan, it is not from God; it is not the cure to the corruption and sacrilege in the church,
it is rather just one more layer to it. People need to have faith that God punishes every cleric who sins, and that they do not need to carry out this justice themselves.
God bless,