The Immaculate Conception

The mechanisms by which God guides popes and councils haven't really been disclosed to us so I can't comment too much on that when it comes to the immaculate conception. It was something that God did for Mary in view of the foreseen merits of Christ and it doesn't specifically require any kind of retrocausal model. If timelines branch what would that mean for our souls do I exist in more than one timeline if so does the salvation status of my soul in one timeline affect the salvationstatus of mySoul in another timeline? Jimmy Akin: "If branching timelines are real and I'm in a timeline is Jimmy Akin then let's suppose they exist"