May I Be Frank?

Earlier I pointed out that the reaction to Pope Benedict's resignation was highly polarised between people who see the Catholic church as hopelessly out of touch and people who see it as vital and hopeful.  And now the reaction to the new Pope has fallen along similar lines.  Either Francis is a great and wonderful light for the whole world who possesses every possible positive attribute, or he's too conservative, won't change things for women or gays, so nothing's changed:  Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.

But he is changing some things.  He's putting a new emphasis on helping the poor.  I don't know whether this is a product of his being from a developing country - and thus something we should expect from popes in the future - or maybe just his style.  It's just not the change that liberals were hoping for.

Here's my radical new way of looking at it.  Maybe this is still a good thing.  Don't get me wrong, I wish he was introducing new and modern ways that are fairer to women and more accepting of homosexuals.  But I ask you, what does the world need most?  Gay rights are gaining momentum, and women in the developing world are starting to stand up and make themselves heard.  These things are being done without the church's blessing.

But fighting for the poor?  Let's face it: we're losing badly. The poor-bring-it-on-themselves philosophy has become dominant in the west, and the aid-does-more-harm-than-good belief has allowed cynicism to hold back international aid.  Yes, my fellow progressives, I hate to admit it, but we're in over our heads on this one, and we could really use the church's help.  Moreover, we need their help on poverty more than we need their help on gay and women's rights.  It may just be that for all our disagreements with him, Francis is just who we need right now.