The Pope is between the Rock of Peter and a hard place (the world). With popes, this is always (and is meant to be) the case. Right now, liberals are beginning to take up arms against the relatively new Supreme Pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church because of what they see as his aggressive moves against modernistic American nuns, his frequent references to the devil (see The Washington Post two weeks ago), his canonization of John Paul II, and his repeated reminders on the evils of abortion (a few days ago he even used the loaded term "culture of death"). "Largely under the radar, theologians and Vatican insiders say, Francis has not only dwelled far more on Satan in sermons and speeches than his recent predecessors have, but also sought to rekindle the devil’s image as a supernatural entity with the forces of evil at his beck and call," grumbled (or fretted) the newspaper. "By focusing on old-school interpretations of the devil, some progressive theologians complain, the Pope is undermining his reputation as a leader who in so many other ways appears to be more in step with modern society than his predecessor." Neither were liberals very pleased to see the Pope's appointment of arch-conservative Cardinal George Pell of Australia to oversee Vatican finances. It also seems likely that when he visits the U.S., the Pope will stop in Philadelphia, home to another well-known conservative Catholic prelate, Archbishop Charles G. Chaput, who previously seemed nearly at odds with the Pontiff. While Pope Francis in effect demoted arch-conservative Cardinal Raymond L. Burke, he has kept, as chief of the crucial Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, a strictly theological conservative in Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Müller, who led the charge against modernistic convents. Meanwhile, conservative Catholics have been nervous about what the Pope has said or indicated about gays in the priesthood and Communion for the divorced/remarried, as well as what seem like liberal espousals from a papal consigliere, Cardinal Walter Kasper; libertarian-conservatives (who are to be seen as distinct from classic conservatives) have taken issue with the Holy Father for what they see as anti-capitalistic views. Recently, the Pope once more mentioned that the poor should be better looked after, calling for a "legitimate redistribution of wealth" (currently, according to Forbes, half of the world's wealth is owned by just one percent of the world's population, and the eighty-five richest people have sixty-five times the wealth of the entire lower half of the population, meaning more than 3.6 billion people). He has also spoken against the throwaway culture (check out the plastic in our oceans).

While the Pope's remarks have been treated by some as socialistic, many don't realize that Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI both made similar -- in fact, identically strong -- remarks about economics (John Paul II once said that Godless capitalism is as bad as Godless socialism, which is Communism, and Benedict repeated this; both roundly attacked Western consumerism). We don't know where the Pope will go next. We suspect we'll get a better idea when he visits the U.S. (if not sooner). There are the issues of married priests, the Latin Mass, same-sex marriage, and Communion for the divorced. There is Palestine. There is a rumored encyclical on the environment (which somehow is seen, by libertarians, as anti-pro-life). We do know that the Holy Father has a style of speech that is galvanizing. We'll "stay tuned." Never a dull moment. Hold onto your seats when he visits America. The problems raised so far with the Pope are not in what he says but how he says it. He speaks in exhortations. A straight-talker, like Truman. One might call it paroxysms. There are spontaneous proclamations. He exclaims. It is a South American way. He blurts out. He expresses emotions of the moment. It can be nearly stream-of-consciousness. It comes across as spotty, because we have not yet seen the entire body -- the full context -- of his thoughts (in an encyclical; we will soon). At times he seems mystical. At other times, he seems to resist that. He canonizes "liberal" John XXIII. He canonizes "conservative" John Paul II. What he will say in the future is up for guesswork, but to date what he has actually stated, if taken in context, is nothing out of accord with the traditional Church. So far, through the prism of the media, and the rancor of the blogs, it only sounds that way.

--Michael H. Brown

5/21/14

[see also: Two moments that awakened deep devotion to Mary in Pope Francis, Pope accents 'throwaway culture,' 'economic exclusion,' 'culture of death', London tops super-rich list and Pope on baptisms: yes, even for Martians]

[Note also: Michael Brown retreats: Philadelphia-New Jersey and Announcing a retreat, Mass in Danbury, Connecticut]

[Print article]

Donations: we need and appreciate it!