Even Pope Francis is Susceptible to Human Foibles

EVEN POPE FRANCIS IS SUSCEPTIBLE TO HUMAN FOIBLES GEOFFREY G. FISHER Pope Francis (Jorge Mario Bergoglio) has caused quite a stir in the Roman Catholic Church since giving a series of interviews two weeks ago. At that time he seemed to be shifting the venerable 2000 year old church into a more modern gear at break neck speed. A closer examination proves otherwise. The pope said in an interview published in Jesuit Journals that the Catholic Church cannot focus only on abortion, contraception and gay marriage, “We have to find a new balance…Otherwise even the moral edifice of the church is likely to fall like a house of cards, losing the freshness and fragrance of the Gospel.” Either the Holy Father is starting to believe the glowing press reports about his purity of purpose and ability to commune with the common man or he is not as savvy as his predecessors were with the world press. My bet is on the former: Jorge Mario Bergoglio is being successfully wooed by the secular world. NBC’s Brian Williams gushed on air over the new pope like some star-struck middle school girl at a One Direction concert. Francis is heralded for not sleeping in the pope’s official living quarters, for not wearing the pope’s ceremonial robes, and for nor wearing red “Prada” shoes (it turns out that Benedict XVI’s shoes were not Prada after all). CBS News reported at the time: “As pope, his manner is less formal than that of his predecessors: a style that news coverage has referred to as ‘no frills,’ noting that it is ‘his common touch and accessibility that is proving the greatest inspiration.’ ” Hold that thought - remember Jimmy Carter walking down Pennsylvania Avenue on Inauguration Day with Amy in tow and his trademark cardigan sweaters? Carter’s no-frills touch proved disastrous in foreign and domestic affairs. With all due respect to the Holy Father the warm embrace of your pronouncements by the secular left should make you uneasy – it is a signal that your words are being repackaged to endorse the new social revolution rather than a stylized adjustment to make the Church a more inviting place for lapsed Catholics. The most glaring example of this phenomenon was President Obama’s reaction to the pope on a CNBC interview with John Harwood from Wednesday. "I have been hugely impressed with the pope's pronouncements," Obama said, describing Francis as "somebody who lives out the teachings of Christ. Incredible humility -- incredible sense of empathy to the least of these, to the poor…He's (Pope Francis) also somebody who is -- I think first and foremost -- thinking about how to embrace people as opposed to push them away; how to find what's good in them as opposed to condemn them…And that spirit, that sense of love and unity, seems to manifest itself in not just what he says, but also what he does. And, you know, for any religious leader, that's something -- that's a quality I admire.” This syrupy sweet endorsement comes from a man that many Americans see as a Manchurian Candidate, a man of evil intent. Although I do not endorse this portrayal of our president that can be no debate that he has participated in some of the most evil legislation to ever pass a state legislature. Melissa Ohden, a failed-abortion survivor makes my case: “When he was in the Illinois state Senate, Barack Obama voted to deny basic Constitutional protections for babies born alive from an abortion — not once, but four times. I know it’s by the grace of God that I’m alive today.” – September 2012. President Obama purposely ignored what the pope truly said because Francis is not advocating changing church doctrine. CBS News reported that (Pope Francis) said that while homosexual acts were sinful, the homosexual orientation was not. He favors a wider active role for women in the Church, but believes the ordination of women into the Catholic priesthood is impossible.” This sounds just like Pope John Paul II, a man of immense intellect and heart. Basically, the current pope is saying that God is merciful and will forgive those sinners who are truly contrite, like the adulterous woman who was forgiven by Jesus and then told to go and sin no more. How many Gay activists are ready to ask for the forgiveness for the sins of their behavior? Lewis Speaks-Tanner, VP of Dignity USA, a Gay Catholic Organization deliberately ignored the pope’s full message and reacted to the inclusion portion of the pope’s rhetoric – Speaks-Tanner has made no overture that he is ready to confess for the sins of his homosexual behavior. Dignity USA seems to be just another run of the mill Cafeteria Catholic organization after all. Catholics everywhere should applaud the Pope’s message of forgiveness and mercy but they should also stand firm on church doctrine and the teachings of the Bible. Most of all, Christians should be weary of Obama liberals trying to hijack our faith with their twisted political spin. (WORD TOTAL: 824) Geoffrey G. Fisher is a federally designated Highly Qualified state-certified history teacher living in southwest Florida. He holds a BA in History from the University of Connecticut and a MA in Public Policy from Trinity College in Hartford, CT. In addition to teaching he is a former elected official and speechwriter. Mr. Fisher now writes the political blog: THE THINKING CAP at www.theamericanthinkingcap.blogspot.com and is a weekly columnist at the Patriotupdate.com magazine.