“Those who adhere to one as pope, who is not pope, offering him papal reverence, transgress the first commandment of the first tablet, in which is enjoined upon man: ‘Thou shalt not worship a strange god, nor an idol, nor a statue, nor any likeness of the sky.’ For what is a false pope, but a certain strange god in this world, and an idol, or statue, or a fictitious likeness of Jesus Christ? It is manifest, however, that it is very dangerous for any Christian soul to transgress the aforesaid two divine precepts, even ignorantly.”
(Tractatus de Moderno Ecclesiae Schismate, Pars I, Cap. III.)
Notice it doesn’t say anything about getting a competent authority to determine a material or occult heretic or any of those red herrings and excuses that popesplainers blather about. It is very ipso facto. It is my opinion that God is permitting this nightmare to punish a church that insists in proclaiming a diabolical imposter who pretends to represent His Son and to separate the men from the boys amongst the clergy.