How are you feeling about Pope Francis lately?

[kmoney]

I read an article about the Pope's popularity. It's down across the board. His numbers were quite high a while back but he's made some people angry it seems.

He's not making liberals happy because he hasn't done all they hoped for concerning homosexuality and abortion.

He's not making conservatives happy because he's criticizing capitalism a bit too much and has taken up the concern about man-made global warming.

There was a quote in the article that said many Catholics care more about their political ties than their religion. Probably true. But I don't think that's applicable to only Catholics.


So, after a while longer with Pope Francis, how do you think he's doing? I think I actually like him more which would put me in the minority. :think:

 

[zoo22]

I like Pope Francis.

 

[User Name]

"Fifty-nine percent of Americans said this month they had a favorable view of the pope, compared to 76 percent in February 2014, Gallup reported. The share of Americans who disapproved of the pope increased from 9 percent to 16 percent in the same period. The changes were most dramatic among political conservatives, whose opinion of Francis nosedived by 27 percentage points to 45 percent. Among Catholics, Francis' approval dropped by 18 percentage points to 71 percent." -- http://www.usnews.com/news/us/artic...s-of-francis-dim-a-plunge-in-approval-ratings

59% favorable is still high for a public figure, I think.

 

[Cruciform]

Thank you for the fair and even-handed summary in your OP; it's quite refreshing on such a forum as TOL. While I personally liked his two predecessors a bit more, I'm satisfied with Pope Francis' tenure overall. Much unnecessary ado has been caused by the tendency of the mainstream media to take the Pope's comments out of context and running with them without any genuine understanding of his actual meaning. This has been the case with past popes as well, but seems to be a bit more of a problem for Francis. In any case, I pray for him often, and thank God for such a humble and faithful shepherd.



Gaudium de veritate,

Cruciform
+T+

 

[Selaphiel]

I like him a lot. I think the liberals are being rather unrealistic if they think he would go against the traditional teaching of the church on those points. The conservatives just shows that tradition is not that important anymore when it is their own political presuppositions that are being challenged.

Does anyone actually believe that the Catholic social teaching is unrestricted laissez-faire capitalism and unrestricted domination, abuse and destruction of the worlds ecosystems?

 

[User Name]

While I personally liked his two predecessors a bit more, I'm satisfied with Pope Francis' tenure overall.

I didn't much care for Benedict XVI (the last pope). He earned his reputation, and I think that it was his lack of popularity that was the real reason why he made the unprecedented decision to retire.

I think Francis is doing a great job.

 

[Cruciform]

I didn't much care for Benedict XVI (the last pope). He earned his reputation...

Which "reputation" was that?

...and I think that it was his lack of popularity that was the real reason why he made the unprecedented decision to retire.

Not according to Benedict himself.



Gaudium de veritate,

Cruciform
+T+

 

[User Name]

Which "reputation" was that?

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/03/opinion/sunday/douthat-the-ratzinger-legacy.html

Not according to Benedict himself.

Of course not.

 

[The Berean]

I didn't much care for Benedict XVI (the last pope). He earned his reputation, and I think that it was his lack of popularity that was the real reason why he made the unprecedented decision to retire.

I think Francis is doing a great job.

I was vacationing in Mexico when Benedict XVI visited (2012 I think). I was in Leon, Guanajuato during his arrival and drive through the city. He was extremely well received by the Mexican people. He was treated like a rock star.

 

[User Name]

I was vacationing in Mexico when Benedict XVI visited (2012 I think). I was in Leon, Guanajuato during his arrival and drive through the city. He was extremely well received by the Mexican people. He was treated like a rock star.

This adds to what I was referring to above: http://www.gallup.com/poll/127058/pope-benedict-favorable-rating-drops.aspx

 

[Cruciform]

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/03/opinion/sunday/douthat-the-ratzinger-legacy.html[/url]

Is this---from your posted source---what you're referring to?

