Are liberals correct to like Pope Francis so much?

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Many have noticed that liberals, the media, gays, even atheists and agnostics, like Pope Francis. But exactly why is that? What is Francis doing that Benedict didn’t?

Most likely it is because they think Pope Francis will “change the Church.” But if Francis is gonna change nothing, are their positive feelings for Pope Francis misguided? Or are they correct to like Pope Francis so much, because Francis is gonna make significant changes to the Church after all?

Thoughts?
 
I am glad that they like Pope Francis. Perhaps they hope for too much in what they expect the Church to change in the future, but I will let them figure that out for themselves.
 
They are correct to like him, he is the Vicar of Christ on Earth. Unfortunately, they like him for all the wrong reasons and abuse him as a means to further their own distorted views and ideals.

Pope Francis will not be changing the dogmas of the Church, that is impossible. When he doesn’t, the media will cry foul, and once he’s gone they’ll lambaste his successor claiming that they’re “undoing all the progressive work” they attribute to Pope Francis; completely ignoring the fact that Pope Francis changed nothing…
 
It’s good that they like him. The Pope is Catholic.

They just don’t know it.
 
TofuFish said:
Many have noticed that liberals, the media, gays, even atheists and agnostics, like Pope Francis. But exactly why is that? What is Francis doing that Benedict didn’t?

Most likely it is because they think Pope Francis will “change the Church.” But if Francis is gonna change nothing, are their positive feelings for Pope Francis misguided? Or are they correct to like Pope Francis so much, because Francis is gonna make significant changes to the Church after all?

Thoughts?
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Pope Francis is a sign of hope and God’s presence for the WHOLE world. Please do not be concern, but rather rejoice that people are attracted to him — and perhaps their hearts will be moved.
 
Pope Francis has placed a greater emphasis on the Church’s social gospel than Benedict-16. Many saw the former Prefect of CCD as being more of an enforcer than a pastor.

I think Benedict’s reign was too short and too blindsided (by the priest abuse scandal) for us to get a true sense of how he would reign under more “normal” circumstances. But there’s no doubt that Francis is a “people’s Pope,” especially given his own sense of compassion, charity and austerity.
 
Let’s not be too harsh on our liberal brothers and sisters.

They struggle with aspects of the faith like all of us.

I often wonder though if they understand that the Pope does not have the authority to change Doctrine which is Divine Law. No-one on earth possesses that authority.

I understand that there are Disciplines which can be discussed as these practices have and can be changed over the centuries. Rome has made murmurings towards discussion, this has pleased some of my liberal friends.

One of my liberal friends was actually told by another parishioner to leave the church, get out and go and join some other church. She has no interest in changing Doctrine, she wants to change the Discipline of ‘single priests’ and allow for married men to be ordained which caused the upset.
 
I think the reason the media likes Francis so much more than Benedict is because of how Francis presents himself (it’s not what you say but how you say it). Only the media doesn’t know that. Despite this, I still wonder how the media is willing to call Pope Francis a “progressive” when he sticks to orthodox Catholic doctrine, even on the most controversial issues facing the Church right now.
 
Paul VI was such an intellectual. John Paul I was a mystery. John Paul II was so charismatic and did so much, did he ever sleep? Benedict XVI was a scholar. Then comes Francis who would like a piece of pizza, who faced with the possibility of martyrdom says, I’m a big coward when it comes to pain (I’m with Francis, and so was Jesus who asked, ‘Let this cup pass from me, but let Your will be done, not mine.’) who watches sports, plans a holy year of mercy and finding a way to brig more people into the fold. What’s not to like? I have much more in common with this Holy Father even though I’m a die hard conservative.

If we wouldn’t give the Washington Post or New York Times credence concerning secular news, why would we believe them about ecclesiastical matters?
 
I’m so tired of people being grouped by the way they vote. So what if those dreaded liberals love Pope Francis.

“Noooo, he can’t be a good, holy man. Liberals like him. AHHHH!” Like, liberals can’t be good people, sure some of the ways they think are twisted, but those in the GOP camp are twisted too, especially the ones who think the sky is falling DAILY. :rolleyes:

Liberals and Conservatives aren’t always in line with EVERY church teaching.
 
KendraDZ1902 said:
I’m so tired of people being grouped by the way they vote. So what if those dreaded liberals love Pope Francis.

“Noooo, he can’t be a good, holy man. Liberals like him. AHHHH!” Like, liberals can’t be good people, sure some of the ways they think are twisted, but those in the GOP camp are twisted too, especially the ones who think the sky is falling DAILY. :rolleyes:

Liberals and Conservatives aren’t always in line with EVERY church teaching.
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👍
 
TofuFish said:
Many have noticed that liberals, the media, gays, even atheists and agnostics, like Pope Francis. But exactly why is that? What is Francis doing that Benedict didn’t?

