Ross Douthat on the Trumpian Side of Pope Francis
The Political Scene | The New Yorker
The New Yorker
4.3 • 3.9K Ratings
🗓️ 16 April 2018
⏱️ 21 minutes
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Summary
As a conservative columnist at the New York Times, Ross Douthat fills the post once held by no less a figure than William Kristol. A devout Catholic, Douthat opposes the progressive direction in which Pope Francis is leading the Church—to prioritize caring for poor people and migrants over opposing abortion and the culture of sexual revolution—even though he acknowledges to David Remnick that this puts him at odds with the Church’s emphasis on mercy. In his new book, “To Change the Church: Pope Francis of the Future of Catholicism,” Douthat provocatively compares Francis to Donald Trump, painting him as a disruptive figure who is determined to bring change fast and damn the consequences.
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| 1:12.0 | I'm Dorothy Wickendon On today's Politics and More podcast, David Remnick talks to New York |
| 1:18.0 | Times columnist Ross Douthit. In his new book about the Catholic Church, Dowthead portrays |
| 1:24.0 | Pope Francis as a disruptive figure, not unlike Donald Trump. |
| 1:31.1 | Last week, Pope Francis issued a statement to Catholics worldwide, something that's called an |
| 1:35.7 | apostolic exhortation. In more than 100 pages, he talks about how to live a holy life in, |
| 1:41.5 | quote, a practical way for our time. |
| 1:48.7 | The document covers many things, but the newspaper headlines singled out this in particular, |
| 1:53.6 | that caring for the poor and for refugees is a vital Catholic duty, |
| 1:57.0 | just as vital in Francis's eyes as opposing abortion. |
| 2:02.1 | That shift in the church's priorities has made Pope Francis quite popular, especially here in the United States, but it's led to some hostility and real resistance to the Pope |
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