A Biretta Tip: Why Conservative Catholics think Pope Francis is a Fraud

Interesting article over at The Week.  Some excerpts:

…the most charitable version of the conservative critique, which is not unjustified, is that his tone and emphasis make him sound like a straightforward progressive, and risks identifying the Magisterium of the Church with the progressive left.

The article continues:

Then there are the hot-button, below-the-belt issues. Pope Francis clearly would like to overturn Catholic doctrine saying that the faithful who are divorced and civilly remarried but have not received an annulment must refrain from receiving holy communion. He has walked right up to the line of overturning that doctrine, insulted those who oppose the move, and winked heavily at those Catholics who take a “Who am I to judge?” approach to communion. Conservatives fear that Francis’ actions represent tentative first steps down a dangerous slippery slope. Is this the beginning of an eventual undoing of all of Catholicism’s ancient and countercultural teachings on sexual ethics? If he goes too far, could he create a new schism within the Church?

An interesting article worth the read.  Not perfect in its analysis, but worth the read anyway. Read the rest of the article here.