The Pope and the Bishops can not change what our Holy Roman Catholic Church has passed on to us through the power of The Holy Spirit in The Bible and Church tradition. He can not say homosexual sinful acts are anything else but mortal sin, just like heterosexual couple having sexual relations outside of marriage. Two people of the same gender can not have sexual activity without commiting mortal sin. It is unnatural and an abomination against God. The Pope seems very ignorant by trying to act like he is saintly and worthy of praise. He is being childish and failing to lead our church. he wants to be Saint Francis not Peter. I wish I had a chance to tell him he is very wrong by treating these poor people that are living abnormally and are a poor wittness to our young children who are the real losers in this matter. I can not believe this man has not been educated in the biology of what causes people to seek these types of relations. The Church has been silent too long and will answer to God for being lax in informing the Catholic Christians on the dangers to health of soul and body caused by this abnormal sinful lifestyle. Someone must advise the Pope. Was it Gods will that Benedict left??? I do not know. Pope Francis is like a fascist.

With due respect it seems to me that Pope Francis' approach to his mission is different from the real mission of the Catholic Church as commanded by Jesus Christ directly to His Apostles.
Pope Francis frequently treats the Church as if it were a living person but the Church is not a person. It is an institution with very different responsibilities and priorities.

"He is most misunderstood, however, because of the secular media, which,
stoked by the Internet, constantly portray him as a man who in some way
or other intends to change the fundamental teachings of the Catholic
Church, particularly in the area of marital life." Fr. C. John McCloskey

Granted, the DLEMM - Dominant Liberal Establishment Mass Media - has had a field day with the current Pontiff but he has aided and abetted their agenda by uttering many of his poorly thought out extemporaneous comments - aka gaffes, his poorly composed writings, his silence on many moral topics, his personnel decisions, etc. His own spokesman, Father Federico Lombardi - has stated that he is "confused" by this Pope. That's a sad commentary on the Vicar of Christ who apparently is more concerned with being remembered “As a good guy.” than in being the successor of Saint Peter and a defender of the faith.

Sowing seeds of confusion and giving hope to heretics are neither actions to be proud of or worthy of defense. It used to be a rhetorical question when someone - usually while telling a joke - asked "Is the Pope Catholic?" Not any more.

No its not the media its his own words which condemn him, he actually said Jesus was just a man and his life ended in failure on the cross....seriously the reason by which we are saved he calls a failure this man is wrong and is a false prophet

Thank God "the gates of hell will not prevail against it" this is the spiritual war we are in. If I were the Pope I would be aware not to "tempt the Lord our God". The Holy Spirt is in charge.

The capo du tutti capi has remained silent on the SCOTUS ruling, the Mexican court ruling and the vote in Ireland. He did, however, accept and describe as "protest art"
the crucified Son of God affixed to the communist hammer and sickle.
The bishop of Rome knows exactly what he is doing. He is not a victim of secular media.
Nevertheless, for a man of his experience, for a man in his position, he speaks carelessly. ie: as again happened in Paraguay.

you asked the question Do we have men running the church or blah blah..well yes this is the problem men are running the church not the Holy Spirit or God only a man, im worried rev is coming true and who can deny its the beast dressed in Scarlet that John talks about we need real debate real quick b4 we r all in the lake having been decieved.

Actually, Eleven Cardinals have stepped up to the plate. Ignatius Press will be publishing a book written by these Cardinals in time for the Synod. The book: "Eleven Cardinals Speak on Marriage and the Family".

The Africans have also stepped up to the plate with the book entitled: "Christ's New Homeland - Africa". It is also intended to address the issues of the Synod of the family, and is to be released at the same time as the above-mentioned book, by Ignatius Press.

Let's just hope these books don't suffer the same distribution fate as did the book "Remaining in the Truth of Christ" - when it was posted to the Synod Fathers.

And let's not forget the Polish contingent of cardinals and bishops, who I hear have decided to use the book "Remaining in the Truth of Christ" [which was published to directly rebutt Cardinal Kasper's book on Mercy] in their marriage preparation courses in Poland.

I believe that what happened in last year's Synod has spurred these good cardinals and priests to act - respectfully, yet surely and with great certainty to defend the teachings of Holy Mother Church. She, in my view, is being defended!

I do not think our Pope is misunderstood. He confuses people. Our Pope should be clear on every moral issue.

