Atheist Philosopher Rebukes Pope Francis Marcello Pera accuses pontiff of betraying doctrine, tradition ROME (ChurchMilitant.com) - Italy's leading philosopher and close friend of Pope Benedict XVI is lambasting Pope Francis for "openly going against tradition, doctrine and introducing inexplicable innovations, behaviors and gestures." Professor Marcello Pera, an atheist and a vocal opponent of postmodernism and cultural relativism, called the Francis pontificate "a scandal in the biblical sense," as "it confuses and makes the faithful fall, it does not bear fruit, and on the contrary, it diminishes them." As for the foundations of Catholicism, this pontificate is an outrage to reason.Tweet Vocations and Mass attendance have dropped, fundraising is...