According to Associated Press, Pope Francis blasted against conservative members of the US Catholic Church, arguing that they have replaced faith with ideology.
An American schism
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The comment, made during the World Youth Day in Lisbon in 2023, admittedly was a source of friction between the pontiff and some within US Catholic leadership, Reuters reveals.
Former US priest Frank Pavone gave his take to Newsweek: “It comes across as judgmental. It also comes across as he doesn't understand America too well," he said. "
Online blasphemy
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Pavone was defrocked in 2022 due to “blasphemous communications on social media”, among other things for heavily campaigning against abortion, and insulting Joe Biden and the Democratic Party.
Checkmate on the bishop
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In 2023, Joseph Strickland was dismissed as bishop of Tyler, Texas, something very rare as bishops are generally requested to resign. No reason was given by the Vatican nor the US Bishops Conference.
Opening the gates of the Church
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According to The Guardian, the former Catholic bishop voiced opposition to the pontiff’s request to make the Church of Rome more open to LGBTQ people and attempts to give laypeople more control within the institution
But I'm a believer...
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21% of the US adult population identify as Catholic, as opposed to circa 40% that are protestant, making the Catholic Church the second biggest Christian denomination in the United States.
The good Pope
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A 2021 survey by the Pew Research Center shows that 82% of US Catholics have a favorable view of Pope Francis.
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