Pope Francis's stunning blow to conservatives

Not since Khruschev denounced Stalin at the 20th Communist party conference has there been a reforming speech like this.

None of this would work if it were only imposed from above. But what he has done here is to make it impossible for reactionary bishops to demand that their priests clamp down on sexual sin among the congregation. The official teaching on sexuality is so wildly out of kilter with what most faithful Catholics believe and do, and so much felt to be contrary to what their consciences tell them, that he is pushing at an open door here. The parish priests are now freed to act as their consciences tell them.


The defeat of the church's conservatives is utterly comprehensive in this interview. All of their favourite causes are taken up and rejected – "It is not necessary to talk about … abortion, gay marriage and [contraception] all the time" says the pope.

Then he wants a greater role for bishops in church governance, overturning 50 years of attempted centralisation.


http://www.theguardian.com/commentis...-conservatives

This article is about how pope Francis tries to make his church of hate into a church of love. I hope this means that many very pressured groups will get a breather! But I fear it will be many years before the effect will make itself felt fully, if lives that long.

I think he was chosen because they realized that the popes of hate threatened to topple the whole Catholic church.

Great initiative, but I miss one important thing is this love fest: to make contraception acceptable.