Is it a mortal sin to cuss at the pope, and can a pope go to hell?
Robert Sungenis answers that cursing at the pope is a venial rather than a mortal sin, and admits it is one he often confesses himself. He holds that a pope can go to hell as readily as anyone, since James warns that those in high positions are judged more severely, and that no pope, including John XXIII, Paul VI or John Paul II, is immune.
A viewer, embarrassed to call himself Catholic since the allowance of blessings for same-sex couples, asks whether it is a mortal sin to cuss at the pope.
Answer
No, I would not say it is a mortal sin; I think it is a venial sin, and I have committed that sin myself. It is probably one of the most frequent sins I have to confess, so I am confessing it to you, my brothers and sisters. You wrote that you are not an authority figure and have embarrassed the Lord in many ways but have not made decisions for the Church that tarnish its reputation. You should thank the Lord that you are not in that position; thank God you are a doorman for the kingdom of God on earth and not the prince sitting on the throne, because, as James says, you will be judged more severely because of your position. Would you want to be in the pope's shoes after writing a document like this and being told you got it all wrong, and that you made the whole Catholic Church suffer for your innovative idea? There is just as much possibility of a pope going to hell as anyone else on earth; being pope does not make him immune, and that goes for John Paul II, Paul VI, and John XXIII as well. God is the final judge. I am glad I am just a lonely doorman in the palace of God.