Sorry but this is embarrassing. All the confusion surrounding the Synod -- just like the confusion surrounding Vatican II -- could easily be dispelled by the Pope. Instead he is at the center, encouraging it. Even if the Synod produces a statement affirming the traditional teachings, the damage has already been done in questioning their fairness. Yet we are supposed to consider the Pope this "great gift from God." These priests and seminary profs in their Ivory Towers... I wish they could experience life as a layperson in a rough parish. They might not wave their pom poms so diligently.

Thanks Fr. for this article. Clearly it's difficult for many to understand this Pope. All I have to say is, it's God's church, not ours or the popes. So when He gave us His promise, He meant it, and He's still in charge. Which means the Truth will never change no matter what Francis does or doesn't do. The Lord is truly with us, and we will survive this no matter what. I trust Him.

When it comes to justifying this papacy (which I used to defend but which I have concluded is a train wreck) Father McCloskey is spinning more than a washing machine. The pope lacks the "clarity" of his predecessors because he lacks their brains and understanding of the Faith. If you want real evidence for what the Pope is about, look to his closest advisors (Maradiaga and Turkson), the bishops he has appointed (most notoriously Cupich - whom he has also made a participant in the forthcoming Synod), his demotion of Cardinal Burke, the bishops he has removed (clearly he does not like Opus Dei !), his gaffes about economics and climate change, his cuddling up to the Castros (while allowing the Cardinal of Cuba to deny that there are any political prisoners) et c et c. Father McCloskey sounds very much like Brideshead's Rex Mottram. Let us wait until after the papal trip to the USA (which only a miracle can prevent from being a disaster) to see if Father McCloskey's spin cycle breaks down.

I think it is only fair that we lay some of this blame at the feet of the pope. He is often sloppy in his choice of words. In addition, he has appointed several individuals with questionable views to leadership positions.

And then there's the whole global warming issue....

There is a concerted effort underway to "rehabilitate" the progressives, who had no legitimacy under the past two Popes, and they knew it. Pope Francis is encouraging this discussion. I suspect that he saw (as the rest of us did) that the Church was divided and that only one side was given any credibility by Popes St. John Paul II and Benedict.

There are two ways to approach this divide. One way is to continue to suppress the "progressives" until they die off or leave. Another way is to give them back their voice and then try to achieve "unity" through forging some kind of "consensus." It seems to me that this is the path Pope Francis has chosen. He seems to value the concepts of "unity" and "inclusion" above all else - and especially above the defense of moral doctrine.

I believe this approach will be a disaster. First, the "progressives" are clearly wrong, in that they approach issues of sexual morality from a sociological point of view rather than starting from the Deposit of Faith. So, forging a consensus that includes their prescriptions in any form can only lead to error. Second, the attempt to achieve unity will utterly fail because the worldviews of the progressives and the orthodox are entirely incompatible. Neither side will ever accept the other as legitimate. The two views are different at their very core; there is no way to forge a consensus between the two.

Our last two Popes did amazing work in suppressing the progressives, but they were always there, just under the surface. Now they have been resurrected. They despised Pope St. John Paul II and Pope Benedict, but they love Pope Francis (they were responsible for his election) because he is allowing them to speak again, and to present their case, without declaring it completely out of bounds. Does he agree with them? No, not completely. But I think he wants to bring them back in out of the darkness to which they have been exiled and allow them to have their say and then try to forge a consensus "for the sake of unity." And again, in reading Pope Francis's many statements, it seems to me that he values unity above all else. If this is the case, he fails to realize that the progressives will not rest until they have completely transformed the Church. This path can only lead to disunity or schism. The Church will ultimately become all one thing or all the other.

Perhaps you are correct but the "progressives" are error asserting bad faith actors. There is no good in confusing souls and allowing them to think error is truth. Over valuing unity, which is a false unity, is no virtue to pursue when the world is falling apart at rocket speed.

I would say that a big part of this problem is that these men came of age in the 1970s. They are forever stuck there with their phony bell-bottom theology and social work religion.

And you came of age when???

