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You're right that Francis is contributing "bigly" to the conversion of Catholics into Protestants, others, and nones. He even seems to be driving those who are still visibly *in* the church to become the become, functionally, Episcopalians. What don't the Francis-fans just do the honest thing and become well-and-truly Episcopalian? Same periodic conventions ("synods") to decide what their doctrine is going to be for the next couple of years; and better music.

Actually, while I support in principle the practice of ascertaining the validity and veracity of church teaching by examination of it in the light of ancient church teaching (the critical difference being that that latter is to be the only wholly inspired-of-God and substantive record of what the New Testament church believed, mainly Acts thru Rev., not the uninspired writings of Catholicism), yet it seems that those who hold that Catholic teaching is what modern councils interpret it to mean, and uphold Francis as the valid pope, and have an attitude of submission, are the ones more in line with historical papal teaching such as exhorts,

'the one duty of the multitude is to allow themselves to be led, and, like a docile flock, to follow the Pastors," "to suffer themselves to be guided and led in all things that touch upon faith or morals by the Holy Church of God through its Supreme Pastor the Roman Pontiff," "of submitting with docility to their judgment," with "no discussions regarding what he orders or demands, or up to what point obedience must go, and in what things he is to be obeyed... not only in person, but with letters and other public documents ;" and 'not limit the field in which he might and must exercise his authority, " for "obedience must not limit itself to matters which touch the faith: its sphere is much more vast: it extends to all matters which the episcopal power embraces," and not set up "some kind of opposition between one Pontiff and another. Those who, faced with two differing directives, reject the present one to hold to the past, are not giving proof of obedience to the authority which has the right and duty to guide them," "Nor must it be thought that what is expounded in Encyclical Letters does not of itself demand consent." (Sources http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/religion/3578348/posts?page=14#14)