Pope Francis

It's good to see all the attention that Pope Francis is getting; no doubt it's due to his humility and his obvious love for people. St. John Paul II generated much interest in himself as well. I always thought, back in those years of his papacy, that the press unintentionally did more to teach the Catholic faith than did many priests. The media often, especially when it seemed controversial, reported what St. John Paul taught, whether the topic was artificial contraception, abortion, injustice and much more. This happened again with our beloved Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. With our present Holy Father, reporters extrapolate a statement or two from him and speculate a new interpretation of Church doctrine. Of course they see things from a secular perspective and not from faith.

I do not like the terms "liberal" and "conservative" when speaking about our faith; I prefer "Catholic." Nevertheless, for the sake of discussion, I will use them Liberals think that Pope Francis is changing the Church's position that has remained in place for millennia. Specifically, they see a reform taking shape. It's a reform of moral theology and worship to their liking. Many conservatives think the same, however not to their liking but to their consternation. The great fault here is judging Pope Francis according to one's opinion of what a pope should be. Christ was falsely judged too. The Pope doesn't suit them; so, he must be wrong, even heretical. Both liberals and conservatives seem to be parsing every phrase uttered by him in order to fortify their opinions.

Has Pope Francis taught anything in error? Has he altered Christ's teaching in any way? Absolutely not. Rather than sitting down as an armchair critic, looking for faults, I'd rather be on my knees, praying for our good Pope Francis.
 
Father Stanley