It seems to me that whatever this pope is doing or not doing, saying or not saying, our faith as Catholics should be based upon Holy Scripture, the Church Fathers, Tradition, the Councils, and the teachings of the Popes, especially those from the time of Blessed Pius IX to Benedict XVI. Especially, we must rely upon the plain words and deeds of Jesus as recorded in the Gospels, especially to those pertaining to his Bodily Resurrection. If the Church does not preach and teach this, it is failing in its mission. Jesus began his public ministry with the words, "repent, the kingdom of God is at hand." The poor and the rich are called to repent. Works of corporal and spiritual mercy are necessary for our own salvation as members of his Mystical Body. I know that the Church will survive this papacy as it has all the others, good, bad, and mediocre. I think it was the teenage pope in the 10th century, made pope by his mother's influence in Rome, who decided to sell the papacy to his uncle, as if it were a "box of old shoes," because he wanted to get married. Since Vatican II, false teachers, in the form of Catholic intellectuals, biblical scholars, and theologians in the western world have caused great damage to the Church, but a new and more faithful generation of Catholics is being raised by God, even now. People need to get some historical perspective on the papacy. Read Pastor's 40 volume history of the popes which covers the period from 1300-1800. It should lessen the anxiety people have about this pope.

Analysts are having trouble identifying the personality of His Holiness for one simple reason: he is Latinamerican. And that´s tricky to understand. But simple:hybridism is the key word. See how it applies:

1. Being an Argentinian and of Peronist influence are
certainly important traits of pope Francis´ personality that are showing up in
his tenure as Vicar of Christ. But on top of this we should step back a
little bit and see the forest from enough distance to get the best picture possible:
Jorge Bergoglio is also, plain and simple, a Latinamerican and, as such, a
perfect hybrid in almost everything. In fact the character of
Latinamericans -no matter the country or region they are from- is a
mix o strong emotions rather than civilizations, which, of course, are also
present. Some examples: as they certainly feel inferior to the USA
-and they do not understand why- they are also admirers of North
America (leftists do it secretly); as since Spanish rule they carry a strong tradition of state
intervention in everything possible, they also suspect -but seldom go
beyond just suspecting- that laissez faire is a superior system;
as they drag the heavy load of the legends of a supposedly innocent and
heroic past (respectively the mythical state of nature of natives and the quest
for independence by Spanish elites), they don´t really understand why those
times of old have yielded such poor results; as they feel moved
witnessing poverty, their reaction to solve it is emotional rather than
rational; as they cultivate their minds in the European and Northamerican
academic systems, their minds are far from being Cartesian, so they, more often
than not, lack method to work, live, produce and think; as they resent
authority they also like a messiah that from time to time shows up and starts
decreeing justice for all, three meals a day, a change of habits, and
everything the long reach of a "saviour" could provide; and so on.

2. All of the abovementioned traits are easily
recognizable in pope Francis´ behavior: in the symbols he wields, in his
strategy, and in the style he has newly adopted (not exactly the style he used
to have as Archbishop of Buenos Aires).

3. Of course, all of the above naturally produces mixed
messages, specially from a job that, no matter the times it belongs to, is
expected to be of crystal clear presence. So real or apparent
contradictions abound. We are obliged, then, to remember Matthew, chapter
5, verse 37: “Sit autem sermo vester est est non non quod autem his abundantius
est a malo est” (All you need say is "Yes" if you mean yes,
"No" if you mean no; anything more than this comes from the Evil One).

4. The clear and present danger is that a combo of high
or low pitch Peronism / Latinamericanism / Jesuitism in decay (a threefold
hybrid) -by any measure nothing to be proud of- at the helm of the
Catholic Church, could result in the mess that Argentina, after being one of
the most successful countries in the world, has been living for decades now.

By the way, I myself am a practicing Catholic and Latinamerican. So I know what I´m talking about. This fact might help you to get my point right.

Regards,

I am also a practicing Catholic and Latinamerican and I do not know what your are talking about. The Latinamerican culture is far from homogeneous.

A hybrid of orthodoxy and heterodoxy. Being all things to all people.

Your comment gives credence to an idea that I have held since the beginning of this travesty. He was pushed to the forefront (we now know by the likes of Murphy-O’Connor, Daneels and their cohort) to undermine the papacy, plain and simple. The pitiful disrespect accorded Pope Benedict, an individual superior in every way for the office, deliberately undermined and replaced with this gentleman who cannot but confound and miscommunicate at every juncture. The necessity to generate all manner of hermeneutic in order to explain and interpret him is scandalous, when not absurd and comical. A three ring circus worthy of Laurel & Hardy, Abbott &Costello, and the Smothers Brothers. Old, and no longer entertaining.

