Pope Francis is the only pope in history to explicitly intervene in an American presidential election—and while the pontiff’s goal is evidently to attract Millennials, record numbers of young people mistrust the Catholic Church.
As a Catholic, I honor the Church’s history of furthering the advancement of human knowledge. Yet Pope Francis makes the mistake of embracing the fake science of man-made climate alarmism—while pontificating to you and me about “fake news.”
As the world’s most powerful religious leader, the Pope is in a unique position of influence. Which is why I entreat Pope Francis to refrain from interjecting himself into American politics until he is willing to engage in careful scientific research and verbal articulation.
“The media misinterprets the Pope!” is the common excuse Catholics give for the illogical and uncharitable-sounding remarks that Pope Francis routinely makes in public. I’ve given the Pope time to improve, and even ardently defended him against the media early on. However, when Donald Trump began closing in on Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential race, Pope Francis swerved into a new territory of outlandish.
Donald Trump is “not Christian.” “A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian.”
—Pope Francis to reporters traveling on the papal plane on his return flight to Rome, after his visit to the U.S.-Mexico border where he honored the lives of the illegal immigrants
Catholics only consider the Pope infallible in areas of faith and morals—and not politics or science. But many Catholics cling to every opinion the pontiff utters as if it is failsafe. Which is why Pope Francis must be more careful.
However innocuous his intentions, he is abusing his influence by pushing fake science and public policies (think open borders and radical restrictions on fossil fuels) that will endanger America’s national security and hurt the poor and middle classes by raising energy prices.
Lions and Tigers, and Butterflies! Oh My!
For hundreds of years, outdoor lights decorating a Catholic church during the month of December have compelled passersby to ponder what the Church views as the “reason for the season”—the birth of Jesus Christ. But on December 8, Pope Francis chose to flip this powerful light show of peace into a pontification on politics.
Lions, tigers, butterflies, monkeys and other natural scenes were projected for three hours at night on St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi confirmed that the light show was to be viewed in a “positive sense, also in relation to the [UN climate change conference] COP21.” In the Vatican’s own words, this massive light show was intended to promote fake science: the notion that humans substantially contribute to negative climate change.
December 8 happens to be the solemn Catholic feast day of the Immaculate Conception. This day is a “holy day of obligation,” on which all Catholics are to attend Mass. Disappointingly, the Vatican chose this day to force Catholics around the world to view a political message of man-made “climate changes” rooted in fake science.
UN-sponsored scientists who told us humans contribute to substantial negative climate change have been shown to be false by the Nongovernmental International Panel on Climate Change. The Vatican is not on the right side of science. But as long as the Church is in line with hipster scientists in bed with elite UN globalists, who cares?
Millennials care.
Youthlash
American young people distrust churches and religions. Pew Research reports that Millennials’ positive views of church and religion dropped a whopping 18 percent in only the past five years. Interestingly, during this time, the world’s most powerful political leader was President Obama and the world’s most powerful religious leader was Pope Francis.
Coincidence? Hardly. Millennials distrust religion, but they increasingly distrust the Catholic Church. Not because the Catholic Church bars women the priesthood and homosexuals from marriage. (That was the case long before 2010.)
Young people are turning to yoga instead of the rosary to meditate because the Catholic Church is inconsistent and therefore untrustworthy. If you read Let Me Be Clear, you’ll learn why Millennials value consistency and trustworthiness in their leaders. What’s changed is that the Pope has become more political than any other pope and also more inconsistent, recklessly throwing words into the public realm that make him look like a hypocrite rather than a holy healer:
“I think the media have to be very clear, very transparent, and not fall into - no offense intended - the sickness of coprophilia [sexual arousal caused by feces], that is, always wanting to cover scandals, covering nasty things, even if they are true. … above all in the world of politics. …It is a sin.”
-Pope Francis earlier this month to the Tertio in response to the phenomenon of so-called “fake news” that propelled Donald Trump into office
The most important work that any journalist can do is to expose the truth, even if that truth is as ugly as excrement. When politicians like Hillary Clinton lie, and Americans die unnecessarily in Benghazi—journalists need to expose her. When politicians like President Obama lie and tell their constituents “If you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor!”—but then pass an unconstitutional law that makes this impossible, journalists have a duty to expose the truth.
Sometimes the truth hurts. It ruins careers. But ruining a politician’s career because they behaved inappropriately is not a “sin.” It’s what Millennials are ready for.
If the Catholic Church wants to attract Millennials to its fold, hear this: Millennials rooted for Sen. Bernie Sanders in 2016 and Sen. Ron Paul in 2012 because they were consistent and because they held elites accountable. By 2016, Millennials who helped elect Obama to the White House twice felt burned. They refused to vote for Hillary Clinton, who they saw as a member of the D.C. establishment.
Pope Francis will only lose young hearts and minds by cozying up with global elites and Washington establishment types who promote climate change. The Vatican would actually attract more young people by remaining true to its traditions than by twisting itself into a political pretzel.
Share this article with your friends and send a message to the Vatican so the next light show at St. Peter’s lifts our hearts to heaven rather than to fake science. Suggestion: shepherds herding sheep under an exceptionally bright star.