tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2319172106392132510.post1146187436550889422..comments2023-09-24T08:05:04.868-04:00Comments on The Pilgrim Underground: Vatican Tensions EscalateProtoprotestanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18217567607160768261noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2319172106392132510.post-14093972215517528082017-03-08T09:15:51.051-05:002017-03-08T09:15:51.051-05:00Those wanting the church to liberalise are in a qu...Those wanting the church to liberalise are in a quandary. If it does that - e.g. if it renounces such dogmas as clerical celibacy or lifts the prohibition against homosexuality (as some people accuse Francis of doing), then it will expose itself as an institution that has no qualms about enacting or nullifying certain "sacred traditions" based on clerical consensus or cultural relevance. Their entire theology would be undermined and their credibility effectively destroyed.<br /><br />Should that happen, there would likely be a massive schism followed by interminably long court battles over rightful legal claims to the church's assets.<br /><br />That's why its unlikely that Francis will win against his detractors if he's really the raving moonbat leftist everyone thinks he is. That's where I find myself in disagreement. I think he's simply more diplomatic than his predecessors and has found new ways that resonate with a contemporary audience to communicate old ideas. If anything, the established church hierarchy desperately needs him for damage control, what with the continuing revelations of financial impropriety and child sexual abuse.A.P.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2319172106392132510.post-48201662604650750422017-03-08T08:36:02.629-05:002017-03-08T08:36:02.629-05:00I wonder if his age and his ambiguous record in Ar...I wonder if his age and his ambiguous record in Argentina under the Perons made him a good compromise candidate between the progressive factions and the conservatives. I wonder if the latter are hamstrung by cardinals from the "third-world" who are morally and theologically conservative, but lack the same zeal for a pro-western posture.<br /><br />Even though it is shrouded in secrecy, I wish I could read about the drama and shadows of the Conclave.Cal of Chelcicehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04274276191242967318noreply@blogger.com