Roma Locuta Est

November 2, 2020 (Steven O’Reilly) – [Updated April 20, 2024] Over the course of its short history, Roma Locuta Est has published various “summas,” i.e., compilations of Roma Locuta Est articles on specific topics of interest. These “summas” are intended to serve as resources on these topics.  To date, these have included:

1. Summa Contra Stephen Walford (rebuttals of various articles and the book authored by Stephen Walford)
2. Summa Contra the BiP Theory (Why Benedict XVI is NOT the pope) (rebuttals of the argument which alleges Benedict either intended or mistakenly botched his resignation so as to make it invalid)
3. The Conclave Chronicles (Article on the 2013 Conclave, Theodore McCarrick, and the “Influential Italian Gentleman”

Now, to these “summas”, Roma Locuta Est now adds a fourth: “The Summa Contra Dr. Mazza” (see below).

Dr. Edmund Mazza recently appeared again on Dr. Taylor Marshall’s show where the two discussed Archbishop Vigano’s second letter to President Trump. The discussion was an interesting one on the subject of the identity of the “Katechon” of 2 Thessalonians 2:6. While the katechon related discussion was an interesting one, toward the end of the video, Dr. Mazza also again discussed his thesis regarding Benedict’s resignation.

The “standard theory” of BiP (Benedict is still Pope) claims Benedict’s resignation is invalid because he attempted to bifurcate the papacy — or perhaps create a papal diarchy, which is impossible. Dr. Mazza’s theory claims instead that Benedict, in his resignation, intended to split the Petrine privileges from the See of Rome.  In so doing, Dr. Mazza believes Benedict resigned only as bishop of Rome while retaining the Petrine primacy and prerogatives…thus remaining the true Successor of St. Peter. That is, Benedict resigned in such a fashion that Francis was validly elected the Bishop of Rome but Benedict retained the Petrine office.

Roma Locuta Est has written several articles rebutting Dr. Mazza’s thesis related to Benedict. While these rebuttals may be found in the Summa Contra BiP above, Dr. Mazza’s thesis is unique enough that it might also be considered separately from the ‘standard’ BiP theories.

Given Roma Locuta Est rejects Dr. Mazza’s thesis, and continues to draw traffic on the topic, it seemed to make sense to create a handy index of all Roma Locuta Est articles on the topic for interested readers:

1. A Response to Dr. Mazza’s BiP Theory Discussion with Dr. Taylor Marshall – Part 1 (May 29, 2020)
2. A Response to Dr. Mazza’s BiP Theory Discussion with Dr. Taylor Marshall – Part 2 (May 30, 2020)
3. A Response to Dr. Mazza’s BiP Theory Discussion with Dr. Taylor Marshall – Part 3 (May 31, 2020)
4. Addendum: Normas Nonnullas explodes Dr. Mazza’s BiP theory (June 11, 2020)
5. Dr. Mazza’s “daring hypothesis” fails miserably (August 2, 2020)
6. Being Wrong: The Ontology of the BiP Argument (April 9, 2021)
7. A Rebuttal of Dr. Mazza’s book on Pope Benedict’s resignation (February 11, 2023)
8. The Benepapist Emperor has no clothes, (February 29, 2024)
9. A Reply to an Ad Hominem, (April 3, 2024)
10. Dr. Mazza, PH.D., and Universal Acceptance: Another Failed Argument (April 15, 2024)

To my knowledge, Dr. Mazza has never addressed these rebuttals of his theory.

Steven O’Reilly is a graduate of the University of Dallas and the Georgia Institute of Technology. A former intelligence officer, he and his wife, Margaret, live near Atlanta with their family. He has written apologetic articles and is author of Book I of the Pia Fidelis trilogy, The Two Kingdoms. (Follow on twitter at @fidelispia for updates). He asks for your prayers for his intentions.  He can be contacted at StevenOReilly@AOL.com  or StevenOReilly@ProtonMail.com (or follow on Twitter: @S_OReilly_USA or on Parler: @StevenOReilly).