VIa the NYT: For America’s Divided Roman Catholics, a New Difference of Opinion
Some liberal Catholics and interest groups criticized the choice as a lost opportunity to move the church in a less doctrinaire direction because the new pope, a conservative German who was close to the late John Paul II, has long held hard-line positions on many divisive issues, including birth control, homosexuality and the ordination of women. He has also suggested that a vote for a politician who supports abortion rights could be sinful, and that American bishops should deny such politicians Holy Communion.
Simple question: how can an institution that is based on doctrine move in a less doctrinaire direction? Further, isn’t an institution that has existed for over two millenia, by definition, a conservative one?
Just checking.