Pope’s Foot-Wash a Final Straw for Traditionalist Catholics

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46. This is all about class and not about religion

Don't be misled by language about "traditionalists." This is all about the 1% being afraid that Francis might be a pope for the 99% and preferring a church that's all about pomp and gold crosses and silk-embroidered vestments because it reaffirms their own lifestyle.

It's telling that the late Paul Weyrich, founder of the Heritage Society, left the Catholic Church over Vatican II and belonged to some sect that considered itself more Catholic than the Pope. The old pomp-and-circumstance, keep the mass in Latin so the hoi polloi have no clue, salvation for those who can buy their way into heaven type of religion suits the 1% just fine. And any suggestion that the Church might try to follow the actual path of Jesus seriously freaks them out.

It's also telling that the suppression of Liberation Theology was a top priority of the Reagan administration, and that they worked closely with the Vatican on the issue. This is a political matter and a class matter, and Francis knows exactly what he's doing. The only question is whether it's too little, too late.