Is an extended vacancy of the Holy See possible? Interview at Integrity Magazine

In this interview with Stephen Kokx from Integrity, we discussed whether an extended vacancy is possible, and its 'prior probability' as an explanation for the crisis.

In this interview with Stephen Kokx from Integrity, we discussed whether an extended vacancy is possible, and its ‘prior probability’ as an explanation for the crisis.

(WM Round-Up) – On Wednesday 12 August 2026, I appeared on Integrity Magazine’s podcast with Stephen Kokx to continue our new series about the indefectibility of the Church, and my long article ‘Spotless and Unsullied’ – Indefectibility and the Extended Vacancy.

The conversation finished up our discussion of Chapter III: Indefectibility and an Extended Vacancy.

Spotless and Unsullied is the third part of my response to Fr Thomas Crean OP’s article The Perpetual Visibility of the Catholic Church Under the Pope.

Much of what Fr Crean writes about indefectibility in his article is correct; however, it overlooks or obscures extra elements of this attribute of the Church, and this allows him to use it in an argument against “sedevacantism.”

Topics in this interview included:

• Abductive reasoning as a means of reaching an explanation

• An extended vacancy is possible

• Conclusion: The five criteria of abductive reasoning considered

---

Chapter III of Spotless and Unsullied is already available for all readers. You can read the whole work NOW in the book-length article discussed here:

Spotless and Unsullied – Indefectibility and the Extended Vacancy

(NB: It is not necessary to have read Radically Insufficient or Zero Marks before reading Spotless and Unsullied.)

---

Other parts in the Zero Marks series:

• ‘Radically insufficient’ – Reply to Fr Crean on the Church’s visibility, Part I

• ‘Zero Marks’ – Why the Conciliar/Synodal Church is not the Catholic Church (Reply to Fr Thomas Crean) (All chapters and conclusion)

  • Introduction, and Chapter I: Unity

  • Chapter II: Holiness

  • Chapter III: Catholicity

  • Chapter IV: Apostolicity as a Mark

  • Chapter V: Apostolicity as a Property

  • Conclusion: ‘Hovel in the Valley’

• Spotless and Unsullied – Indefectibility and the Extended Vacancy (Part III)

  • Chapter I: What is indefectibility, and what are the ‘Gates of Hell’?

  • Chapter II: Fr Crean’s account of indefectibility

  • Chapter III: What’s the best explanation for the crisis in the Church?

Other Relevant Material:

• How long can the Holy See be vacant? Fr Louis Coache (and context)

• ‘Sedevacantism’ as a ‘pestiferous heresy’? Fr Ripperger’s accusation analysed

• Does a long vacancy interrupt perpetual succession? Fr Raphel Cercia SJ

• The See and the Seated: Fr Dominic Palmieri SJ against Gallican theology of the Papacy

• ‘Totem Pope’—Does the mere election of a pope fulfil Christ’s promises?

• ‘Totem Pope’—Should we ignore what goes on in Rome?

• 2 weeks or 60 years: Which fits Franzelin’s account of sede vacante?

See also:

• Fr Damien Dutertre ICR – ‘On the Indefectibility of the Church’

---

The previous interviews

This interview was a follow up to our previous conversations of the other parts of my response to Fr Crean.

Here is the first interview, on the visibility of the Church (Part I):

Here is the second, on the property of unity (Part II, Ch. 1):

Here is the third, on the property of holiness (Part II, Ch. II):

Here is the fourth, on the property of catholicity (Part II, Ch. III):

Here is the fifth, on the note of apostolicity (Part II, Ch. IV):

Here is the sixth, on the property of apostolicity (Part II, Ch. V):

Here is the seventh, on the conclusion to Zero Marks:

Here is the eighth, on the first chapter of Spotless and Unsullied:

Here is the ninth, on the second chapter of Spotless and Unsullied:

Here is the tenth, the first part on the third chapter of Spotless and Unsullied:

Thank you to Stephen for having me on again. I hope readers of The WM Review enjoy it – and give Kokx News a follow too.

---

HELP KEEP THE WM REVIEW ONLINE WITH WM+!

As we expand The WM Review we would like to keep providing free articles for everyone.

Our work takes a lot of time and effort to produce. If you have benefitted from it please do consider supporting us financially.

A subscription gets you access to our exclusive WM+ material, and helps ensure that we can keep writing and sharing free material for all.

You can see what readers are saying over at our Testimonials page.

And you can visit The WM Review Shop for our ‘Lovely Mugs’ and more.

(We make our WM+ material freely available to clergy, priests and seminarians upon request. Please subscribe and reply to the email if this applies to you.)

Subscribe to WM+ now to make sure you always receive our material. Thank you!

Follow on Twitter, YouTube and Telegram:

• Twitter (The WM Review)

• The Father Coleridge Reader

• YouTube

• Telegram