"It was the work of Ratzinger’s subsequent career, first as John Paul II’s doctrinal policeman and then as his successor, to re-establish where Catholicism actually stood. This was mostly a project of reassertion: yes, the church still believes in the Resurrection, the Trinity and the Virgin birth. Yes, the church still opposes abortion, divorce, sex outside of marriage. Yes, the church still considers itself the one true faith. And yes — this above all, for a man whose chief gifts were intellectual — the church believes that its doctrines are compatible with reason, scholarship and science.

It was understandable that this project made Ratzinger many enemies. It turned him into a traitor to his class, since it involved disciplining theologians who had been colleagues, peers and rivals. It disappointed or wounded the many Catholics who couldn’t reconcile the church’s teachings with their post-sexual-revolution lives."​

If so, this has more to do with the Church's often-wrongly-perceived reputation than Benedict's. Also: The New York Times? You could hardly find a media publication more biased against---and ignorant of---the Catholic Church and her teachings.

Of course not.

You'll need an infinitely better source than the NYT behind you if your intention is to accuse Pope Benedict of lying, or if you want to pedal some sort of anti-Benedictine conspiracy theory.



Gaudium de veritate,

Cruciform
+T+

 

[M. A. Williams]

There was a quote in the article that said many Catholics care more about their political ties than their religion. Probably true. But I don't think that's applicable to only Catholics.

I think that's quite common. There are a lot of people, for example, that are Republican first and a Christian second.

I think if we lived more Christ-like lives in general, we wouldn't expect as an electorate or enact as a politician half or more of the things that exist today... So it's a shame to see people so caught up on politics.

 

[rexlunae]

He's good...as popes go. My favorite in a long time. So much better than the last guy.

 

[Caino]

I read an article about the Pope's popularity. It's down across the board. His numbers were quite high a while back but he's made some people angry it seems.

He's not making liberals happy because he hasn't done all they hoped for concerning homosexuality and abortion.

He's not making conservatives happy because he's criticizing capitalism a bit too much and has taken up the concern about man-made global warming.

There was a quote in the article that said many Catholics care more about their political ties than their religion. Probably true. But I don't think that's applicable to only Catholics.


So, after a while longer with Pope Francis, how do you think he's doing? I think I actually like him more which would put me in the minority. :think:

So he has a set, I still like him.

 

[aCultureWarrior]

I think I actually like him more which would put me in the minority. :think:

Gee, I wonder why you and so many of TOL's secular humanists like Frank?

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ASAY8lnmw...-the-advocate.jpg.pagespeed.ic.3XwCW-nvSl.jpg

 

[kmoney]

Thank you for the fair and even-handed summary in your OP; it's quite refreshing on such a forum as TOL. While I personally liked his two predecessors a bit more, I'm satisfied with Pope Francis' tenure overall. Much unnecessary ado has been caused by the tendency of the mainstream media to take the Pope's comments out of context and running with them without any genuine understanding of his actual meaning. This has been the case with past popes as well, but seems to be a bit more of a problem for Francis. In any case, I pray for him often, and thank God for such a humble and faithful shepherd.



Gaudium de veritate,

Cruciform
+T+

Why do you like his two predecessors more?

 

[kmoney]

I like him a lot. I think the liberals are being rather unrealistic if they think he would go against the traditional teaching of the church on those points. The conservatives just shows that tradition is not that important anymore when it is their own political presuppositions that are being challenged.

Agreed.

 

[HisServant]

I think he should keep his focus on his church and stay out of global politics.

I wish he wasn't coming to Philadelphia either... its going to be a horrible mess for us locals.

 

[kmoney]

I think he should keep his focus on his church and stay out of global politics.

I wish he wasn't coming to Philadelphia either... its going to be a horrible mess for us locals.

I live about 90 minutes west of Philly. I was at the mall the other day and one of the department stores had Pope Francis, Philadelphia 2015 shirts. :chuckle:

 

[kmoney]

I think he should keep his focus on his church and stay out of global politics.

What specific topics do you have in mind?