From TPM Reader MS …
Kudos, Josh Marshall, for an insightful essay today. Although you are not Catholic, you perfectly expressed what many of us are feeling: simple wonder and amazement about Pope Francis and his direct expression of Gospel values.
I’m from the demographic that the Pope’s survey is talking about: a same-sex married person who is raising my adopted children as practicing Catholics. The little parish that we belong to is an oasis and an anomaly: we have been enthusiastically welcomed and supported, sacramentally and socially, with no questions asked. In return, we hold nothing back … we actively volunteer, give financial support, participate in hours of religious ed and social justice committee meetings, and go to Mass with enthusiasm.
From TPM Reader TS …
I am not religious, and in fact consider myself to be an atheist. But, I was raised Catholic – baptized, first communion, and confirmation and attending mass every Sunday was a responsibility, not an option. Even went to a Catholic high school. So, I have a pretty good understanding of the values of the church overall as well as the specific teachings.
For those of you following our discussion of Pope Francis’s decision to remove arch-conservative Cardinal Raymond Burke from a key Vatican council charged with vetting would-be bishops for the Pope to appoint, check out this article. It’s from the National Catholic Reporter and gives a feel for the backdrop to this move. The general thrust is the depth of entrenched institutional opposition to the Pope’s proposed reforms of the Curia and particularly how vocal Burke himself has been in second-guessing the direction Francis is taking the Church.
