What's the Scoop? (1:05)

This week I want to focus on one of my favorite people out in the world, Pope Francis.

"Look how old and cute I am!"

I am all "amen" and "hallelujah" this week over Pope Francis beginning the revolution of Catholicism. This is not to say that he is reinterpreting the Bible or the teachings of Jesus. He is just taking a very liberal approach toward some of the most controversial issues in the world to date. Seriously, this guy says the darndest things! For example, "If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?" and "All religions are true, because they are true in the hearts of those who believe in them."

Because I am completely devoid of any religious affiliation, I can't even fathom how the Catholics are responding to these radical views coming from the mouth of their spokesperson. Having followed his actions pretty closely the past week, from what I understand, the reaction has been pretty positive. My mother was raised Catholic, and having attended more than a few Catholic services in my time, it's hard for me to speak very positively about the way the faith is taught. Instead of telling people that they are sinners, the Pope has turned the focus on all the good that we do as people, which I think is something that needed to happen.

Of course, not everyone is happy with our forward-thinking liberal pontiff. Pat Buchanan has his head sideways up his own ass. I'm sorry, I dislike the man so much that I'm not going to bother trying to please my mother by keeping my swearing to a minimum. (I love you, Mama.)

While reading an article about the Pope's consideration of awarding Paul Walker with sainthood (really?), I had to stop to look up who Pat Buchanan is because all I kept thinking was, "Who the **** is this ******* ass hole?" He's quoted to have said some really naive things, like accusing the Pope's teachings of being "totally wrong - I mean dramatically, embarrassingly, puzzlingly wrong." First of all, you just made up a word. Second of all, you are all that is dramatically embarrassing and puzzling about our society. Pope Francis is showing Catholics, and all people of all religious affiliations the world over that tolerance, love, acceptance, peace, and all those other feel-good intangibles are the only acceptable states of mind. Isn't that what Jesus taught us? Love thy neighbor and all that?

While the Pope's overall message is to promote tolerance, everything he says is still in line with the church's beliefs on homosexuality, abortion, and other controversial issues. He is not guilty of saying insufferably ridiculous and pigheaded things like, "Compared to all this liberal social justice nonsense—which is not the kind of thing Americans expect from a Christian leader like Pope Francis—canonizing Paul Walker is much more agreeable. Mr. Walker was a hard-working, hard-driving personification of our country’s values: blond-haired, blue-eyed, and a millionaire. That’s as American as apple pie." 

Excuse me? Liberal social justice nonsense? And how about your insulting (and racist) depiction of why Paul Walker is a good candidate for sainthood? I could just punch you, Pat Buchanan. But I won't, because I wouldn't want to disappoint the Pope. Really, though, I can't stand you.

Sources

http://diversitychronicle.wordpress.com/2013/12/05/pope-francis-condemns-racism-and-declares-that-all-religions-are-true-at-historic-third-vatican-council/

http://themetapicture.com/finally-a-pope-that-acts-like-a-pope/

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/01/04/the-social-minded-pope-francis-is-a-very-different-kind-of-pontiff.html

http://guardianlv.com/2014/01/paul-walker-to-be-canonized-by-liberal-new-pope-francis/