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Pope Francis Says Preaching in the Catholic Church is a Disaster
He’s right…and wrong
If you’ve read any of my stories about Pope Francis over the past year or so, you probably assume that this one is going to be negative. I get that; I have complained about him numerous times, mainly because of what appeared to be a personal vendetta against my East Texas diocese. That issue has thankfully been resolved, and while I still disagree with him on a number of things, this is not a rant about the man.
For the record, even when I do criticize the pope, I never lose sight of the fact that he is the successor of Peter and thus he and the office he holds demand my respect even when I disagree with him. I’m not one of those “the papacy has been vacant since Pius XII” wingnuts. And from a strictly personal, non-theological standpoint, I like the elderly ex-bouncer. He shares a birthday with my mother (Dec 17th) and sometimes reminds me of my stepfather (they’re the same age), which may also be why I want to hug him one moment and strangle him the next.
With that rabbit trail out of the way, I have been ruminating on something Papa Francisco said a while back (and has actually said repeatedly during his pontificate): that preaching in the Church is a disaster. “Disaster” is a strong word, but is he right? I think he both is and is not.
