Hi: Just my opinion: As you noted, Father Justin, both West and Pope Francis observe the consumerism and brokenness of our culture. West is artistic and does that brilliantly. You also noted a difference between the 2. West enjoys describing conflicting pleasure challenges to him, the challenge to be good vs. succumbing to his desires, as though the pain of the choice becomes a penalty of suffering for him that permits him to indulge himself further in what he knows are sinful pursuits. He finally turns to God, and acts better when he was getting divorced and losing monies. But he is not fully there yet.
Pope Francis is a priest, from Buenos Aires, Argentina, a very corrupt Socialist Marxist country in which people disappear by the thousands, and there are no investigations. It has harbored the leading Nazis who got away from Germany after the War. His parents were from Italy, and likely spoke Italian at home. Pope Francis seems to be very fluent in Italian, knows Portuguese, and of course Spanish. He might be thought of as an Italian pope, but he is not European Italian. He is Argentinian. He has had to deal with indigenous populations of the South American continent, a very secular socialist communist-sympathizing ruling Caucasian oligarchy in Argentina as Bishop and Cardinal, and that may explain his accommodation in practice of liberal attitudes. He wants everyone to go to heaven, so he is too forgiving, while calling attention to the problems. I think that he is at times at a loss to solve problems as a prelate in Italy. I was very critical of him myself until I watched him on EWTN during his recent visit to Canada. I was impressed with his handling of Trudeau, the accusations of priests misbehaving with children, his endearing visit to an indigenous Catholic tribe in the Artic circle when there was no Canadian government visible. Francis may even want to retire as did Ratzinger, giving his arthritis as his excuse, due to the overwhelming problems within the Church--the German bishops OKing homosexual marriage, Vatican scandals with monies, etc. Actually, I do not really know what goes on in the Vatican or with the Pope. I am inferring from news reports.
I have come to have a gentler view of Francis than I used to have. He is not personally like West, in my view, although both define modern social conflicts. West does so poetically aggressively hypomanically. Unlike West, Francis, to me, is a priest in control of himself; he does not personally misbehave or create personal scandal; he is just concerned for the Church in our modern times and is an awkward pope at times.
Hi: Just my opinion: As you noted, Father Justin, both West and Pope Francis observe the consumerism and brokenness of our culture. West is artistic and does that brilliantly. You also noted a difference between the 2. West enjoys describing conflicting pleasure challenges to him, the challenge to be good vs. succumbing to his desires, as though the pain of the choice becomes a penalty of suffering for him that permits him to indulge himself further in what he knows are sinful pursuits. He finally turns to God, and acts better when he was getting divorced and losing monies. But he is not fully there yet.
Pope Francis is a priest, from Buenos Aires, Argentina, a very corrupt Socialist Marxist country in which people disappear by the thousands, and there are no investigations. It has harbored the leading Nazis who got away from Germany after the War. His parents were from Italy, and likely spoke Italian at home. Pope Francis seems to be very fluent in Italian, knows Portuguese, and of course Spanish. He might be thought of as an Italian pope, but he is not European Italian. He is Argentinian. He has had to deal with indigenous populations of the South American continent, a very secular socialist communist-sympathizing ruling Caucasian oligarchy in Argentina as Bishop and Cardinal, and that may explain his accommodation in practice of liberal attitudes. He wants everyone to go to heaven, so he is too forgiving, while calling attention to the problems. I think that he is at times at a loss to solve problems as a prelate in Italy. I was very critical of him myself until I watched him on EWTN during his recent visit to Canada. I was impressed with his handling of Trudeau, the accusations of priests misbehaving with children, his endearing visit to an indigenous Catholic tribe in the Artic circle when there was no Canadian government visible. Francis may even want to retire as did Ratzinger, giving his arthritis as his excuse, due to the overwhelming problems within the Church--the German bishops OKing homosexual marriage, Vatican scandals with monies, etc. Actually, I do not really know what goes on in the Vatican or with the Pope. I am inferring from news reports.
I have come to have a gentler view of Francis than I used to have. He is not personally like West, in my view, although both define modern social conflicts. West does so poetically aggressively hypomanically. Unlike West, Francis, to me, is a priest in control of himself; he does not personally misbehave or create personal scandal; he is just concerned for the Church in our modern times and is an awkward pope at times.
Dora