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Yes indeed.
In addition to what I noted about understanding the context that the discussion of Merton was not an endorsement of all that he said or wrote or did ( which I see as a positive contribution to the thread not “negative”)
I noted I have much Merton on my shelf. While I do not recommend all of what he wrote (he wrote a great deal) there is very much there that is quite good (some masterpieces) and which have gone into my spiritual life over the years (especially some years past when I read and read and read him).
More from the Pope setting the context:
"My visit takes place at a time when men and women of good will are marking the anniversaries of several great Americans. The complexities of history and the reality of human weakness notwithstanding, these men and women, for all their many differences and limitations, were able by hard work and self-sacrifice – some at the cost of their lives – to build a better future. They shaped fundamental values which will endure forever in the spirit of the American people. A people with this spirit can live through many crises, tensions and conflicts, while always finding the resources to move forward, and to do so with dignity. These men and women offer us a way of seeing and interpreting reality. In honoring their memory, we are inspired, even amid conflicts, and in the here and now of each day, to draw upon our deepest cultural reserves.
I would like to mention four of these Americans: Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Dorothy Day and Thomas Merton."