For more than a decade, a question has haunted the Catholic Church: Was Benedict XVI still pope in 2022? If the answer to this question were affirmative, it could shake the very foundations of modern papacy. Until now, this debate, known as the "Magna Questio", remained confined to a few small Hispanic and Italian circles.

A firmly entrenched glass ceiling, since it has been forbidden for years to raise this issue, with the Vatican ruling through terror by threats, constraints, and penalties that can extend to excommunication without trial, and mainstream media controlled by Powers serving as watchdogs.

But within a matter of days, two podcasts shattered this taboo, attracting hundreds of thousands of viewers and opening the way to a possible institutional crisis.

The first, broadcast on May 13 on a Hispanic YouTube channel followed by 434,000 subscribers, gave voice to don Fernando Cornet, an Argentine priest and author of "Habemus Antipapam," excommunicated by 'Francis' for his positions on Benedict XVI's renunciation. As for the second, organized on May 14 by LifeSiteNews with American Catholic influencer Patrick Coffin, it relaunched the debate on the international stage, with a wider audience.

"Il fuoco della verità divampa ovunque" ("The fire of truth spreads everywhere"), wrote recently Italian journalist Andrea Cionci, alone in daring to defy the Vatican on its own ground by filing petitions and official complaints before Vatican justice. Is his fight, long isolated, finally beginning to bear fruit?

An Explosive Legal Flaw: 'munus' versus 'ministerium'

The heart of the debate rests on a Latin nuance with explosive theological and canonical consequences. According to Canon 332 §2 of the Code of Canon Law, a pope can validly renounce his office only by abandoning his munus – that is, the pontifical office itself – and not merely his ministerium, that is, the active exercise of his ministry.

Yet, in his Declaratio of February 11, 2013, Benedict XVI clearly used the term "ministerium" instead of "munus", indicating that he was renouncing only the practical exercise of his role, not the office itself.

"This is not merely a matter of semantics, but a major legal flaw," explains Patrick Coffin, Catholic commentator invited on the The John-Henry Westen Show. "If Benedict XVI did not renounce the munus, then he remained pope until his death in December 2022. And in that case, the 2013 conclave, which elected Francis, would be illegitimate."

This interpretation, which encompasses the election of Jorge Mario Bergoglio's successor, although still ultra-minority, is not insignificant: it opens the door to a cascading challenge of everything that followed – from the teachings of Pope Francis to his cardinal appointments, including all the Church's reforms.

The "Sant'Gallen Group" and the Shadows of 2013

The matter takes on a political dimension with the evocation of the "Sant'Gallen Group", an informal network of progressive cardinals (including Cardinal Godfried Danneels) who, according to persistent rumors, worked to influence the conclaves of 2005 and 2013. Documents leaked in 2015, the "Vatileaks", had already revealed internal tensions around Benedict XVI, accused of hindering reforms.

"Some see a deliberate strategy in this," analyzes Coffin. "Benedict XVI, a conservative pope, was pushed to resign under pressure from political maneuvering. If that is the case, his renunciation could be considered as not freely made, therefore invalid."

This hypothesis, though controversial, rests on testimonies from those close to the pope emeritus, who describe an atmosphere of extreme pressure at the Vatican in the months preceding his renunciation. The "Vatileaks scandals," which revealed massive leaks of confidential documents, also reportedly played a key role in this dynamic.

Sedevacantism 2.0? The Implications of an Unprecedented Scenario

If Benedict XVI's renunciation is deemed invalid, the Church would find itself in an unprecedented situation since the Western Schism (1378-1417): a papal see vacant de facto, despite the presence of an apparently reigning sovereign pontiff.

Francis and Leo not being legitimate popes, all their acts, all their decisions, all their magisterial texts (such as Amoris Laetitia or Fiducia Supplicans) would be devoid of canonical authority. And especially with the papal office being vacant, the Church would be in acute crisis until the election of a new pope by legitimate cardinals.

Moreover, according to don Cornet, "this concerns not only Bergoglio, but also the validity of sacraments administered by priests whose ordination could be invalid."

"We are in a state of canonical and theological confusion without modern equivalent," admits Patrick Coffin. "Nobody really knows how to solve this equation."

And Now? Will the Vatican Judicial Machine Really Come Into Play?

The complaint filed by Andrea Cionci, accepted by the Vatican Criminal Court, is now under examination. The timelines could be long, and the verdict uncertain.

"The Vatican has no interest in reopening this file," Coffin emphasizes. "But if justice rules in favor of the plaintiffs, it could trigger a major institutional crisis."

For the time being, Pope Leo continues his pontificate as if nothing has happened and without commenting on the matter. But behind the scenes at the Vatican, speculation abounds. One thing is certain: a new page in the tumultuous history of the Church is being written… and this matter is far from over.