UNITED STATES
Crux

Fr. Dwight Longenecker
March 15, 2017
CRUX CONTRIBUTOR

Vigorous debate over various aspects of Francis’s papacy is entirely appropriate, since the Church is a big Italian family and arguing is what they do. However, what we don’t need is a revolution along the lines of the Protestant Reformation, which ended with everyone being their own pope.

At a church gathering the other day, I quizzed a conservative friend about one of Pope Francis’s latest media bombshells. My friend is a good and cheerful Catholic, but he thought for a moment, then smiled and said, “Every day I pray for the pope…then I ignore him.”

His response reflects a growing discontent with Pope Francis in conservative circles. Anti-Trump protesters wave signs reading, “Not My President.” Perhaps conservative Catholics will soon march on the Vatican waving signs reading, “Not My Pope.”

The reality is not too…