But the pope is a “special” person who is chosen by the Vatican. This is what constitutes as a pope. Once the pope is elected, according to Catholic doctrine, he automatically becomes infallible. No exceptions, in case one makes the “Not my pope” argument. If Pope Francis is not your pope, Catholicism is not your religion. This is exactly why the Protestant movement started; the Protestants realized that Catholicism is just Christianity that has been watered-down to make it easier to convert the Roman pagans, and since Rome was a socialist dictatorship, papal authorities used Catholicism as an opportunity to continue controlling the Europeans.