Puzzled by Pope Francis’ approach many
conservative Catholics in the U.S. are doing what only recently seemed
“unthinkable”. “They are openly questioning the pope”, The Washington Post reports.
“Behind the growing scepticism is the fear in some
quarters that Francis’s all-embracing style and spontaneous speech, so
open as it is to interpretation, are undoing decades of church efforts
to speak clearly on Catholic teachings. Some conservatives also feel
that the pope is undermining them at a time when they are already being
sidelined by an increasingly secular culture,” The Washington Post writes.
Francis is “a remarkable man, no one would deny
that,” Robert Royal, president of the D.C. think tank Faith & Reason
says. “But I’m not sure if he cares about being accurate. He gets into
an [evangelizing] dynamic with people and that seems to be the most
important thing. . . . In some ways it makes people very anxious. If you do this, what’s the next thing?” Royal asks.
“In the past everything you heard from a pope was
prepared or formally released. And that was intentional — not to say
anything ad hoc. And it’s also intentional that this one does,” says
Phil Lawler, editor of Catholic World News.
Gregory Popcak, a Catholic marriage counsellor in
Ohio, was surprised when some couples started contesting what he said,
quoting Francis. At first he felt frustrated and then ashamed. After
some reflection and prayer, he saw himself as the prodigal son’s good
brother, the good boy who stays in the background and obeys his father.
“People who left the Church, who hated the Church (and yes, hated and
sometimes abused me for loving it), who wouldn’t give the Church a
second glance were suddenly realizing that God loved them, that the
Church welcomed them, and all I could do was feel bitter about it.”
Popcak wrote about his reflections online, getting dozens of responses
from people who share these same thoughts.