Pope Francis has voiced his concerns regarding what he perceives as a “reactionary” Catholic Church in the United States, where he believes political ideology has, in some instances, overshadowed faith.
During his ten-year papacy, Pope Francis has faced criticism from conservative factions within the U.S. Church who oppose certain reforms, such as granting women and lay Catholics greater roles and fostering a more inclusive and less judgmental stance towards various groups, including LGBT individuals.
The Pope shared his thoughts on August 5th during a private meeting in Lisbon with members of the Jesuit order, of which he is a member, as part of his visit for World Youth Day. These remarks were made public on Monday through the Jesuit journal Civilta Cattolica.
In response to a question from a Portuguese Jesuit who had spent time in the United States and encountered resistance to the Pope’s leadership, including from some bishops, Pope Francis acknowledged the challenging situation in the country. He noted the presence of a strong and organized reactionary attitude among certain segments of the U.S. Catholic community, shaping their sense of belonging, even on an emotional level.
Religious conservatives in the United States have frequently aligned themselves with politically conservative media outlets to criticize the Pope on a range of issues, including climate change, immigration, social justice, his advocacy for gun control, and his opposition to the death penalty.
Pope Francis urged his critics to recognize the need for an evolving understanding of matters related to faith and morals, emphasizing that a backward-looking approach is unproductive. He offered the example of historical popes who, in the past, tolerated slavery, but stressed how the Church has progressed over time.
One of the Pope’s prominent American critics, Cardinal Raymond Burke, based in Rome, expressed concern in the introduction of a recent book that a gathering of bishops convened by Pope Francis in October to help shape the Church’s future could potentially lead to “confusion, error, and division.”
