[ealgeone]

"The Roman Catholic" is bound to obey his superiors (in their lawful spheres of authority) unless they command him to sin. Holding heretical opinions is sin. Therefore, if the Pope were to demand adherence to a novelty of doctrine that was inimical to the faith -- heresy, in other words -- I would be morally bound to reject that teaching.

Is that spelled out in canon law or is that your take?

Further, as a lay person, who cannot understand the Scriptures on your own....how do/can you determine what is or is not heresy?

[Campion]

Is that spelled out in canon law or is that your take?

Moral theology 101. Very basic stuff; doesn't need to be spelled out in canon law.

Further, as a lay person, who cannot understand the Scriptures on your own....how do/can you determine what is or is not heresy?

< Okay, if the Nicene Creed says that Jesus is "God from God, Light from Light, and True God from True God" and the Pope says, "No, that's not right; Jesus is not God at all" ... then it doesn't require a STD (doctoral degree in theology) to know that the Pope is teaching heresy.

Or, if for instance, the Pope were to say that the death penalty is intrinsically immoral, then it doesn't require much subtlety in reading scripture to note that, since God prescribes the death penalty for 36 separate offenses in the Mosaic Law, the Pope is accusing God of teaching people to sin, and that's heresy.

You're trying to pretend like no Catholic can allow any trace of independent thought into his skull, and that's simply not correct.

[Campion]

Here's an easy-to-read article on the virtue of obedience and its just limits.