Five Reasons To Perhaps Stay off the Pope Francis Bandwagon

Many Catholics - at least outside of far right Catholic circles - and members of the news media are gushing over Pope Francis and acting as if he has already worked a revolution within the Roman Catholic Church.  Blogger Andrew Sullivan, for instances, reads much - perhaps too much - into some of Francis' statements and style, which is admittedly easy to do after the Nazi Pope, Benedict XVI.  Yet, the bottom line is that in reality, other than some nice sounding statements and actions which suggest Francis is more humble than Benedict XVI, nothing has really changed at the Vatican.  Only time will tell if Francis will make real, meaningful changes.  In the meantime, it is worth remembering some of Francis' troubling baggage.  A piece in the Global Post reminds one of these issues.  Here are excerpts:

Pope Francis. He loves the sick and the poor. He lives a simple life that reflects his values. He has criticized the Catholic church for its alienating obsession with social issues. And he has called out global capitalism for the greed it has produced and the social devastation it has wrought.
Sounds good? Not so fast.

Here are some reasons we should think twice before hopping on the Pope Francis bandwagon.

1) Unanswered questions about the Dirty War in Argentina

The past is good place to start when questioning the hype surrounding Pope Francis.  Specifically, what was he doing during the Dirty War in Argentina, when the military junta that ruled from 1976 to 1983 was undertaking the systematical mass murder of so-called “subversives,” all under the Western-supported banner of “anti-Communism.” As few as 9,000 and as many as 30,000 men, women, and children were killed or “disappeared” in the course of the purge.

The Catholic Church was complicit in many ways. Archibishop Juan Carlos Aramburu openly supported the military junta and its murderous purge. Some priests gave last rights to men and women as they were headed to execution.

So what was Pope Francis, then known as Jorge Mario Bergoglio, doing during all this?  He was the Provincial Superior of the Society of Jesus from 1973 to 1979, meaning he was the boss of the Jesuits in Argentina. His role in the Dirty War is hazy. According to some reports, he was a willing collaborator: at worst, pointing out liberal ministers to the military and, at least, refusing to protect priests who were seized. He denies all of this, insisting that he secretly helped priests who had been targeted.

We might never uncover all the facts about what happened. But there is enough there to at least be a little skeptical of Francis, his past, and his character.

2) Poor handling of the Church's child sex abuse crisis

Francis has made some headway on the child sex abuse crisis in the Catholic Church. He’s spoken out on the problem and instituted some new laws governing Vatican officials and employees.

That's a start, but there is much more to be done when it comes to putting words into actions.  This is especially true in Latin America, where some have questioned Francis' handling of molestation cases in Argentina, Chile, the Dominican Republic and Peru.  He has been largely silent on four shocking cases.

3) His new tone on abortion and gay marriage is really new

Francis’ softened tone on gay marriage and abortion is one of the things drawing admiration from socially liberal folks. He said that the Church shouldn’t “interfere spiritually” in the lives of gay men and women. And he warned that the Catholic ministry had become “obsessed” with abortion.  He hasn’t always held such views, it seems.

Just before Argentina legalized same-sex marriage, as recent as 2010, Francis called the bill “a plan to destroy God’s plan” and “a move by the fathers of lies to confused and deceive the children of God.”

[T]he less conservative tone is new for Pope Francis. We'll need to wait and see whether it translates into doctrinal change.

4) He’s continuing the Vatican “inquisition” against American nuns

Under the harrowing reign of Pope Benedict, the Vatican cracked down on the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR), an organization that represents most American nuns. A Doctrinal Assessment by the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) accused the LCWR and American nuns of promoting “radical feminist themes” by tempering or even opposing the Vatican’s positions on gay rights and abortion. 

When Pope Francis took over for Benedict, he had the opportunity to reverse or change the CDF’s controversial decision. Instead he “reaffirmed the findings."

So maybe Francis was feeling some pressure as a new Pope in the unusual circumstances of evaluating decisions made by a living predecessor. Either way, he had an opportunity to do end a witch-hunt against American nuns and didn’t.

5) He might have performed an exorcism on live TV

In the scheme of things, this one isn’t nearly as important as Francis’s take on Church doctrine or his willingness to combat child sex abuse. But it’s disturbing enough to join this list.

During a Mass in St. Peter’s Square in May, TV cameras filmed Francis praying over a man in a wheelchair. They exchanged words and Francis placed two hands on the man's forehead for several seconds while then man appeared to convulse slightly and gasp for breath.

Almost immediately, people began to speculate that Francis, who often talks of demons and devils in his sermons, had performed an exorcism.

The Vatican released a statement denying it. Gabriel Amorth, formerly a chief exorcist for the Vatican, saw it differently.

“That was a real exorcism and what is more,” he told reporters, “the boy the pope exorcized came to me today. His name is Angelo and he is possessed by four demons. I performed a long exorcism on him.”

Don't get me wrong.  As a former Catholic, I would be thrilled to see change take place in the Catholic Church.  I just think that some who are having the vapors over Francis may be acting far too prematurely.