To His Face: Indefectibility and the Problem of Dissent

By Andrew Likoudis

“But when Cephas came to Antioch,
I opposed him to his face.”
GALATIANS 2:11

When may a Catholic withhold assent from the teaching of the Church? Today, the question is pressed from opposite directions, by progressives who appeal to conscience and traditionalists who appeal to Tradition. Yet both, Andrew Likoudis argues, commit the same fundamental error. Drawing on Lumen Gentium, Dei Verbum, and Donum Veritatis, alongside Newman, Aquinas, Congar, and Bellarmine, To His Face examines the authority of the Magisterium, the limits of theological dissent, and the Church’s indefectibility as the foundation of trust in her teaching office. Theologians may raise difficulties, seek clarification, and examine questions that remain unresolved. But they cannot claim for themselves the authority to overrule the doctrinal judgments of the Church. To declare a rupture in the Church’s teaching where the Magisterium has not recognized one, and to set oneself up as the final judge of Tradition, is to adopt the very logic of theological liberalism, even in the name of defending orthodoxy.

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TESTIMONIALS

“Andrew Likoudis here takes up one of the most important topics facing the Church. Today, a significant number of Catholic theologians, bishops, and Cardinals openly reject solemnly enunciated doctrinal teachings of prior pontificates, including Pope Paul VI’s encyclical reaffirming two millennia of Church teaching on the immorality of contraception and Pope John Paul II’s apostolic letter affirming that women cannot be ordained. Pope Francis—like Benedict XVI, John Paul II, and Paul VI before him—was regularly denounced by Catholic theologians, bishops, and Cardinals for leading the Church into ruinous error. Many of those denouncing Pope Francis had earlier strongly condemned others for denouncing his postconciliar predecessors, while more than a few of the public opponents of Pope Francis’s predecessors rose to positions of influence under Pope Francis. There is little clarity about the different weight of Magisterial teachings, about the possibility of various kinds of Magisterial error, or about the nature of religious submission and assent owed to each of the many affirmations in the large body of writings promulgated each year by a modern pope. The deplorable SSPX schism only adds further fuel to this fire. In this situation, Likoudis, along with scholars such as Robert Fastiggi and Emmett O’Regan, has staked out a constructive position that requires careful consideration by all who seek the good of Christ’s Church as obedient spiritual sons and daughters of the pope.” – Matthew Levering, PhD, James N. Jr. and Mary D. Perry Chair of Theology, Mundelein Seminary

“In an address of 1 October 1966 to the International Congress on the Theology of the Second Vatican Council, Pope St Paul VI reminded the participants that ‘when the Church received its Founder’s mandate to proclaim the Gospel to every creature, it was set up as the absolutely trustworthy teacher of truth and endowed with the charism of indefectible truth, so that thus it might fulfil its mission properly.’ He went on to state that ‘in accordance with Christ’s divine will, however, the proximate universal norm of this indefectible truth is to be found only in the authentic magisterium of the Church. . . . Thus they would be fortified against all error in their teaching mission.’ The Pope then discussed the different roles that theologians and the Magisterium play in illuminating the mystery of salvation for the People of God. In this critical book, Andrew Likoudis offers a masterful analysis of the very issue that concerned St Paul VI in the aftermath of the Second Vatican Council, namely dissent against the teaching authority of the papal Magisterium. Today more than ever, obedience to the Lord’s teachings is questioned by many within the Church, including theologians. Likoudis provides a necessary exposition of the doctrine of indefectibility, which sadly seems to be unknown, or at least not understood as it should be. Indefectibility protects all within the Church from straying from the path of truth. In fact, St Paul VI went so far as to state that ‘the magisterium could preserve and teach the faith without the help of theology.’ In a very clear and articulate way, this book promotes a vision of unity among all Catholics through their obedience to the Successor of St Peter and to his entire body of teaching on faith and morals. Likoudis calls us to reject the fear of error when the Magisterium intervenes on questions that arise as history unfolds, for, as St Paul VI stressed, the Magisterium is called ‘to authoritatively propose new and deeper investigations into Divine Revelation, and new adaptations of this Revelation to our times.’ I wholeheartedly recommend this book and pray that it will contribute to a deeper appreciation of the ministry of the Pope.” – Stephen Walford, Author of Pope Francis, the Family and Divorce: In Defense of Truth and Mercy (Paulist Press), with a preface by Pope Francis

“Andrew Likoudis offers a penetrating and comprehensive exposition of the principles governing the relationship between the theologian and the Magisterium. To repeat the same truth in different times, it is not enough to repeat the same words. This is why Jesus entrusted to Peter the task of being the authorized interpreter of His message, and promised him the assistance of the Holy Spirit. The Pope, and the bishops united with him, are the Teachers of the Faith. We, the faithful, are the students—all of us, even theologians, even the most learned and intelligent among them. Students, of course, have the right to ask questions, to seek explanations, even to propose alternative formulations in order to understand better. But on one condition: they must never forget that they are not the teachers and do not have the final say. Likoudis reminds us, very effectively, that the final say belongs to the Holy Spirit, who speaks through the Pope and the bishops united with him.” – Rocco Buttiglione, Friend and Trusted Collaborator of Pope St. John Paul II; Member, Pontifical Academies of Social Sciences & St. Thomas Aquinas; Distinguished Fellow, Hildebrand Project

