Papal misogyny is forever, says Pope Francis.

[MADem]

6. NEVER BE CHANGED...for now, anyway.

But later? Who is he to judge, maybe?


I get the feeling he doesn't want to be murdered in his sleep. He's not going to make sweeping changes by decree; his schtick is to change hearts and minds, get rid of wingnut deadwood, and ease into change.

Saying "St. Pope John Paul II had the last clear word on this and it stands, this stands," is not the same as saying "It stands and will never be changed." He's choosing those words carefully for a reason.

The piece goes on to say:

The reporter then pressed the pope, asking: "But forever, forever? Never, never?

Francis responded: "If we read carefully the declaration by St. John Paul II, it is going in that direction."

Francis has previously said that the door to women's ordination is closed, but proponents of a female priesthood are hoping that a future pope might overturn the decision, particularly because of the shortage of priests around the world.

The Catholic Church teaches that women cannot be ordained priests because Jesus willingly chose only men as his apostles. Those calling for women priests say he was only following the norms of his time.

In August, Francis set up a commission to study the role of women deacons in early Christianity, raising hopes among equality campaigners that women could one day have a greater say in the 1.2 billion-member Church.

"Going in that direction?" I mean, how mealy-mouthed! If he really, truly meant "NO!!!!!! NEVER!!!!!" I should think he would have said the Papal equivalent of "Fuck no" and moved on.

He's parsing because he's not stupid and he doesn't want to die before his time. He knows there's only so far he can go so long as the reactionary right wing of the church holds influence. He's already pushed them to apoplexy, but they can't do a thing because there's precedent for his pronouncements (like, the original purpose of his organization).

This guy is a socialist revolutionary--the real deal in terms of "Feed/clothe/care for the poor/elderly/children" but he's not a moron, either.