Most likely it is because they think Pope Francis will “change the Church.” But if Francis is gonna change nothing, are their positive feelings for Pope Francis misguided? Or are they correct to like Pope Francis so much, because Francis is gonna make significant changes to the Church after all?

Thoughts?
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Yes, but it may be for the wrong reasons. There’s too many low-information voters in developed democracies who just read a headline and accept it as truth.

Early on in the Pope’s term, the mainstream liberal media gave hope to these readers by making it sound like Pope Francis was going to turn the Church into some kind of progressive machine, when in reality, the Pope Francis just had a different approach to communicating Church teaching.

So naturally, the low-info progressives were celebrating and Rush Limbaugh got ahead of himself by calling the Pope a Marxist, despite the fact Marxism is spelled out in the catechism as evil.
 
KendraDZ1902 said:
I’m so tired of people being grouped by the way they vote. So what if those dreaded liberals love Pope Francis.

“Noooo, he can’t be a good, holy man. Liberals like him. AHHHH!” Like, liberals can’t be good people, sure some of the ways they think are twisted, but those in the GOP camp are twisted too, especially the ones who think the sky is falling DAILY. :rolleyes:

Liberals and Conservatives aren’t always in line with EVERY church teaching.
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Where,** exactly**, are Catholic conservatives not in line with Church teaching?

I find that throwing in conservatives with liberals like the two are the same or somehow equal and opposite on internet chat posts is only done to get special, personal attention.It’s an extraordinary selfish motive.

I also think anyone who says that Western conservatism is somehow at odds of a similar magnitude with Catholic teaching as post-modern liberalism needs to seriously look at American Democrats, the British Labour Party and the Socialist Democrats in Germany and what they stand for.

🍿
 
I think the media’s strategy with this pope has been “let’s paint him as we want him to be like” creating a whole myth about Pope Francis.
I have seen things like twisting Pope Francis’s words, taken things out of context, omitting and ignoring the Orthodox things Pope Francis says, speculating and guessing on things this Pope didn’t say, giving the progressives and dissenters the entire attention.

In short, this is basically a media thing. I think they will soon be disillusioned with the myth, they themselves, created.
 
KendraDZ1902 said:
I’m so tired of people being grouped by the way they vote. So what if those dreaded liberals love Pope Francis.

“Noooo, he can’t be a good, holy man. Liberals like him. AHHHH!” Like, liberals can’t be good people, sure some of the ways they think are twisted, but those in the GOP camp are twisted too, especially the ones who think the sky is falling DAILY. :rolleyes:

Liberals and Conservatives aren’t always in line with EVERY church teaching.
Click to expand...
Amen 🙂
 
SuperLuigi said:
Where,** exactly**, are Catholic conservatives not in line with Church teaching?

I find that throwing in conservatives with liberals like the two are the same or somehow equal and opposite on internet chat posts is only done to get special, personal attention.It’s an extraordinary selfish motive.

I also think anyone who says that Western conservatism is somehow at odds of a similar magnitude with Catholic teaching as post-modern liberalism needs to seriously look at American Democrats, the British Labour Party and the Socialist Democrats in Germany and what they stand for.

🍿
Click to expand...
**I took Kendra’s comment as if she meant politics/voters in the USA, not necessarily from a Catholic perspective.

She can clarify.**

I tend to be Conservative politically. I have made a very conscious effort to be more Orthodox as a Catholic, but not necessarily Conservative or Liberal. I had a tendency to overlook some aspects of Catholic social justice. Now I try to be more conscious of that.
 
KendraDZ1902 said:
“Noooo, he can’t be a good, holy man. Liberals like him. AHHHH!”
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I know you’re exaggerating for effect, but I’ve never heard or read any expression resembling this sentiment.

I do see people getting upset about the way his statements have been misrepresented and misused, but that’s a different issue.
 
fastenatingguy said:
**I took Kendra’s comment as if she meant politics/voters in the USA, not necessarily from a Catholic perspective.

She can clarify.**

I tend to be Conservative politically. I have made a very conscious effort to be more Orthodox as a Catholic, but not necessarily Conservative or Liberal. I had a tendency to overlook some aspects of Catholic social justice. Now I try to be more conscious of that.
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Post 12 indicated a dissatisfaction with grouping people by voting.

This may go beyond the intent of Post 12, but in any case, I am dissatisfied with any insinuation that liberals and conservatives are equal and opposite choices and there is no moral difference and it’s all a personal preference for the singular purpose of getting up-votes. I don’t see how in the USA how one party that advocates for the mass-murder or the unborn and the destruction of the sacrament of marriage is somehow an equal alternative to a party that doesn’t have that in its platform.

The end-all, be-all of this kind of thinking is “it doesn’t matter who you vote for, they are all the same, so vote as liberally as possible”.

Finally, I’d be careful about “social justice”.
 
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