Seems to be cynical take on this pope to me. I think that the Catholic Church is having it's Bullworth moment one that so many nations or institutions could use. My wife's family is Catholic and I've had the opportunity to attend a few masses now. I have found the sermons to be filled with compassion and warmth. The pastors seem to generally be somewhat left of center, nonjudgmental and loving beings trying to follow the example of Christ to the best of their ability. While I don't want to go into the details there was an incident with an older priest that was harsh and seemed to be generally offensive to anyone who carries Christian sentiment but it also seemed to be something that the other priests I've met would never have condoned.Maybe the Pope is trying to attract a wider audience by promoting more liberal beliefs after the controversy that has plagued the Vatican the past few years,
Couldn't agree more. Seems like every week or two this Pope is saying something as shocking to the traditional power structures of the church as it is popular with followers and non-believers alike. I've seen and heard a lot of people chalk it up to a new and effective PR campaign, but all the evidence is to the contrary. A cursory bit of research on the order from whence this Pope came will tell you a lot about motivations, and everything he's said since them can be understood within this framework. I get nothing but sincerity, love, and humility from this guy. I grew up Catholic and went to Catholic school. I've read the Bible front to back more than once. If you read the New Testament as a youth, you get a basic idea, directly from the source, of what it means to be and act like a Christian. Then you grow up, and learn how adults and organized churches and their leaders understand what it means to act Christian. The two are very different. This Pope understands Christianity with the honesty and integrity of a child reading the Bible, but with the mind for analysis of a man. I'm a fan. As an atheist now, I'll never be going back to the church and its teachings (this would be the height of absurdity, as they are a fiction), but I'm glad to see the leader of such an unthinkably large and powerful organization re-calibrating their orders towards a focus on service and help to others, especially the poor, and away from making sure my sister can never ever marry the girl she loves and has a baby with. The Bible is an incredibly harmful document to many many people, but at least this Pope is mitigating the damage, -merely by emphasizing what should have been emphasized all along.Seems to be cynical take on this pope to me.