New Pope, old problems

Blaze:  New pope, old problem: Will Leo XIV resist tyranny?

I keep saying that Pope stuff is none of my business, but interesting issues keep coming up. 

The Catholic Church finds itself locked in a battle against three hostile ideologies — globalism, Islam, and communism. And right now, it’s losing on all fronts.

Those are the three ideologies that the Western world is struggling with, so maybe the Catholic Church can become relevant.

Globalism has been taking some hits, so Pope Leo could jump in to make a difference.

Islam seems to be solidifying it’s gains.  England and France may be lost.

Communism may not even be a thing anymore.  Russia is no longer considered a communist country.  The five countries on the communist list are China, Cuba, Laos, North Korea and Vietnam.  China seems more authoritarian than communist.  Cuba and North Korea aren’t a problem as long as they don’t threaten other countries.  Nobody cares about Laos and Vietnam.

When he [Pope Francis] became pope, he had the chance to hold predatory priests accountable for their demonic crimes and restore trust among the faithful. Instead, he did next to nothing.

Vatican politics aren’t interesting, so I’ll take the author’s word on this. 

This portion of the article was interesting because I’ve heard The Lord’s Prayer a billion times, and this never occurred to me.

In December 2017, Pope Francis appeared on Italian television and publicly questioned the traditional wording of the Lord’s Prayer. The closing line — “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil” (Matthew 6:13, Luke 11:4) — is a direct teaching from Christ. Francis asked, “What kind of Father would lead his children into temptation?”

Since I’m not of the faith, I don’t recite The Lord’s Prayer when it comes up at a wedding or funeral mass.  That would be deceitful, so I stand respectfully and contemplate whatever comes to mind.

Pope Francis has a point.  The prayer clearly asks God not to lead us into temptation.  Old Scratch will take care of that, not God.  Why is that line in the most famous prayer?

The article explains the line, but not convincingly.  The last part of the explanation explains:

Pope Francis, it seems, struggled to grasp this. His discomfort with the line suggests a broader discomfort with the idea that freedom comes with moral risk — and that risk, in turn, calls for responsibility, discipline, and faith.

Pope Francis should not have questioned the wording of The Lord’s Prayer in public.  He should have figured out the meaning and been able to explain it.  The Vatican must have all manner of smart theologians who could work that out.  He was undermining the faithful.  That can’t be good.

At the same time, Francis sent disgraced pedophile Cardinal Theodore McCarrick to Beijing to negotiate a secret deal with the Chinese Communist Party. That deal handed partial control of the Church in China to the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association, a CCP-run front established in 1957 to suppress Christianity and replace it with a state-approved imitation.

Again, this is news to me. Perhaps that’s the best deal he could strike.

Catholicism is popular amongst countries in Africa and South America.  If Pope Leo opposed globalism, Islam and communism in those under-developed countries, he would strengthen Western civilization.  That would be good for everyone.

Developed countries in North America and Europe will remain skeptical of corruption and predatory priests.  Western civilization needs support in those countries as well.