A New York Times columnist and Catholic commentator said that it is “legitimate” for Catholics to vocally raise concerns over Pope Francis’ teaching.
"Pope Francis is the most important teacher of the Catholic faith, and when that public teaching is seen as causing confusion, or even perceived as conflicting with his predecessors, it is legitimate for Catholics to make their voices heard," said Ross Douthat in an interview with Inside the Vatican.
The only problem with Douthat's remarks is that most Catholics in America are completely oblivious about Pope Francis’ exhortations and initiatives.
That’s largely because Bishops and Pastors in this country have been remarkably silent about those teachings.
Pope Francis' very public acts of compassion toward the poor, the sick and dying are often mentioned in the pulpit as great examples of the charity which the Lord Jesus challenges every follower to emulate.
But much of the theological, doctrinal and canonical parsings of the Holy Father have been kept from the scrutiny of the average Catholic in the pew.
As a result, other than the small number of neo-conservative reactionaries whose fervor is flamed by the likes of Cardinal Burke and his cronies, those Catholics (and there are fewer of them with each passing year) who continue to practice their faith with any semblance of regularity have been kept ignorant by the silence of the hierarchy and have been content themselves to remain that way quite willingly and contentedly.
So whatever grievances Mr. Douthat or his associates others may have about Pope Francis are nothing other than vainglorious exercises in “theological navel-gazing” which will have no affect upon the Holy Father assuredly nor on those who continue to admire his example of Christian mercy which is at the heart of the Christian Gospel.
People aren’t confused and upset, they are in the dark and their Bishops and Pastors are quite happy it appears to keep them there.
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