More of the Same?

Warning, my Catholic friends shouldn't read this. I mean no disrespect to any individual, but it looks like another opportunity to heal is going to go by.  The headline reads:

"Pope will keep 'status quo' on moral issues":

          The article goes on to imply that current Chiurch teachings on several contemporary issues will remain as devisive as ever. This will, of course, involve continuing to stigmatize the GLBT community,  oppose marriage between persons who love each other, but are of the same sex, opposing birth control in nations which desparately need lower rates of population growth, telling the poor, as did Mother Teresa, that their pain is "God kissing " them, and keeping women, who are some of the Church's brightest and best, from ordination. One can only hope that this does not mean continuing to cover up and shield pedophiles (who are known to the Church) from the full weight of the law.  Enough damage has been done by these monsters to last the next millenium. The Church knows it and their bankbook proves it.

          The choice of a Jesuit is probably a step in the right direction, and I sincerely hope time proves the wisdom of the choice. The selection of a Latin American isn't "radical, or "daring" or any of those adjectives used for self congratulatory purple prose. It reflects the stark reality of the Church's situation on South and Central America, which is that as soon as national governments disestablished the Church as the state church, other brands of salvation began to make serious inroads into the Church's grip on the hearts and minds of the population. Evangelical Christians proselytize heavily now, where once they were banned. Non Judeo-Christian sects have new life, especially in Brazil. There is a reason the Church destroyed Mayan Codices in the early 1500s culminating with Bishop Diego De Landa's "Mayan Inquisition" of 1562. This pattern of destroying all vestiges of native belief systems served the Church well, so long as it was THE church. Pope Francis' selection reflects the political reality of a faith which is in crisis several places around the world due to free market competition in the marketplace of ideas. As a man with a Master's degree in Chemistry and  a Jesuit mindset, it'll be interesting to see if the headline mentioned above remains true.  It's certainly true that any belief system which openly rejects and stigmatizes some persons and protects monsters  from the law has a long way to go to get back to  relevance.