Commenter on John Allen’s as usual excellent discussion/reportage about the Pope as sending mixed signals in multiple statements and comments has a good, if of limited value, point:
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I guess one question surfaces…are these contradictions deliberate or a mere result of Francis’s mercurial way of communicating, perhaps owing to his personality or cultural upbringing.
If deliberate…he will fail hard. Crafty popes God doesn’t need.
If owing to mere quirkiness, he may fail; or he may have limited success, but more likely his pontificate will be somewhat a disappointing custodial one.
If this is overly pessimistic or not, the cultural upbringing factor leaps out. It’s in his genes to talk that way, which is in part charming, in part annoying when you consider his position on the ship of Peter.
Something else: He seems sometimes to be running for president of the united states of the world rather than already elected to a quite different job.
Blithe Spirit 