Karl Keating on Phil Lawler’s Pope book

Philip Lawler, the editor at Catholic World News, has a new book coming out February 26: Lost Shepherd: How Pope Francis is Misleading His Flock (On December 19 I critiqued the book’s cover in a Facebook post.)

In the introduction Lawler says that, over the course of several years, “I did my best to provide assurance—for my readers and sometimes for myself—that despite his sometimes alarming remarks, Francis was not a radical, was not leading the Church away from the ancient sources of the Faith. But gradually, reluctantly, I came to the conclusion that he was.”

Unlike some of the most vocal critics of this pope, Lawler took his time and gave him the benefit of every doubt. The result is 256 pages that lay out recent history well, without exaggeration or histrionics and with enough to substantiate Lawler’s reluctant conclusions.

Toward the end of the introduction he says, “I found I could no longer pretend that Francis was merely offering a novel interpretation of Catholic doctrine. No, it was more than that. He was engaged in a deliberate effort to change what the Church teaches.”

continue at Cal Catholic

I'm reading the yet to be unmasked author's book The Dictator Pope after recommendation of a friend.

I know I haven't chimed in much on the Vatican news of the day, I just read and pray, and honestly I think a lot about the cardinals whom voted for him, not out of malice or whatever, but certain cardinals who championed the "moderate" approach to Catholic issues seem to be either a) exposed for what they really believe or b) so naive they voted for a man recommended by notorious members of the St Gallen Mafia.  If the answer is b, it will be a very heavy cross to carry.