Is Pope Francis Really a Progressive Example?

[MineralMan]

54. I like his economic pronouncements, too.

I just can't ignore the rest of the Church's patriarchal, limited understanding of social justice. I can't, and I won't. Here on DU, where we hold our politicians liable for everything we can think of, I'm just surprised to see this Pope getting a pass on some stuff that we wouldn't tolerate for a moment with any Democratic office holder.

All praise for this Pope needs to be tempered with a look at his and his church's regressive, medieval beliefs on other issues. If the Pope is truly infallible in his official pronouncements about doctrine, then let him repudiate the past and step boldly into the 21st Century. I realize that he will not do that and, despite calls for economic justice, the same old regressive crap will continue to the the social face of the Roman Catholic Church.

Back in the early 1960s, when I was a high school kid, I discovered that the Roman Catholic Church had been a prime mover in preventing contraception from being available in my home state of California. Condoms, for example, could only be purchased by people over 21, and only at the pharmacy counter in drug stores. On each packet was printed, "For Prevention of Disease Only." Doctors could not legally prescribe the birth control pill to unmarried women under the age of 21. Both of those things were RCC-sponsored laws. I was shocked to find that in Arizona and other states, condoms were available everywhere, even in service stations.

Today, the RCC is still fighting against the availability of contraceptive devices and medications, even when purchasing health insurance for employees of the many church-run organizations. They are still trying to keep women from even preventing pregnancies, much less terminating an unwanted pregnancy. Even for rape and incest, the Catholic Church refuses to even consider abortion, even for women who are not members of that forlorn, patriarchal religion.

That's just one example. There are many, many others.

Economic justice? Well, the Pope appears to be for that. Now, ask the Church when they will pay a living wage to all of the employees of church-owned businesses and organizations. What will the Pope say about that? When will the Church divest itself of its riches so it can redistribute that wealth to the poverty-stricken? So far, we have words from the Pope. When those words are followed by actions that set an example for those the Pope is chiding, I will pay closer attention to his words.

We are quick to judge our own leaders when they do not go far enough in areas of social justice, but are praising this Pope for his words, while ignoring the Church's actual deeds. Let this Pope begin redistributing the wealth of the Church. Let this Pope call for an end to inequality based on sex, gender, orientation, and other characteristics. Let this Pope actually DO something to change things toward a just world. Then I will contribute my praise. Until then, I will continue to call him and his church to account.