A Church Council can fire a pope, but only a pope can call a Church Council, so that path is closed.
Bergoglio's pronouncements on ecology are ridiculous, but his public statements on the economy and migrants are straight out of Catholic social teaching, which is centuries old.
He is also doing what the College of Cardinals hired him to do, which is to modernize. The Polish and German popes did their best to turn back the clock to before the Second Vatican Council, cloaking their intent in "hermeneutics" and "reform of the reform," but all it did was cause more Catholics to flee.
A ways back, the bishop of Trenton (NJ) stated publicly that over the past 65 years, some 78% of Catholics had left the church. The Vatican immediately silenced him, not because his number was wrong, but because it was accurate.
So where did this 78% go?
Bergoglio's goal is to induce Category #1 and #3 to return to Catholicism. Category #2 and #4 are forever lost.
The German pope publicly stated he didn't care about those who had left and wanted a smaller, purer church. He also told those unhappy with his papacy to find another church. The Curia told him to shut up because his statements were bad for business.
Toward that end Bergoglio is trying to reconcile Rome with a world that has changed and is probably not changing back. He couldn't do this while the German pope was alive, but with Ratzinger safely in his grave, the gloves have come off.
So what about the 22% (100 - 78) that remained in the church?
The Traditionalists have nowhere else to go, so Bergoglio doesn't waste his time with them. His pronouncements, however offensive to some, are his way of expanding his base.
If this is modernization then end of the church is near. For over 2,000 years the church has maintained Christian teaching. Through countless and constant world changes the church was the anchor.
Now it seems this generation sees themselves as more 'enlightened' than all those who came before and are eager to tear down what they never created or understood.
Its not just the Catholic Church, media, academics and politics have all been infected with this narcissistic poison.
All these idiots think the world started when they were born because they are the new enlightened few who see the truth.
Easy pickings for satin. As satin said in the movie 'Devils Advocate' "Vanity its my favorite sin".
Only 25% of global Catholics and 10% of American Catholics are Traditionalists who believe in large families, the Latin mass and strict loyalty to doctrine. The Traditionalists have nowhere else to go, so Bergoglio doesn't waste his time with them. His pronouncements, however offensive to some, are his way of expanding his base.
No offense, but this sounds like drivel from the marketing department of a consumer products company that has seen an 80% decline in its sales over the last 40 years.
Can you name one religious denomination that has successfully “expanded its base” by watering itself down to accommodate destructive modern cultural trends? Just look at the collapse of mainline Protestant churches all over this country to see where that leads. Catering to the unbridled tastes of humanity turns your religion into nothing more than a fad … and fads don’t last very long in the context of human history.