Pope Francis, in revolutionizing the Catholic church, is as radical as he is orthodox:

[Church_Militant]

I don’t see it as a cult of personality thing at all, though I concede that there may be some people who are like that.

I see His Holiness as my leader in my faith in sort of the same way that a general commands an army on behalf of their king and I love the way that Pope Francis seems to find things to say and do that inspire and encourage me to draw ever more closely to Christ, which is certainly his goal.

I have taken this attitude with every pontiff that I have been blessed with over the years.

 

[jimkhong]

SirAlec, excellent points made and I agree to all of them except the below.

Now we’re faced with the spectacle of a Pope who the media establishment favors because of his “new outlook” and because he says things that can be twisted to favor some of the cultural trends(such as the homosexual lobby) that, frankly, are a sign of the decomposition of our society, and not its renewal in Christ.

I think the media establishment is quite agnostic about a pope’s likeablity unless it is to do with their ratings. In that sense, Benedict’s ‘screw-ups’ are just as newsworthy to them.

In the end, I think the Church as a whole (and by extenstion, other non-Catholics of goodwill) would have sufficient intelligence to sense what is right about they read/watch. Most of the mainstream commentators I see have been quite balanced in their views and have been emphasising that Pope Francis has not changed Church doctrines.

The problem is more one of an expectation gap. For a world (Catholic or non) having felt the adverse effects of the gap between the Church’s pastoral responsibility and a desire for doctrinal purity, seeing the gap starting to close gives rise to hopes that may not be realistic. This is the expectation gap that needs to be managed.

Interestingly, Pope Francis was also named Man of the Year by a gay magazine. While I do expect the Church’s ministry to gays to be more efficacious, non-judgemental and imbued with love, none of us expect the Church to stop teaching that homosexuality is scipturally acceptable. I am sure that gay magazine has been told that repeatedly, I hope that they do not ignore the latter part.

 

[jimkhong]

As an outsider looking in, I do not see a revolution. Pope Francis isn’t doing anything different than his predecessors. He is only using a different approach, one which suits his personality.

While I consider myself a rather articulate person, Pope Francis’ statements have put a lot of what I felt into words I did not previously considered. And the ease that the man did it, and evidently he backs up much of it with his actions. It has certainly given me strength that ministry in the Church is worth it and I can see may way forward.

There is definitely something different, even if you call it just a different approach. In the end, I believe he intends to change the way we live the faith and doctrines, even if the faith and doctrines do not change. It could redefine what living as a Catholic, and by extension Christian, means. Even if the doctrines do not change, that is a huge change enough. It will change how we see ourselves and how the world sees us.

A recent thread asked whether the Mass is the center of Catholic religion. I think the Mass is the center of Catholic worship but loving one another as Jesus loved us is center of Catholic living. I believe Pope Francis is putting us on the road for the world to equate Catholicism with love. All the while, having a place for the Mass (even TLM), doctrines, the Magisterium,etc.

We are already beginning to see the numbers at mass increasing in some countries. It will be interesting to see if the number of vocations go up in the coming years. Whether this will result in a revolution or not, will depend on how long he last in the papacy. But remember, John 23 did revolutionise the Church in his short papacy. Still, Francis has now shown us how a Pope could be pastoral and whose sermons on the poor are truly heartfelt and not just doctrines.

In both the papacies of John 23 and Francis, it is clear there is a greater trust in the Holy Spirit than the centralised machinery of the Church. Who knows, if this trusting of the Holy Spirit keeps up, we may one day be ready to reunite with the Orthodox.

 

[Abu]

If the Orthodox really trust the Holy Spirit, they will abide with Christ’s establishment of the Papacy with supremacy and infallibility, and pay the homage of obedience to Christ’s will, on divorce and the dogma of the Immaculate Conception.

Speculation and supposition have been the flavour, but the reality is that Pope Francis has
also apologised for his mistakes, apart from the confusion identified in the six categories examined from Evangelii Gaudium, already given.

**Even the Pope Critiques Himself. And Corrects Three Errors
by Sandro Magister ROME, November 22, 2013 **
‘He is lowering the “rating” of his interview with Scalfari. Rectifying his judgments on Vatican Council II. Distancing himself from the progressive currents that have applauded him until now. But the media are silent on this change of pace.

1. ‘The first concerns the conversation that he had with Eugenio Scalfari, set down in writing by this champion of atheistic thought in “la Repubblica" of October 1.

‘….the interview was reproduced in its entirety both in “L’Osservatore Romano" and on the official website of the Holy See, on a par with the other discourses and documents of the Pope.

‘This gave birth to the idea that Jorge Mario Bergoglio had intentionally chosen the conversational form of expression, on this as on other occasions, as a new form of his Magisterium, capable of reaching the general public more effectively.

‘But in the following weeks the pope must also have become aware of the risk that this form entails. The risk that the Magisterium of the Church might fall to the level of a mere opinion contributed to the free exchange of ideas.

‘This in fact led to the decision, on November 15, to remove from the website of the Holy See the text of the conversation with Scalfari.

‘ “It was removed,” Fr. Lombardi explained, “to clarify the nature of that text. There were some misunderstandings and disagreements about its value.”

‘But even the calibrated and thoroughly studied interview with Pope Francis in “La Civiltà Cattolica” - published on September 19 by sixteen magazines of the Society of Jesus in eleven languages - has in recent days been taken into the shop of things to be corrected.’
chiesa.espresso.repubblica.it/articolo/1350668?eng=y