Springfield Reformer:
Well, I will take you at your word that your post is 100% sincere. Thus, you are one of the few here who feel that way.
And for the record, Pope John Paul II did something similar back in 1986 at the Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi [I think it was]. I never accuse Pope John Paul II as being a heretic for doing so [because he wasn’t] although I thought what he did was not a prudent decision. I feel the same way about Pope Francis decision to have this meeting in the Vatican Gardens.
The days of Pope’s being able to rally Christendom [which does not exist any longer] and the Princes, Knights, etc, to defend Christendom are long gone. There are some Traditionalist Catholics that would long for those days again. In the context of the fall of the Roman Empire in the West, the Bishop of Rome did assume some temporal and political leadership, that is true, but as time went on and the rise of the nation state, that was no longer feasible or desirable, although the rise of the nation state did in some fashion contribute to the breakup of Christendom.
With that said, I respect that the Pope wants to work for peace, maybe behind the scenes, he will push for greater respect of the Christian presence in the middle east, which is under attack from militant Islam. I still would rather there not be a prayer of any kind in the Vatican, even in the gardens, other than a Catholic prayer, but I am not the Pope. I still respect the institution of the Papacy and give Francis the respect that is due to him given he is the Bishop of Rome, but I still can respectfully disagree with the prayer aspect of this peace meeting.
Yes, there are Catholics who wish the pope would actually speak and act like a Catholic. It's kind of a prerequisite for a pope (even the so-called "bad" ones).