“A clear, concise, and measured contribution to the pervasive discourse on obedience in today’s ecclesial atmosphere. In a time beset by intellectual strife of all kinds, it is imperative that the ‘pillar and bulwark of the truth’ (1 Tim. 3:15) is not weakened by displays of open dissent that, although perhaps motivated by genuine concern, nevertheless threaten to undermine its credibility. This book engages honestly with the questions of authority, infallibility, and permissible criticism, and offers a response that will benefit any concerned individual, whether or not they are formally trained in theology.” – Andrew Mioni, Author, The Sacrifice of Praise: Liturgical Debates and the Fundamentals of Worship

“The post-Vatican II era in the Catholic Church continues to inspire deep theological and historical reflection, even as it continues to give rise to heated controversy. We live on a tiny planet at risk of ecological catastrophe, aware of an expanding universe reaching far beyond us, enticing us with new knowledge and whole new categories of thought. As in the arts and sciences, so also in the Magisterium of the Church, the human spirit expresses its essential freedom through development. The difference in theology (and spirituality) is that this freedom is inseparable from religious consciousness, the theological trust that affirms the ongoing guidance of the Church by the Holy Spirit. The underlying doctrinal substance sustaining the formal doctrinal content of the faith remains in solidarity with the Church both militant and triumphant. That solidarity requires a disciplined articulation of development as a responsible prelude to any future expression of a living faith. Andrew Likoudis offers us careful analysis of assent and dissent within the Church, mindful of the interaction between the different levels of the Magisterium, as discerned in the lives of the faithful. He does this in full consciousness of the presence of the Word Incarnate, the face of Him whom we seek in all discernment and in every act of assent.” – Very Reverend Canon Francis V. Tiso, PhD, Former Assoc. Director, USCCB Secretariat for Ecumenical & Interreligious Affairs; Canon of the Cathedral of Isernia, Italy, author of Discerning Stirrings: A Personal Experience of Catholic Spirituality

“Andrew Likoudis is lucid and courageous. This much is manifest in the present work. It is remarkable how Likoudis has produced a text accessible to the layperson, rich enough for the seasoned theologian, and, above all, timely for our situation. I can easily recommend this book to anyone. As a former Protestant, I am worried about what I see today among certain Catholic brethren. I discovered and now wholeheartedly trust in the superior wisdom of the Church over my own because of the Holy Spirit’s supreme competence. Thus, I wish to remain faithful to the Church as Christ has remained good and faithful to me, and this is why I endorse this small but tremendous book.” – Suan Sonna, Director of Apologetics, Diocese of Bridgeport, CT

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

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Andrew Likoudis is a Catholic scholar working in ecclesiology, ecumenism, and liturgy. He serves as Digital Editor of Where Peter Is and holds an M.A. in Catholic Studies from Franciscan University of Steubenville. He is the author of To His Face: Indefectibility and the Problem of Dissent (En Route, 2026), with a foreword by Robert Fastiggi and an afterword by Emmett O’Regan, and he organized and edited Faith in Crisis (En Route, 2025), a 40-chapter volume drawing some thirty contributors—among them Robert Cardinal Sarah, Jimmy Akin, and Mike Aquilina—with a foreword by Rocco Buttiglione, praised in Word on Fire’s Evangelization & Culture journal as “an impressive labor of love.” His most recent editorial work includes the fiftieth-anniversary edition of Yves Congar’s Challenge to the Church: The Case of Archbishop Lefebvre (En Route, 2026), which he edited and introduced, with a foreword by Larry Chapp, and the third edition of James Likoudis’s Ending the Byzantine Greek Schism (Emmaus Road, 2026), with a foreword by Scott Hahn—the opening volume of a trilogy on Catholic-Orthodox reunion. In all he has authored, edited, or compiled thirteen volumes on Catholic ecclesiology and the papacy, and published 60+ articles in outlets including the National Catholic Register, Philosophy Now, Fellowship & Fairydust Magazine, Catholic Review, and Where Peter Is.

He is the grandson of Catholic apologist James Likoudis, President Emeritus of Catholics United for the Faith, and the nephew and godson of Paul Likoudis, longtime editor of The Wanderer, the oldest national Catholic weekly in the US. As founder and president of the Likoudis Legacy Foundation, which co-sponsored the 30th Orientale Lumen Conference attended by bishops of the Catholic and Orthodox Churches, he directs the foundation’s ecumenical journal The Kydones Review, which carries a foreword from Archbishop Flavio Pace, the Secretary of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity. Likoudis provides consulting, research, organizational strategy, and communications services to Catholic publishers, nonprofits, and institutions. He writes frequently at his Substack, Tradition & Renewal, and is a parishioner at the Baltimore Basilica—America’s First Cathedral. He enjoys kayaking, bachata, tennis, and chess. More at andrewlikoudis.com

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