Today, Pope Francis, head of the Catholic Church was named Time Magazine’s "Person of the Year."  Supporters of this "reformer" Pope have heralded his reign as being a modernistic approach to Christianity.

Pope Francis has softened the Church’s stance on homosexuality and abortion, has spoken in favor of the poor and railed against corporate greed.  No word yet on how he feels about governmental greed.

Now, I’m not Catholic so I have no personal opinion on this Pope or any other Pope for that matter.  I find this particular Pope fascinating by the way liberals, long critics of the Catholic Church, have celebrated his brief papacy. 

I believe that Pope Francis represents for liberals what they wish every religious person should be, less concerned with life and morality and more concerned with wealth inequality and social justice.  This Pope has failed to live up to the Catholic Church’s positions on abortion, for instance, and although he certainly doesn’t endorse the practice, he does not use the papacy as his predecessors have as a pulpit with which to decry the infanticide occurring all over the world. 

I have come to understand in my time on this earth that liberals love nothing more than a lack of conviction on the part of religious Americans.  In short, liberals hold religious people with disdain over issues like gay marriage, abortion and a slew of other social issues.  If, however, these same persons lack conviction on these issues, they are to be heralded as the Pope has been.

So, it stands to reason, that if you stand for nothing, liberals wills stand beside you.  Leftists from Hollywood to Washington D.C. have praised Pope Francis for being forward-thinking and reform-minded, but he’s neither of these things.

Railing against private wealth has been the call of tyrants since Hammurabi.  There’s nothing new about that philosophy, nor is there anything novel about social liberalism.

It may be unusual for the Church but this Pope doesn’t seem particularly concerned about the defining characteristic of Christianity, salvation.  He seems far more concerned with being a quasi-political celebrity, vis-a-vis President Obama.  I was under the impression, wrongfully it appears, that salvation was the primary driver of Christian doctrine.

The world doesn’t need another head-of-state blabbering on about wealth inequality.  The world needs a head-of-state with moral conviction.  Oh, how I long for the days of John Paul II who dedicated a significant portion of his papacy decrying Socialism in Eastern Europe and across the globe.  It appears Pope Francis does not have such a healthy fear of government.   

If one were to remove the robe and crown, and put this Pope in Congress as opposed to the Vatican, he would sound much like any other liberal politician.  Some may welcome this Pope as the evolution of Christian doctrine.  I will not.  To me, it appears that Pope Francis is without conviction and has sacrificed the sanctity of life for popularity.  After all, if you want to be a political superstar in America and across the globe, you better stick to the populist talking points. 

So it is, American liberals are slobbering with praise over this modern Pope content in their believe that the Catholic Church has finally caved on some of its most sacred teachings.  I always at least respected the Catholic Church for its unflappable positions on life issues, but that modicum of respect is quickly vanishing.  This Pope, instead, shall continue to focus on "tenderness, mercy and compassion" which is code for acceptance and although he may win popular praise, I contend that it will be at the cost of aiding mankind in its quest for salvation. 

Bays is an attorney in Midwest City.