Father Vegara also points out that the Catholic Church due to the “invalid character of Pope Francis.” This disability would be a consequence, according to his explanation, of a formal defect in the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI. This would consist of the fact that the act of resignation, carried out on February 11, 2013, should have taken immediate effect and not have been postponed until February 28.
For this reason, the statement from the Bishopric states that “Bishop José Ignacio Munilla Aguirre manifests, in his own name and on behalf of the entire diocesan Church of Orihuela-Alicante, the full communion of faith, charity and obedience, filial and fraternal, with the one whom the Lord has chosen as Successor of Peter, Pope Francis.”
The Bishopric of Orihuela Alicante concludes by stating that “following the constant request of Pope Francis since the day of his election, all the faithful are invited to ‘with one heart’ pray for his life and ministry and, thus, walking together, continue to accompany in faith the holy people of God who have been entrusted to you by Jesus, with the help of the Holy Spirit and the maternal intercession of the Virgin Mary.”