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Wednesday, April 04, 2018

Broken truce

Here's one reason I think Pope Francis is so controversial within the hierarchy. Originally, the papacy condemned modernism, which drove it underground. But in the 20C it began to tunnel into the hierarchy. What you then had was an armistice between liberal and conservative factions. Popes, whatever their personal predilections, would appoint liberals and conservatives alike to positions of authority in the hierarchy. It was a win/win policy to forestall an ugly civil war. Throw a sop to both sides. Bribe the opposition with preferments. Both sides would gripe and vie for dominance, but both factions were represented in the Magisterium. They got their wings and epaulettes. 

By contrast, Francis has broken the truce. He openly and aggressively promotes his own faction while openly snubbing or demoting the conservative faction. Now you have real winners and losers. 

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