Recent changes enacted by Pope Leo show a humble man, who is humbling others as well and that stings a few Cardinals and Bishops and others. Father Leo, as he asks to be called, does not like ring kissing, or titles. He also wishes Cardinals and Bishops to just be called father as well. To many in the often Conservative Catholic circles, the changes take away from their prestige. And, well, maybe they like having people kiss their rings? Instead of being revered for rising to the heights of the church, the Pope would like Bishops and Cardinals to do years of service, as well. His vision continues the humble inclusiveness which Pope Francis displayed to the world, with real world changes.
Among the many changes, Churches no longer have to send money to the Vatican. For smaller churches this is huge. He dissolved the Vatican bank. He is opening all the finances of the Vatican to publicly scrutiny, as well as all investigations into abuse. He is allowing women to hear confessions. Annulments were an expensive, often ignored event, which did not feel right with practicing Catholics. This has changed, Pope Leo acknowledging leaving an abuse husband is a woman’s right is simple common sense.
In a time when the oh-so-over used quote of William Butler Yeats about the center not holding is truly happening, and what Rough Beast was slouching toward Bethlehem to be born, has evidently been answered — Trump is at the center of the USA, trying to be a religion to people, amoral in all but the advertisements. Without Centers like the Ethics of the Catholic Church to hold our society together, as well as many sources, including secular ones, a lot of people it seems are subject to joining cults, like MAGA can be. Right now small Evangelical churches are being visited by Trump operatives, giving away or getting money to make sure they all believe a vote for Trump has religious significance (which I often think, should it, they should be worried, but . . .). As soon as a preacher starts talking politics, they are a politician. Once they lost tax exempt status for that. Trump changed that law.
Whether you believe or not will not stop 80& of people wanting a strong leader to do their thinking for them, and traditionally they have tried to find a moral, religious shepherd to guide them. Or, so this is the ideal. We seem to be losing to the not so ideal at times. This is why at the website, The Rick Ross Cult Institute, publish daily articles about various cults around the world, and they never run out of new set of beliefs someone has used to con others. And why when we see responsible religious behavior, we must speak out. The Evangelicals and their hatred of sexuality’s, women’s choice, etc.. no more represent all Christians, than the Neo-Conservative, Israeli Zionists conducting genocide represents all Jews.
Presently the Pope is the most trusted human polling on the planet. What does he ask for? Peace, food in Gaza. Humility. Love your neighbor. Jesus is purported to have said, ‘The Golden Rule is the sum of all scripture.’ The Torah says much the same with different wording. Pope Leo goes a long way toward bringing the church closer to the Golden Rule with his changes, by allowing women more power, churches more of their own money to keep, closing the Vatican bank and opening up their finances so churches would see where all of their money is spent. Just the kind of moral accounting our government could certainly use. Morals are for suckers, to the crowd running this country from a Mar A Lago.