VATICAN CITY
GlobalPost
With an inaugural homily urging respect for “God’s creation”, Pope Francis on Tuesday subtly pressed a conservative Catholic message while urgent challenges loom for the Church.
The first Latin American pope has been heralded by supporters as a progressive, but scholars say he is unlikely to bend on Church doctrine — and key moral issues were glaringly absent from his speech.
His predecessor Benedict XVI formally resigned because of old age, but some religious watchers say he buckled because of a bitter power struggle within the Church and a poisonous sexual abuse scandal — concerns that Francis will have to address.
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