Yes, too many people base their opinion on another’s commentary and don’t read and draw conclusions on their own.
With respect, I will say that what disturbs me about Pope Francis isn’t what others say about him (though that can certainly be disturbing, particularly those who speak viciously against him) but is indeed in the words Pope Francis says from his own mouth, even allowing for context.
I think it would be counter-productive (for many) to keep trying to tell people that Pope Francis has never actually said anything disturbing, or that any disturbance is all down to people misinterpreting him. Apologists did try that for a couple years, but even many of the mainstream apologists had to finally acknowledge that this was turning into gaslighting, and sometimes what Pope Francis says can’t be whitewashed or explained away as a misunderstanding.
At the same time, this is different from saying that Pope Francis is a reason to leave the Church.
The most helpful thing, I think, is to remember that the papacy is a clearly defined office, and the man who occupies it is not promised infallibility of
private opinions, or impeccability of personal morals. He can speak infallibly ex cathedra in defining a once-for-all teaching on a matter of faith or morals, provided this doesn’t contradict previous infallibly defined teachings. But in other matters… our popes are fallible and fallen men, in the ordinary scope of things – just like the rest of us. Vatican II called for more involvement from the laity, and perhaps it is providential that God would follow this up by allowing us to see multiple crises in the clergy, to shake us into action and adopting our more active role as laity in the Church.
I would also agree that as a pragmatic step, it may be healthy for many individuals to step away from the news cycles, unless we’re in a position to actually take constructive action in response to some topic. Too many of us are too inundated with information we can’t really do anything about, and it seems to me that this sidetracks us from focusing on what God is actually calling us to do in our daily, local lives.
