How Pope Francis could turn out to be a stealth reformer

Some expect the pope to openly challenge church doctrine at an upcoming summit. But he's likely to go for a wink and a nudge instead.

Pope Francis
(Image credit: (REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji))

Remember when Pope Francis' pontificate was going to be all about doctrinal reform?

After 34 years of reactionary Catholicism under Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI, the story went, Francis was going to tear down the curtains and throw open the windows to let the brisk air and bright sunshine of modernity into the church. Picking up where Pope John XXIII left off when he convened the Second Vatican Council, the new pontiff would engage with the modern world, drop the defensiveness about feminism and sex, and move the church toward an embrace of liberal morals and democratic norms.

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Damon Linker

Damon Linker is a senior correspondent at TheWeek.com. He is also a former contributing editor at The New Republic and the author of The Theocons and The Religious Test.