Thanks Fr. McCloskey. Francis urged Catholics to bear witness to the lost in Evangelii Gaudium, but not many paid attention. The world is assumed to already know everything about our Lord, His Word and His Sacrifice, and to be openly rejecting it. However obviously they know Him not at all, because when we can bring people to Him, He is irresistible!

I think Francis wants to take us back through the Truth "the hard way", so that we can understand it at a deeper level, apart from traditional Church symbols e.g. at a core level translatable to outsiders. That is the nature of evangelization, and Thank God he is making our Church accessible again. How many parishes need to close down, before we re-open the club?

Two words. Communist crucifix. How did that photo op even happen? It's not making the Church intelligible to anyone.

You've got that right. That blasphemous gift and photo made me want to vomit.
"Protest art", I believe is what the Vicar of Christ called it.
Fr McClosky, your spin on that please?

A surprise indeed that Father McCloskey, George Weigel (and from another source) Robert Moynihan from “Inside the Vatican,” are all expressing a level of openness, understanding and loyalty to the current pontificate is utterly mystifying. That I find it mystifying is of no consequence, but that they do find a silver-lining – perhaps a treasure – in what I perceive to be utter tragedy is somewhat curious. Perhaps it provides some solace. But the verdict will be in soon. Often I look to them for good analysis. Pray the confidence of these fine men will be
proven well-grounded and that they will not be disabused of their hope. On the other hand I have been burned once too often in the past two and a half years.

I am sorry. There are only so many times you can tell us that this Pope is misunderstood. He is fine with the Communist crucifix. He has invited Oprah Winfrey and David Geffen to the Vatican to help explain Catholic teaching. He has lined up the Church four-square with the population control advocates in the U.N. He wants to engage the radical, secular left on its own terms to achieve secular goals. At first he seemed spontaneous and sincere; now it is clear that he sows confusion on a deliberate, intentional, and consistent basis. What more is there to say? We can only pray.

Christian churches dating back to Christ are being systematically slaughtered by Islamo- Nazis and Pope Francis refers outragiously to Islam as the religion of peace. Muhammad was a marauder. I pray he does not utter the Obamism, 'god bless PP'. Christi Fidelis !

I'm sorry to have to say this- but Pope Francis is not an extraordinary gift from God for me except perhaps in some way I cannot foresee. He is not awakening me to the extraordinary treasure of the Church but clouding it. Again, unless God has something in store for me as a result of my frustration & confusion with Francis and what is happening to the Church, that I am now blind to. I've never felt closer to losing my faith, and a sad, sick feeling of that utter loss makes me hold on.
I cannot listen to Pope Francis anymore, or any of the countless explanations, translations, interpretations, 'what he really means'.....
Where is the clarity, precision and order that are the hallmarks of Catholic teaching?

Wow, tough crowd today!

One thing I glean from Fr. McCloskey's thoughtful composition is that Pope Francis does not fit neatly into categories like "neo-cath," "rad-trad," "SOV2," "liberal," etc. These are overly simplified intellectual constructs that miss the reality of the man who is Jorge Bergoglio.

Should we take a hard look at ourselves to see if we are falling into these cutesy, compartmentalized and simplified boxes instead of truly thinking with Mother Church?

PF chooses to use the fog of Jesuit-speak. He is very concerned with earthly matters. He has little use for Tradition and surrounds himself with strong supporters if liberation theology.
Fine, I get the picture.

That is simply spin. The categories faithful Catholics are interested in are: Non contradictory, intelligent, clear, non confusing, and not appointing heterodox clerics to positions of power.

What worries me as that our current Holy Father does not seem to be truly thinking and acting with Mother Church as she has thought through the ages. Vatican II appears to be the exception, but I think that the interpretation and implementation of Vatican II (the spirit of Vatican II) is the issue. Interestingly both Saint JPII and Benedict XVI were both participants in Vatican II, and they were the ones who "reined in" the spirit of Vatican II.

I agree with Fides on the unfair characterization of Paragraph two, first sentence.

