Posted on 04/27/2017 10:26:27 AM PDT by ebb tide
Pope Francis flies to Egypt on Friday.
In the past faithful Catholics might have offered up a nervous prayer whenever they heard that the Pope was boarding a plane, because they worried about the safety of air travel. Today most of us feel reasonably confident about planes (although a quick prayer for a safe trip would still be in order), but with this most unpredictable of Pontiffs, we worry about what the Holy Father might say during his usual in-flight meeting with reporters.
In case you havent noticed, Pope Francis has a habit of making headlines with his unscripted remarks. And its not always good press. This past weekend, it didnt take an airplane tripjust a quick visit to an island in the Tiberto prompt an unfortunate remark, comparing Europes refugee centers to concentration camps. To be fair, its not at all clear that the Pope intended that comparison. From the context it seems possible that he used the word concentration to refer to overcrowding at those centers, and then stumbled his way out of the sentence. That sort of thing happens, sometimes, even to the best of off-the-cuff speakers. And lets face it: Pope Francis is not the best of off-the-cuff speakers.
But it happens again and again. The hits just keep on coming. In meetings with reporters, in unexpected phone calls, in audiences when he sets aside his prepared texts, the Pope continues to make remarks that cause consternation and controversyremarks that at best require further explanation. In an statement explaining the concentration camp remark, the Vatican observed that Pope Francis was speaking without a text. Indeed he was. Again.
Give Pope Francis credit for spontaneity. The very fact that his remarks are unpredictable makes it more likely that people will listen to him attentively. But thats a mixed blessing. Sometimes it might be better if no one had listened, and better still if hed stuck to the script.
Sick of his spontanuity
Well it could auger in
He’ll be gone eventually, the church will still be there
But just a remnant.
Chances are to make room for the next Modernist.
Perhaps the author of this inter-religious non-Catholic heresy:
http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2017/04/22/vaticans_message_to_buddhists_on_vesakh/1307347
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