Popular pope, but same old church

[trotsky]

http://www.cnn.com/2013/11/08/opinion/cahill-pope-francis/

Francis' comments on the appointment of bishops suggest that his criteria has less to do with loyalty and orthodoxy and more to do with pastoral experience and compassion. But in his first American appointment, one that was not in the pipeline before his papal election, he named Bishop Leonard Blair as the new archbishop of Hartford, Connecticut.

Blair is a true believer culture warrior and former Vatican official who led the charge against the Leadership Conference of Religious Women last year and earlier joined in the condemnation of Notre Dame University for having President Barack Obama as a speaker. And in light of Francis closing the door on female priests, many women theologians and lay leaders are wondering about his emphasis on a new role for women in the church.

Jamie Manson, a Yale trained theologian and a writer for National Catholic Reporter, suggests that we should not get too excited. For her, the bottom line is that in spite of the warmth and sincerity of the Pope's words, he is not indicating any change in church teaching.

...

And Manson asks the broader question: "What good is a more pastoral church when ultimately, gays and lesbians are still told their relationships are sinful, women are still barred from answering God's call to ordained ministry, African-American women and men routinely affected by HIV/AIDS cannot get access to condoms, women in need of lifesaving abortions are forced to die, and starving families in countries like the Philippines are denied access to condoms?"

I wonder if those who aren't falling to their knees in adoration of this new pope will finally get a little slack instead of being branded as anti-Catholic bigots (or being told they have "blinders" on) simply because they aren't buying the PR offensive.

[Xipe Totec]

1. Very polarizing comentary. As if the world came in two colors only nt

[trotsky]

3. For Catholics like those who wrote the piece, it's basically status quo vs. change.

Those are the two colors. The new pope talks the talk, but as pointed out, the first chances we've had to see if his actions match those words are not positive at all. Same old same old.

[rug]

2. I'm sure you would not like to see him fail.

On the other hand, I've learned from my own recent life experiences that God's grace can mysteriously arise out of excruciating pain, so I don't give up hope. Nor would I want to underestimate the potential grace of a modern-day pope who prioritizes Jesus' message of love and inclusiveness over doctrine and orthodoxy.

[skepticscott]

4. But...but...the pope was NiCE to some guy

and the guy was like, disfigured, and there was, like, a PICTURE of it on the internet and everything! So that means that the Catholic Church is all better, right? Because the pope grabbed another photo op and did something that his despicable predecessor probably wouldn't have done, but that should be nothing special for any decent human being. And yet it's enough to make Catholics all over the world think he's the second coming.