Furthermore, I got the impression while reading this post by Fr. Kloster that he was 'name dropping' [i.e. names of George Weigel and Robert Royal] to make the author of the book and his take on Pope Francis more palatable. That did not succeed with me. I say this, because over the course of Pope Francis' tenure in office, I have heard and read very disturbing things ( over and above the ones mentioned in other comments) such as:

- Pope Francis' public disparagement of the people who offered him a spiritual bouquet of 3525 rosaries. I understand he called them 'rosary counters'. So.... our Holy Father asked for prayers in great humility after his election, and when people give him a traditional Catholic prayer bouquet, he publicly disparages them.

- His very public 'story telling' of his admonishment to the woman who had many children and was having another by caesarean. Wow... talk about a blow to those faithful Catholics who have large families- belittled by the very person who should be supporting them. Grant it, he did praise large families later on, but after that public and seemingly gleeful story-telling, it seemed hollow.

- His heavy handling of the FFI - and I could go on with more, such as the Holy Father's mention of the annihilation of souls - but instead will express my current and very real concern about the up-coming Synod: I have a strong and worrisome feeling that Pope Francis will allow each Bishop to develop their own 'pastoral' practices with respect to giving Holy Communion to the divorced and remarried. Should this happen, it will do great harm under the guise of 'mercy'.

But to end on a good note... I am grateful for the African bishops and also for the Polish Bishops who will be present at the Synod, and who will insist on "Remaining in the Truth of Christ". Moreover, I continue to pray the rosary for the Holy Father, that he may recognize that ...
"the true sense of the teaching authority of the pope consists in his being the advocate of the Christian memory. The pope does not impose from without. Rather, he elucidates the Christian memory and defends it". (Pope Benedict XVI, in his book "On Conscience")..

Doesn't present a puzzlement to me - I know what modernism is. Thank you very much.

Oh! How I long for the days of JPII and BXVI! The secular media existed during the reign of these two popes, and it is no worse today than it was then. What has changed is the Pope and the Pope's frequent contradictory actions and statements. The Pope may be faithful to the true teachings of the Council, and, although this may be clear to Mr. Echevarria and the Pope's apologists, it is not clear to many, both within and without the Church. That is why the perception that Pope Francis dissents from Catholic teaching persists, a perception that has encouraged dissenters within the Church, a perception that is harming the Church. The Pope, therefore, needs to make it clear that this perception is wrong, and he needs to do this not only with his words but also with his actions. He needs to realize, for example, that when he provides dissenters, such as Cardinal Kasper, with a platform at the Synod of Bishops on the Family, he is sending a message that can be easily interpreted as that he sees value in the dissenter's proposal. Similarly, when he states "Who am I to judge?" he is sending a message that can be easily misinterpreted as no need to judge behavior rather than as no need to judge personal inclination. Thus, in my opinion, if there is confusion, it is not only the media's fault, but also the Pope's. It does not help the Pope if fraternal correction is not used, and the media is blamed for all the confusion.

Most people who fall into heresy take one good Christian teaching and emphasize it to the exclusion of other essential Christian teachings.............
Taking one good Catholic council and emphasizing it to the exclusion of other good Catholic teachings and councils is not, never has been and never will be a good idea.

The good Pope began his office --- not living in Papal apartment, no red slippers etc. He played the media card for his own optic goals. Paragraph two, first sentence, as to why he's most misunderstood is an unfair characterization. The willful ignorance of media and media strap hangers is a fact --- to use this as a defense or positive attribute of Vatican public image management is disingenuous. The Vatican and Pope need to be a bit more respectful toward the faithful --- which is to say to speak the truth simply and and succinctly without equivocation. No one is really confused about marriage, environment or truth telling about Church management of priestly scandals. To speak without care and failure to make the faithful distinctions is a flaw that that is worthy of address by us unlettered Galileans ----- for instance, a dramatic example from a few years ago, was watching Cardinal Mahoney blithely accept the 600 plus million ( over a billion in California alone)settlement of scandal behavior was enough to make anyone realize that these men are in serious need of our prayers and corrective judgement. And then to be told it would not be coming from the faithful pockets --- hmm?
The single biggest problem with the "environment" and immigration is the failure to make distinctions. When governments unjustly govern --- they need to be called out. First on the harm to people --- in all the refugee issues on US borders, not one single Church leader has criticized the country of origin and publicly called for redress of that governments actions. No --- the commentary to the faithful is about how we personally .... the point is we Galileans know when we are being snookered. Probably why Catholic media is experiencing a bit of lag in ratings.

