What if Pope Benedict was in substantial error. Trying to only resign the work of the papacy (Bishop of Rome)while retaining the intercession (Vicar of Christ) part of the papacy, splitting it in two, making it a collegial office. He did write a thesis in his early years supporting this. What if Christ rejected that? What if he didn’t? Is Pope Francis then an antipope believing he is the pope? Does he have the full office or only part? There have been antipopes is the past (some who really believed they were pope and later became saints). People who mistakenly followed them were not schismatic or enemies of the church.
To my knowledge Pope Francis doesn’t call himself Vicar of Christ but Bishop of Rome.
Pope Benedict wrote a huge letter and not a simple sentence: I resign. He should have been forced to do so by the cardinals. Simple and easy. He should have been forced to give up, giving papal blessings, the white clothes, the red shoes, leave the Vatican, live in a monastery in seclusion, stop using Pope emeritus and go back to cardinal or bishop.
This needs to be pondered and investigated. It never was as the bishops and cardinals were to polite to force the issue. It should have been done before he died, and before Pope Francis was elected. Do I believe Pope Francis was and is the only Pope since Benedict, resigned, partially resigned, retired, or whatever he did or tried to do? I don’t know. I would like to. But having doubts about who is actually pope is not schismatic.