“Is the pope Catholic? Not a joke, I really want to know.”
;-)
The Church hasn’t surrendered to anything. The Pope, on the other hand...
The Pope is a Socialist.
Liberation Theology in Latin America and Social Justice here in the U.S. are the code words to politely describe the Pope’s philosophy.
YES, he is. However, many who call themselves “Catholic” seem unaware that the Pope is not authoritative in matters of politics, science, OR economics. Catholics may disagree with him on those. He has authority on matters of faith and morals and his statements have been traditionally firm there. Regarding faith and morals, the Pope has been absolutely in line with the ancient doctrine of the Church.
By the way, Kartographer, thanks for sharing your expertise here on FR. We have prudently prepared to care for ourselves and others and feel our spiritual preparation is THE most important preparation ...as it looks like the economic system is about to take a major hit. We are all are about to exercise dramatic TRUST/FAITH in the Lord (all of us of the Christian faith)....hopefully.