Thank you Fr. McGloskey for recommending this book on Pope Francis. I am eager to read this book and will definitely purchase it. It seems as though God is calling me to a deeper understanding of our Holy Father. I've never wavered in thought about a pope until this one. I understand the seriousness of my thoughts and words toward others, esp. the Pope. Just last week it was recommended by a priest that I read "Rediscovering the Heart of a Disciple" by Dr. Edward Sri. This book was written to open up Pope Francis' "The Joy of the Gospel" to the laity. Ive just started it and look forward to a new and deeper understanding of his papacy. Then when I talk to others about him, as I do about St Pope John Paul II, my enthusiasm will shine through. Esp. to our young people.

Irregardless of his words, what is problematic about Francis are his appointments and the people whom he consults and surrounds himself with, which seemingly encourages dissent from traditional morals and doctrine. This is where he speaks the loudest, despite whatever personal belief (usually unspoken) he may have.

His appointments gives credibility (if only in their own minds), where none should be placed.

You are correct to steer us back to examine his actions. It tells the story - like his appointment of the progressive bishop Cupich to the Synod, despite not having been elected by his fellow bishops. Like last year, the appointees of this pope are progressives. It sure looks like stacking the deck in favor of the Kasperites.

"He is most misunderstood, however, because of the secular media...." Please, Father, give us a break.
Did the secular media write Laudato, Si?

Spin it all you want but this Pope needs no interpretation. He's clearly anti-capitalist, a global warmer, a waffler on sexual morality and a man who basks in the glow of a fawning leftist media -- a perfect pontiff for the times. He lacks the intelligence and grace of his two immediate predecessors but look for the pundits to favorably parse any ambiguous sentence he'll utter during his U.S. trip to advance the secular agenda.

I predict abortion and so-called same sex marriage will take a back seat to "climate change," "income equality" and "social justice."

I don't think that Pope Francis is misunderstood as a result of the popular media stoked by the internet. His statements on capitalism and global warming display a shallow grasp of the facts of either which, by extension, make faithful catholics worry what he will say in matters of faith. Maybe this council on marriage and the family was merely to gain a consensus on what is clear church teaching, but if so, why was it needed? I pray that Pope Francis surprises.

If you don't think the media amplifies the most (potentially) controversial words and places them completely out of context, the same way they do for any public figure as we have seen in the Presidential race, you are sadly mistaken. Meanwhile thousands of orthodox statements and appearances by Francis transpire without any mass coverage. He is our tireless and unretrenchant Vicar!

It rather seems that many US Catholics, at least those consuming media as are represented in this blog, are the ones eagerly assisting with whipping up controversies. It is our job to present the true face of Catholicism to the rest of America, not only Francis'... So, how are we doing?

I don't disagree that the media takes many of Francis' words out of context, but that can be dealt with. It is his own words that confuse people -- like his statements on capitalism and global warming. I gave him the benefit of the doubt that the media and cherry-picked his words, but, sadly, when I read them, that was not the case.

It just seems like we say things are "unclear" when they are not what we are accustomed to hearing, or what we want to hear. We should take some steps back from our usual, worldly frame of mind and reflect, when it is the Pope speaking.

That capitalism causes deficits to family, community and life, is part of Papal teachings from Rerum Novarum, to Quadragesimo Anno, to Centisimus Annus. Now we have American consumer fetishism being pushed globally, ever more in direct substitute of faith and traditional culture, and the earth is being steadily stripped and fouled. So we should thank God that Francis takes part in considering solutions, not only the anti-life bureaucrats and scientists.

Thousands of orthodox statements? Really?
You must be counting individual sentences, beginning at his first year in high school.

Seriously, you vastly overstate this. It is true that on occasion he re-states orthodox doctrine, but this is rare. Notably, on two occasions I saw, he prefaces a statement with a warning that his next sentence would be considered heretical by many, and he was correct on that score.

This, of course, is NOT the same is saying the pope is a heretic. It merely acknowledges that he has too often said something heretical in nature. There is a huge difference.

I suggest you go to Vatican site and read through his 150 or so General Audiences. Each Audience can address several visiting groups, and it is quite a challenge to stay on course! While these pronouncements might seem rather dull next to out-of-context quotes from the mass media, it would give you an idea of the dynamic that Fr. McCloskey is talking about.

"...it is quite a challenge to stay on course!" What a shame that this must be said of a Pope.