Pope Francis

I was born, raised and educated as a Catholic and continue to practice Catholicism unimpeded by the secular machinations of its leadership – including that of the late Pope Francis. It is the scripture and the teaching of the Church that remain despite attempts by those inside and outside the Church to warp them to fit their political beliefs. But let me digress to make the point.

Throughout the history of the Catholic Church there has been one Order that stands apart from the rest – the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits). In large part that was due to educational excellence and contributions to math and science. However, equally important was their insistence on accompanying the European explorers as they opened the “new world.” In most instances the Jesuit priests were smarter and bettered educated than the leaders of these expeditionary forces and thus maintained significant influence over explorations and settlements, in North and South America as well as Japan, China and coastal Asia. It now extends in to Africa. So powerful did the Jesuits become they alone are not subject to the authority of bishops, archbishops and cardinals as all the other orders. They are subject only to the authority of Superior General of the Society of Jesus and he only to the Pope. At various times the Jesuits have been banned in Spain, Portugal, France, Italy and Mexico because they became too influential and supported the overthrow of various governments

And that was the prelude to Pope Francis (Jorge Mario Bergoglio) introduction to the priesthood in Argentina. It was at the time that “liberation theology” was in vogue and the Jesuits were busy trying to align the “teachings” of the Church with the goals of the communist rebels in much of South and Central America. The communists were anti-capitalists mostly because the wealthy who ruled those countries also controlled most of the wealth. And those in the Church bowing at the alter of liberation theology likewise became anti-capitalists, including then Fr. Bergoglio and continuing as he became Bishop and then Archbishop. He held particular animosity towards America even though he developed a close relationship with two nominal Catholics, former President Joe Biden (D) and former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) both unwavering advocates of taxpayer funded abortions on demand despite the Church’s teaching to the contrary. And yet at the same time he took take every instance to criticize the current administration for seeking the deportation of illegal and criminal aliens in America.

That sort of asymmetrical outrage is made even more hypocritical by that fact that the Vatican – like most nations – bans illegal immigration and enforces it through massive and impenetrable walls. So, like much of Pope Francis’ attempt to inject himself into the secular world, his opposition has more to do with who is doing it rather than what is being done. Much like his progressive brethren.

The same can be said when he made comments regarding the plight of gay marriages and women in the priesthood. In doing so he declared his solidarity but did nothing about either of them. He outraged traditionalist with the suggestion and eventually those seeking change when he did nothing. In the end he simply fanned the flames of discord.

And while Pope Francis was sticking his nose into  the business of other nations, what he didn’t do – and what was actually within his power to do – was address the continuing outrage of members of the clergy engaging in sexual exploitation of our young and the ongoing financial scandal enveloping the Vatican Bank and the likely involvement of wealthy European capitalists. Neither of these matters can be dealt with convincingly without exposing historic corruption.

But it doesn’t end there. During his papacy, Pope Francis installed three-quarters of the Cardinals who will select the next Pope. Given the propensity of leaders to gather like minded people around them you can be assured that these Cardinals are likely to be progressive. And while the progressives of Hollywood pushed the idea of a sexual outlier as Pope in The Conclave, the progressives of the College of Cardinals are much more likely to focus on diversity, equity and inclusion. The result will be more of the same with the next Pope focusing on the affairs of other nations rather than the stain of the affairs of its own clergy.  There is a high probability that the next pope will be a person of color if for no other reason than there has never been an African or Asian pope.  Regardless of whether the person selected is qualified, the decision is likely to be made on the basis of diversity.

Notwithstanding my criticism of Pope Francis, I believe that he truly cared about the poor and the victims of war. But, he was a victim of his own history and was unwilling to seek solutions outside of his Socialist beliefs. Hopefully the next Pope will share his concerns but will actually act to remedy them rather than just point fingers.

The post Pope Francis first appeared on Oregon Catalyst.