Hi
scooter, by "orthodox Catholic" I definitely
don't mean that I am the type of Catholic Mel Gibson is. Gibson is in fact a member of a breakaway sect of Catholics who reject Vatican II and only accept old Tridentine Latin Mass as legitimate. They believe that the last true pope was Pius XII. They are called the Society of St. Pius X, and they are outside of the mainstream Church.
By "orthodox Catholic" I simply mean that I am a believing, practicing member of the Catholic Church. I accept it's Sacraments and respect it's teachings...even the ones that I don't necessarily agree with(artificial birth control).
Sadly, I also agree with
La Rae's estimation of the Jesuits. Once they were known as "the Pope's Army" because of their fidelity to the pontiff and the Church. But with a few exceptions, I think they have lost their way and become full of intellectual pride and arrogance. The late Paul VI once described the Order as having "sinister" elements.
It's very sad.
For the record, I do not think Pope Francis is a typical Jesuit at all. He is both learned and humble, and he obviously loves Christ and the Church.
John Paul II would not have elevated him to the College of Cardinals otherwise. He was very much loved by John Paul II, and
La Rae is right. When the media and certain elements on the Left figure out that on matters of traditional Catholic doctrine he is as orthodox as JPII, the love affair will end rather quickly.
I also think it's very significant that despite the new Pope's personal popularity it has not translated in a return to Church for disaffected Catholics according to recent polls. It's as I always suspected...apostates don't return to the Church and the Sacraments because of who the Pope is, or because they find him warm and appealing.
They leave the Church because they lose their faith, and who the Pope is does not matter.