Pope Francis has decried the “very strong, organized, reactionary attitude” among some Catholics in the United States.
Conservative Catholics, the Pope said, “lose the true tradition and you turn to ideologies to have support. In other words, ideologies replace faith.”
The Pontiff made his remarks in a meeting with Jesuits in Lisbon during his visit there earlier this month. A transcript of the Pope’s talk was published August 28 by the Jesuit journal Civilta Cattolica.
In response to a question about criticism he has received from American Catholics, the Pope said that “in the United States the situation is not easy.” He attributed the problem to an organized opposition, in which “membership in a sector of the Church replaces membership in the Church.”
Pope Francis his critics as “backwards,” and said that it is “useless” to treat Church doctrine as a “monolith.” He added: “The other sciences and their evolution also help the church in this growth in understanding.”
As examples of changes in Church teaching, the Pope cited the issues of slavery and capital punishment, pointing out that actions which were accepted in the past are now condemned. He said:
Today it is a sin to possess atomic bombs; the death penalty is a sin. You cannot employ it, but it was not so before.