To the Surprise of All, Catholic Pope Makes Catholic Statements (Round 3)

In today’s On the Square , R.R. Reno argues that the trouble with Francis is that we don’t understand his context . . . and he doesn’t understand ours:

Such comments by Francis do not challenge but instead reinforce America’s dominant ideological frame. It’s one in which Catholics loyal to the magisterium are “juridical” and “small-minded.” They fear change, lacking the courage to live “on the margins.” I heard these and other dismissive characterizations again and again during my twenty years teaching at a Jesuit university. One of my colleagues insisted again and again that the greatest challenge we face in the classroom is “Catholic fundamentalism,” when in fact very few students today even know the Church’s teachings, much less hold them with an undue ardency.

Read the rest here .