The non-stop media coverage and the unprecedented access granted to Pope Francis to address Congress sets up a troubling precedent in a nation that claims to separate church and state. Will the same access be granted to members of other faiths? Francis’s central message was one of inclusion and an accurate reflection of Jesus’ teachings with one major exception – the canonization of Junipera Serra who was the quintessential anti-Christ, responsible for the genocide of tens of thousands of native Indians. Sadly, it appears that Pope Francis is more concerned about perpetuating a favorable image of the Catholic Crusader than confronting the uncomfortable truth.
Francis’s lavish praise of bishops for their handling of the American sexual abuse was another major aberration; his promise to hold the guilty accountable seems doubtful. His endorsement of President Obama’s environmental agenda is a welcome commitment. What was glaringly missing was his refusal to allow the ordination of women which is both irrational and not rooted in Biblical scripture. Also absent were Vatican guidelines on doctor-assisted suicide and same-sex marriage.
Renowned Biblical scholar, Gary Wills, dispels some of the gross distortions propagated by Paul and endorsed by Pope Francis (sin, guilt, celibacy, and, the subordinate role of women) in his book ‘What Paul Meant’—a companion volume to ‘What Jesus Meant’. The supernatural stories of the resurrection and the Trinity appear to be a religious marketing effort by Paul to elevate Christianity above other competing religious belief systems.
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