Most people didn’t mind when he chose not to ride in the papal limousine. Most didn’t mind when he chose not to live in the official papal residence. They even looked the other way when he chose not to wear the royal papal cape or the official papal cross, or to sit on the papal “throne.” But washing the feet of women and Muslims on Holy Thursday has traditional Catholics calling recent actions by Pope Francis “the last straw!”
The new leader of the Catholic faith is making it very clear he intends to do things HIS way. Yet after only a few weeks on the job, a large contingency of Catholics have already grown weary of his non-traditional, reformist act.
This is “The official end of the reform of the reform,” well known Catholic blog “Rorate Caeli” said. “The Horror,” the famed “International Catholic Panorama” said in reaction to Pope Francis’ indignity to dare wash the feet of women and Muslims. Practically every move the pope has made since he was selected — every gesture, every decision — has riled church traditionalists. His recent call for “intensified” dialogue with Islam and praise of “the friendship of our Muslim brothers and sisters” during a Good Friday prayer ceremony has pretty much pushed the old guard in Catholicism to the breaking point!
“The pope does not need anybodies permission to make exceptions to how ecclesiastical law relates to him,” conservative columnist Jimmy Akin said. But Akin also cautioned that Francis was setting a “questionable example” in his papacy by simply ignoring the church’s own rules.
Is Pope Francis angling to modernize a church steeped in tradition, but frequently called “out of touch” with today’s society? Can he succeed in moving mountains within Catholicism? Or will traditional Catholics prevail by keeping the church deeply rooted in antiquated rules and outdated thinking from the 16th century?
I had my doubts about him at first but this pope seems like he's really trying to make a difference. He might be doing too much to soon because all the old Catholics are pis*sed at him already. But the way they have their church set up he can do whatever he wants to do so theres nothing nobody can do.