Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Catholic
History and Religion
Why is Pope Francis So Loved by Theological Liberals?

Why is Pope Francis So Loved by Theological Liberals?

Last updated on: June 6, 2026 at 12:42 am by Dave Armstrong

Why is Pope Francis So Loved by Theological Liberals? 2026-06-06T00:42:05-04:00 Dave Armstrong

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

See book and purchase information.

***

It’s because they are desperate for [one they wrongly believe to be] “one of them” to subvert and control the despised Catholic Church. They played this game with Pope St. John XXIII (who to this day is pretended to be a liberal) and (initially) Pope St. John Paul the Great also. Extreme wishful thinking and a twisting of the facts into their own agendas. . .

I have pointed out that my “hero” St. John Henry Cardinal Newman is also regularly lied about as supposedly being a liberal, 125 years after his death. The rumor was as ridiculous when he was alive as it is now, and was shot down by none other than Pope St. Pius X.

Charmaine Hess wrote:

Even Dave Armstrong admitted a few weeks ago that he would be in a crisis come October if things turn out in a bad way. I was surprised to see him say it (to even entertain the thought),

Yes “even” Dave Armstrong did, and the fact that this surprises Charmaine so much is yet another evidence that she has little clue as to what I am about. The difference between me and many others is that I wait to see what actually happens at these synods, rather than spread mud and dirty laundry and rumors and hysterics all over the place for the world to see.

I believe in faith that the Church will not change her moral teachings, because she never has up till now. That was a major reason why I became a Catholic in 1990: her unique traditional moral teachings.

That’s why I said that if the unthinkable actually happened, I would be in crisis and would have to seriously rethink things. I don’t expect it to happen at all and am not worried about it day and night like so many of you because I trust that God knows what He is doing and is guiding His Church as always.

I wrote about this question over a year ago in the Introduction to my book, Pope Francis Explained:

It seems that everyone wants to make the pope (like they often do with God Himself) into their own image. Those outside the Church do this in proportion to how “contra-Catholic” or secular they are: up to and including atheists; as well as dissenting modernists and theological liberals within the Church (the “cafeteria” / pick and choose types).

These all want him to be so-called “progressive” and are more than willing to project this attribute onto him, in a huge campaign of wishful thinking, if in fact it is not there. This group includes (very much so) the media.

They long and yearn and (except for the atheists) pray for the day when a truly “enlightened” pope will come around to bring the Church out of the “Dark Ages” into our marvelously happy and fulfilled modern world: one who will fundamentally change things. This latter expectation, in turn, reveals their own fundamental ignorance about the role of the papacy and the scope of his power, as one who preserves tradition and dogma.

On the other end of the scale, the radical Catholic reactionaries, on the extreme right on the Catholic ecclesiological spectrum and a hair’s breadth away from schism, exaggerate new popes’ differences (if any) from previous popes, and become needlessly alarmed that the Church is revising or transforming itself; going to pot because of the new “liberal” pope.

Or, conversely, if they actually like the new pope (as they did, Pope Benedict XVI; as did also, mainstream “traditionalists”), they do the same, but in an approving, rather than disapproving sense.

Thus, we have a scenario whereby folks on both the “left” and the “right” of the theological spectrum massively misinterpret what a new pope says and does. I aim to show both factions the errors and illusions of their ways.

People complain about Pope Francis in numerous ways. Me, I like variety. It’s the spice of life. Pope St. John Paul II was the Philosopher, Benedict VXI, the Theologian, and Francis, the Pastor. I love all three things and all three brilliant men.

I always say that the average pastor of an evangelical church (like the ones I used to attend) has far more day-to-day influence than popes do in Catholics’ lives (in a practical sense). So if this pope stumbles someone, they should ignore him and wait till the next one. What they should not do is spread their doubts and concerns all over Facebook. There is no need for that. If they must talk about it, I urge (and beg!) them to do it privately.

The anti-Catholics are already having a field day mocking and laughing at us because of all the ridiculous in-fighting about the pope. If I were still evangelical today, viewing all this stuff, I would have utterly despised it and would have said something like, “Good grief! Catholics running down the pope day and night? Don’t they understand how their own ecclesiology and protocol work?”

I would have regarded it as the most absurd thing in the world. I had far more respect for popes as an evangelical than 90% of the [Catholic] people do, whom I observe running him down constantly. But my conversion was never based on how people behaved. I saw far more personal commitment to discipleship in evangelicalism than in Catholicism.

That wasn’t the basis (and never should be). I’m here because I believe Catholicism to be true and the Catholic Church to be the one established by our Lord Jesus Christ.

As to the pope’s orthodoxy, in addition to my 169 defenses of him and 348 by myself and others, see in particular:

Documentation: Pope Francis is Orthodox, Pro-Tradition and Against Modernism (Dan Marcum, Catholic Answers Forum, 1-9-15)

Pope Francis, Cardinal Newman, & Fresh (Orthodox) Presentations (Dave Armstrong, Biblical Evidence for Catholicism, 1-29-18)

Pope Francis On . . .[31 different issues] (Mark Mallett, The Now Word, 4-24-18)

***

(originally 2-21-15 on Facebook)

***

Liberal / Modernist Theology

Papacy & Infallibility

progressive Catholics

Theological Liberalism

Previous Post

April 8, 2020

Abp. Viganò Whopper #289: Pope Forbids All Evangelism (?)

Next Post

April 9, 2020 Bible on Reverent Posture for Worship & Communion

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category & Last Things About Me Anti-Catholicism Atheism & Agnosticism Baptism and Sacramentalism Bible and Tradition Blessed Virgin Mary Books by Dave Armstrong C. S. Lewis Calvinism & General Protestantism Catholic Apologetics Catholic Apologists Catholic conversion Catholic converts Christmas Church (Ecclesiology) Church History Conversion and Converts Development of Doctrine Eastern Orthodoxy Ecumenism & Christian Unity Eucharist & Liturgy Fathers of the Church French Translations G. K. Chesterton Hell Hell & Satan Hell & Satan & Last Things Heresies & Comparative Religion Holistic Health Inquisition & Crusades & Scandals James White Jews & Judaism & Old Testament John Calvin John Henry Newman Liberal / Modernist Theology Life Issues Literary Resume Lutheranism Mariology Martin Luther Music Orthodoxy Papacy & Infallibility Personal Page Philosophy & Science Political & Ethical & Moral Issues Protestant Persecution & Intolerance Protestantism Purgatory Purgatory & Penance Romantic & Imaginative Theology Saints & Purgatory & Penance Salvation Salvation & Justification Satan & Last Things Sexuality and Gender Issues Spanish Translations Traditionalism vs. Radical Catholic Reactionaries Traducciones al español / tradução para português Trinitarianism & Christology Uncategorized Videos

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 April 2010 March 2010 December 2009 October 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 March 2009 February 2009 October 2008 September 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 May 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 October 2005 June 2005 April 2005 February 2005 July 2004 May 2004 April 2004

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz