Taken from Vatican II Exposed as Counterfeit Catholicism by Frs. Francisco and Dominic Radecki, CMRI
Individuals can separate themselves from the Catholic Church by heresy, apostasy, and schism. Heresy is a rejection of one or more de fide teachings of the Catholic Church. Heresy is derived from the Greek word for “choice.” Well-known heretics include Arius, Luther and Cranmer.
Apostasy occurs when a baptized Catholic completely abandons the Faith. Apostasy is so widespread today that this age is called the Post-Christian Era.
Schism occurs when “a baptized person…rejects the authority of the Supreme Pontiff or refuses Communion with members of the Church who are subject to him.” Schism comes from the Greek word for “division.” Schismatics deny Papal Primacy and Papal Infallibility.
Papal Primacy means the pope is above all bishops and exercises universal jurisdiction over the entire Church. Papal Infallibility means the pope cannot err when teaching the universal Church in matters of faith and morals. Both doctrines are de fide dogmas of the Church.
HERETICS ARE EXCOMMUNICATED AND LOSE THEIR OFFICE
A heretic is one who
…after Baptism, while remaining nominally a Christian, pertinaciously [with conscious and intentional resistance to the authority of God and the Church] denies or doubts any of the truths which must be believed of divine and Catholic Faith.
The 1917 Code of Canon Law further explains:
All apostates from the Christian faith, and all heretics and schismatics 1. Are ipso facto excommunicated. 2. If after due warning they fail to amend, they are to be deprived of any benefice, dignity, pension, office, or other position which they may have in the Church, they are to be declared infamous, and clerics after a repetition of the warning are to be deposed.
Canon Law uses the term ipso facto (by the fact itself) and excommunicated (cut off from the Catholic Church) to denote that a person is immediately and instantly separated from the Catholic Church by heresy, apostasy and schism. No official declaration is necessary.
Canon Law lists eight cases where clerics are deposed from ecclesiastical offices for public profession of heresy without any declaration. Canon 188, no. 4, states:
Through tacit resignation, accepted by the law itself, all offices become vacant ipso facto and without any declaration if a cleric… 4. Has publicly forsaken the Catholic Faith.
When an external violation of the law occurs, in the external forum the existence of malice is presumed until the contrary is proved, because in the ordinary case man acts knowingly and freely.