Pope Francis Blasts US Conservatives for Being 'Backwards' and Placing Ideology Over Faith

Pope Francis is unhappy with US conservatives and blasted them for their "backwardness," especially those in the US Catholic Church. The first pope from the Americas then noted that they had replaced faith with ideology.

In his comments, the Jesuit pope added that "a correct understanding of Catholic doctrine allows for change over time." In his comments, the Jesuit pope stated that "a correct understanding of Catholic doctrine allows for change over time." He reportedly stated these comments during a private meeting with Portuguese members of his Jesuit religious order in Lisbon, Portugal as part of the World Youth Day celebrations. His comments were released as part of the newly released transcript of that meeting.

According to the Associated Press, the pontiff's comments were an acknowledgment of the divisions within the US Catholic Church, which has become divided among conservatives and liberals. Many in the Church have shown support for Donald Trump and have blasted the pope's emphasis on social justice issues like the environment and the poor.

The transcripts of the meeting noted that a Portuguese Jesuit told Pope Francis that he had been suffering during a recent sabbatical year in the US. The reason for this was that many in the US Catholic Church, including bishops, have criticized Pope Francis and the Jesuit Order.

The Argentinian pontiff noted that there was "a very strong, organized, reactionary attitude" in the US Church and called this attitude "backwards." He also warned that such an attitude "leads to a climate of closure, which was erroneous." He added, "Doing this, you lose the true tradition and you turn to ideologies to have support. In other words, ideologies replace faith."

He also noted that the vision of these conservatives on Church doctrine is wrong, adding, "When you go backward, you make something closed off, disconnected from the roots of the church."

Pope Francis then added that he wants to remind these people that such "backwardness" is useless and that they must understand that there is a "correct evolution in the understanding of questions of faith and morals" that would allow for "doctrine to progress and consolidate over time."

Pope Francis Outlasting Conservative Resistance

It has been a decade since Pope Francis became pontiff, and his reign has been marked by criticisms from conservatives, especially in the US. However, the National Catholic Reporter noted that he has been very tenacious in dealing with them.

Christopher Lamb, Rome correspondent for The Tablet, noted that the Pope's vision of the Church has challenged "the conservative political visions of the church as a combatant in the culture wars" as presented by the Republican Party in the US and by populist-nationalist leaders in Europe and South America.

"There have been these political attacks on Francis because he is a leader on the world stage who is making a difference and having an impact, particularly through the media," the writer added.

Evangelical Leader Says US Conservatives Are Now Calling Jesus Christ 'Liberal' and 'Weak'

Pope Francis is not the only Christian religious leader lamenting over US conservatives embracing ideology over faith. Russell Moore, the editor-in-chief of Christianity Today and a former evangelical leader at the Southern Baptist Convention is warning that evangelical Christianity is moving too far to the right.

He noted that the situation has become so bad that many right-wing "Christians" are considering the teachings of Jesus Christ as "weak." Some are even calling Him "Liberal." Moore also criticized his fellow evangelical Christians for openly embracing Trump and being more tolerant of white nationalists.

In a recent interview, Moore stated that multiple pastors were complaining that their flock would blast them for quoting Jesus Christ's Sermon at the Mount, particularly his teaching to "turn the other cheek." Parishioners would reportedly ask their pastors, "Where did you get those liberal talking points?"

When the pastor would answer, "I'm literally quoting Jesus Christ," the usual response is, "Yes, but that doesn't work anymore. That's weak."

Moore then lamented, "When we get to the point where the teachings of Jesus himself are seen as subversive to us, then we're in a crisis."

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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