Pope Francis purges critics and criticizes western democracies

At a conference in Trieste, Italy, Pope Francis declared that the world democracies were not in good shape.  He called on politicians to “shun populism” and to work together to overcome voter apathy.

The Pope rarely criticizes the authoritarian communist nations where democracy is non-existent –unlike his predecessor Pope John Paul II, who was so compelling in his anti-communist policies that the Kremlin tried to assassinate him.

Francis said “it is obvious that democracy is not in good shape in the world today.”  And he called on democracies to avoid “the dross of ideology.” He called on democracies to move away from political partisanship. 

Whoa!  The Pope does not like the existence of two political ideologies expressed by political partisans.  Someone needs to tell the Holy Father that the imposition of only one accepted ideology and one-party rule is NOT democracy.  Francis’ suppression of non-conforming ideologies is not surprising since the Pope is a woke left-wing authoritarian ideologue.  It is in his DNA.  And it is conservative political ideology that he abhors. 

Francis’ reference to “populism” shows that he is directing his criticism at Western democracies – such as the United States — since the brutal dictatorships in China, Russia and North Korea are not considered to be “populist.”     

Francis’ attack on Western democracies is the height of hypocrisy from a man who is, himself, an authoritarian dictator over the Catholic Church and Vatican City.  His calls against populism are ironic in that Francis is a man who rose in the ranks of the Church by kowtowing to the populist authoritarian rule of Juan Peron in Argentina.

The Pope’s authoritarian mindset is seen in how he handles dissent in his own ranks. 

There is no doubt that Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano is no fan of the Pope.  He has been a constant critic of Francis’s so-called reforms, which Vigano believes violate fundamental Catholic doctrine. 

Vigano also accused Francis of ignoring his warnings about Washington D. C. Cardinal Theodore McCarrick’s involvement in the sex scandal that rocked the Church at a time Vigano served as the Vatican ambassador to the United States.  Vigano was so outraged by the Pope’s inaction that he called on Francis to resign.

Perhaps the most egregious sin in the eyes of the woke Pope Francis may have been Vigano’s praise of President Trump when he served as the Vatican’s ambassador.  Vigano wrote a letter to Trump in which he said:

“For the first time, the United States has in you a President who courageously defends the right to life, who is not ashamed to denounce the persecution of Christians throughout the world, who speaks of Jesus Christ and the right of citizens to freedom of worship.

Vigano has not held back in his criticism of Francis – who he often calls by his pre-papal name of Jorge Mario Bergoglio as an indication of disrespect. He has referred to the Pope as a “servant of Satan.” 

Francis has taken the extreme action of excommunicating the 83-year-old Vigano – essentially kicking him out of the Roman Catholic Church. Vigano was accused of “schism” and refusing to submit to the “Supreme Pontiff.”

Vigano was officially the work of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith.  The excommunication order was not signed by Francis – although there can be no doubt that he ordered it.  Only one person can order the excommunication of such a prominent member of the College of Cardinals.

For his part, Vigano considers his excommunication a badge of honor.  In response he said, “What was attributed to me as guilt for my conviction is now put on record, confirming the Catholic Faith that I fully profess.”

And there were others.

In November 2023, Francis essentially fired another critic in the Church hierarchy, Texas Bishop Joseph Strickland for failing to obey. 

According to theologian and Church historian Massimo Faggioli: 

“The shocking part for me was not that he was going against Pope Francis, but seeing a   Catholic bishop behaving like a fundamentalist Protestant in being so dismissive of the idea that there is a Church authority that he has to obey.”

And …

Also in November of 2023, Pope Francis ordered the eviction of retired American Cardinal Raymond Burke from his rent-free apartment in the Vatican complex – and terminated his retirement pay.  Francis claimed Burke was using his “privileges” to spread disunity.  In other words, he was not submitting to the  Supreme Pontiff’s every statement and policy.

Burke had been a Vatican court high justice until he was fired by Frances in 2018.  His apparent sin was joining other bishops in issuing “dubia” that asked for clarification on the Pope’s various controversial edicts, and then publicly criticizing the Pontiff for not responding.

Popes have always had dictatorial power over the Church and the Vatican as a city-state.  But few modern popes have used it as ruthlessly as Francis.  That – along with his hardcore left-wing authoritarian policies – will be his legacy.

They say that power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely – and there is no world leader with more absolute power than Pope Francis (with the possible exception of North Korea’s Kim Jong un).

So, there ‘tis.