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LOL, can't imagine why we would have to put this in caucus. Just kidding!

I found the part about the bloggers meeting Pope Francis with silence to be very interesting. Without thinking about it, I would have to say I have been mostly silent about Pope Francis.

I had come to the conclusion that I was silent because he is not John Paul II who will always be whom I think of when someone says the Pope. My subconscious always goes there. The Pope of my youth. When he became Pope I was 14, he lit us on fire for the faith. Then came Benedict.

Granted Papa Bene, not as charismatic as JPII, but I so enjoyed reading his words. Such clarity and went beautifully with what JPII had taught us.

That brings us to Pope Francis. What to do about Pope Francis? I think he is a .... fill in the blank. He is not good at being Pope. In my head I think well maybe he should not be Pope.

But is that fair? Am I being fair to the Holy Father? He was born under Pius XI, entered a novitiate under Pius XII, was teaching theology during Blessed John XXIII, ordained under Paul VI. Then served under John Paul I and John Paul II. That is a fair amount of diversity of style there.

When I heard he was elected I was mortified to tell the truth. A Jesuit from Argentina? Maybe I still am! In an effort to understand him. I have profiled him so to speak. I am by no means done, nor am I professional profiler but I think it is interesting to point out that he spent most of his time in academia. He was not a parish priest

It does not seem that he is used to dealing with parishioners and ordinary people. So maybe this off the wall stuff he says is because he is used to the debate that used to go on in classrooms before they became indoctrination centers?

What say you?

Your comment mirrors my own thoughts. Francis tends to speak off the cuff; the problem is that, despite using common parlance, he 'assumes' the listener is familiar and supportive of the Catholic Church's positions. This gets him into trouble. This most recent non interview with the Italian atheist reporter is a good example. The reporter neither takes nor records notes. Twice, he has purportedly misquoted Pope Francis. Why give him a 3rd opportunity?

It does not seem that he is used to dealing with parishioners and ordinary people.

Here, I disagree. He spent a great deal of time riding the bus and visiting with the poor in Argentina. For a while, I kept a list of "francisisms", such as:

To newly appointed bishops: "Don't be airport bishops" (bishops who spend too much time away from their dioceses)
To pastors: The Confessional is not a 'torture chamber'
The Sacrament of the Eucharist is not a 'magic rite'
On the need to be politically active: “Don’t respond to the crisis with a Pontius Pilate-like attitude”
To Vatican Police on spiritual war: “Napoleon is not coming anymore”
Pope Francis speaks out against "Christians at half-speed" (one who professes to be a christian but lives like a pagan).
Pope Francis says Confession is not like going to see a psychiatrist
Pope Francis: A bishop is to serve, not dominate
On wanting physical proof: Our Lady doesn't work in a post office, She doesn't mail out letters every day
Pope Francis: our faith is 'not an ornament'
On what it means to be a christian: Do you want to live your life like a burning lamp, or an extinguished one?
The Cross is not an ornament but the mystery of God's love.
Don't live the faith as if it were a non-stop funeral.
Pope Francis: Pray with your heart, not like a parrot
Pope: The Church isn't a rental unit... it's a home

These reflect his approach of expressing church teaching in common terms. Like you, I loved the example of living a truly christian life set by St. JPII and hold Benedict XVI's gift for drawing us deeper into theology. Francis is a conundrum.