Father Leonard Feeney, S.J., proposed to teach his own interpretation of "Outside the Church there is no salvation" without approval of any authority within the Church. He defied the orders of his Jesuit superiors to leave the Center for a post at College of the Holy Cross repeatedly. In addition he was a priest, not a bishop, whose own teaching authority was very limited.

The meaning of "Outside the Church there is no salvation" was clarified at Vatican II.

The four cardinals request the Holy Father in his Petrine role to clarify the meaning of a footnote to an Exhortation for the good of the faithful. Not one has defied an order of any authority. Nor have any of them adopted an interpretation of the footnote in question in defiance of the Holy Father. All four are bishops whose role includes teaching in union with the Church and in particular the Holy Father.

There is no essential similarity between the two situations.