Just Shut Up, Pope Francis

He's at it again. That Pope Francis guy, the socialist leader of the Catholic Church who preaches, not so much about religion and faith, but rather economics and government. First we had his nonsensical, in the bubble Christmas speech, and now we have another version for New Year's day. In this one Pope Francis called for an end to the "arrogance of the powerful" that relegates the weak to the outskirts of society, and to the "false neutrality" toward conflicts, hunger and persecution that triggers a sometimes deadly exodus of refugees."

Huh! Is he delusional? Never before in the history of the world have the wealthy done more for the poor than at this time. That includes governmental help domestically and internationally, as well as individual acts of charity. I know Francis' world view was formed in the slums of South America, his home. But shouldn't he stop defining the whole world, and humanity by those conditions? The world is not that way, and if Francis would take his head out of the ideological clouds of the Vatican he might see how much progress the have humanity has made in caring for their fellow, but have not humans.

In his speech, Francis emphasized the need to "let ourselves be reborn, to overcome the indifference which blocks solidarity, and to leave behind the false neutrality which prevents sharing." He recommended cooperation as the way to build an "ever more just and fraternal world, a world in which every person and every creature can dwell in peace." I recommend he spend time reading accounts of the past, to see how much less humans did those things he wants done now. He might learn that the world is a much kinder and gentler place than ever before.

Francis reflected on the "countless forms of injustice and violence which daily wound our human family". Sometimes", he claimed, "we ask ourselves how it is possible that human injustice persists unabated, and that the arrogance of the powerful continues to demean the weak, relegating them to the most squalid outskirts of our world." He continued: "We ask how long human evil will continue to sow violence and hatred in our world, reaping innocent victims." Sounds to me more like the behavior of his church and other religions than about individual humans.

Francis cited no country, continent or conflict. People who have little real truth to their message often lack specificity. But his words seemed aimed at the so-called refugees and migrants, more than 1 million of whom flooded into Europe from Africa, the Middle East and Asia in 2015.  He spoke of "witnessing hordes of men, women and children fleeing war, hunger and persecution, ready to risk their lives simply to encounter respect for their fundamental rights." Uh, but he did not mention the religious fanaticism of Islam that created the whole mess.

Too, perhaps he also didn't notice the charity of nations all over the world in taking in that mass invasion of illegal immigration. Illegal immigrants have been swarming on wealthier lands for years, almost all of them being allowed to enter. Yet, this pope doesn't see it.  He might want to study immigration and humanitarian patterns in recent times, in the decades immediately prior to before W.W. II, for example. He would learn that his narrative is nothing more politically correct spin.

I know the church must spout idealism and cover it with a veneer of truth. It's their role. But this pope is over the top with untruth, and he is doing more to make Catholics flee the church than to race toward Francis' version of humanity. It would be nice if Francis shut up about the political/economic world and instead concentrate on rehabbing the fallen spiritual presence of the Catholic Church he heads. The chaos there is truly a mess!