esrosedotblog

I have been watching this guy and you could see it coming.

Pope Bluntly Faults Church’s Focus on Gays and Abortion

This guy is cut from a different cloth than any Pope that I have seen in my lifetime.

It is important to understand that not many Catholic people pay attention to the Pope especially in America and a few other modern western countries.

The rabid few Cardinals and Bishops some of whom are now in place because of the last two right wingers will peter out.

But the impact of this will hit hardest in the third world where homophobia and the opposition to birth control are almost manic.

This one signaled change from the beginning. He ditched a lot of the accouterments that made the Pope the subject of constant mockery by non-catholics who do not buy the snake oil at all.

No pope-mobile, no summer "palace", the common touch which was not just PR.

He has installed lieutenants who tend liberal and has already spoken out about the rampant misuse of church funds.

The Vatican has become a disgrace to what is a significant spiritual home for a lot of people.

I have quite devout Catholic friends who I respect deeply and none want anything to do with the church that hates, that points fingers, that supports celibates who are obsessed with sex, that honors single men who hate women. The moralizers, the smug, the superior shits who have drummed any progressive point of view out of the church have created a shortage of young priests, young parishioner and minorities who, while faithful, have been treated like children.

I have hope when I see this guy.

In a way, it is all irrelevant to me. I have a rich spiritual life without any religion but it takes a lot of work and its pursuit, while incredibly rewarding, cannot be handled by a lot of people who have really hard lives and little time to focus on spiritual matters. A good solid church with a social gospel has always given these people a home.

These are Francis' words. A "home for everybody".

No surprise he adopted the name of the universally appealing Saint Francis.

Labels: religion, spiritual life