Somebody tell the Pope to stick to the script. . .

On the one hand I somewhat understand what the Pope is trying to do.  On the other hand, I think he is doing it badly and in the process being manipulated by the media and those who seek nothing less than the destruction of all doctrine and morality.  And I do not think he gets it...

While many of the things the Pope has spoken of late could properly be understood within the context of the Church, his words are not being filtered through the Church but as if he were an outsider looking in.  The media has exploited every phrase and nuance of his interviews and off the cuff remarks making it seem as if Francis were the anti-pope.  Frankly I am tired of hearing the media tell me one more thing from Francis.  They have found a man who either has deluded himself into thinking that people get what he is saying or else he is speaking almost scandalously.  I once thought that it was merely a matter of the media not understanding Francis and now I believe that Francis does not understand the media and does not get the difference between a Cardinal speaking in his diocese and the Pope who speaks to the world from Rome.

I am not Roman Catholic and have no desire to become one but no Lutheran or serious Christian can afford to underestimate the impact of a Pope who is either misspoken or mistaken.  Like it or not, all of Christianity is painted by the brush of Francis' mouth and pen.  I think a large segment of serious Christianity outside of Rome as well as many within Rome are longing for the days when Benedict or John Paul II occupied the chair of St. Peter.  While a part of me hopes that he knows what he is doing, the honest part of me fears he does not and his unrestrained commentary on matters of church, faith, and morality are making it even more difficult for the cause of Biblical and catholic Christianity.

Everyone needs someone who will tell them when to shut up.  I know that is why God gave me a wife.  Absent a wife, I hope Francis has people bold enough and honest enough to tell him when it is time to shut up.  For my part, that time was a long time ago....

Post Script...  Another sure sign the Pope is on the wrong track -- Pres. Obama lauds him for loosening up things:

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama on Wednesday welcomed Pope Francis’ recent remarks that the Catholic Church must shake off an obsession with teachings on abortion, contraception and homosexuals, saying the pontiff was showing incredible humility.
“I tell you, I have been hugely impressed with the pope’s pronouncements,” Obama said in a CNBC interview.