Commentary: Pope Francis disappoints progressives. He will do so again.

Pope Francis meets the members of a World Youth Day organizing committee at the Vatican in 2023. Religion News Service columnist looks at the tightrope the pontiff walks in reforming the Catholic Church., in which I gave a positive assessment of Pope Francis’ interview on CBS News, got some blowback. There were the usual haters who don’t like anything that Francis does or says.

Too many progressives believe that Francis reflects their views on the church. In truth, he is pastoral in his encounters with people but unwilling to change church teaching in any radical way. Norah O’Donnell aptly quoted an unnamed Vatican observer as saying that Francis has changed the tune but not the words of the song.

The Synod on Synodality was the perfect place to have this wider consultation, but the possibility of married priests was barely mentioned at last October’s meeting of the synod. Here I fault the members of the synod more than Francis: Neither the bishops nor the laity at the synod made married priests a priority.

The liturgy is in the vernacular. Care for the poor and working for social justice and peace are seen as integral to the church’s mission. Francis never saw the Synod on Synodality as a place for resolving divisive issues. The church is not ready. First, the synod must foster listening and dialogue in the church. His hoped-for fruits of the synod are increased Communion, greater participation and renewed commitment to the mission of Christ.

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