Sounding more and more like a politician and less and less like a pope, Pope Francis threw out this one for his American critics who view him as just a bit too political. According to Fox News:

Pope Francis told a reporter on Wednesday it was an "honor" to be the subject of attacks from American religious conservatives and their Catholic allies. The pope was speaking with French journalist Nicholas Seneze, the author of "How America Wants to Change Popes," when he responded to his American critics while heading to Mozambique for a three-day tour of sub-Saharan Africa. His stances on climate change, immigration, homosexuality and theology have garnered heavy criticism from politicians and conservative Catholics and commentators. Some critics have demanded his resignation. “It’s an honor that the Americans attack me,” the pontiff told Seneze.

Interesting that he characterized his critics as "the Americans" instead of 'the conservatives.' After all, the U.S. Church (and nearly all U.S. religious denominations) actually do have plenty of leftists -- they're actually dominated by them.

Which goes to show just how coldly he views the United States with all its famous freedoms, calling to mind that like the late Venezuelan socialist dictator Hugo Chavez, he's never spent appreciable time in the U.S. He knows nothing of democracy, other than the Peronist balcony-descamisados kind practiced in Argentina with its famous Argentine economic consequences. The U.S. practice of freely speaking one's mind and questioning authority that's failing unsettles him. He gets mad. If he's the good guy, then someone who criticizes him is the devil, which of course is why it's an 'honor.' The U.S. and all its freedom is a bad place, see, but he'd nevertheless like all the world's illegal migrants he claims to champion to somehow be here.

Which goes to show the depth of his confusion and resentment.

But the big problem is that he's now acting like a politician, not a spiritual leader, not the successor to St. Peter. Politicians love to throw the middle finger and say 'backatcha' to their critics (as the late Nelson Rockefeller once did), or come out swinging at their critics, as President Trump is willing to do. It's effective politically.

But it sure as heck isn't becoming of a religious leader who presumably spends his time in contemplation. Not this guy.

The pope's Vatican handlers are now cleaning up the mess left after that one:

“The pope was speaking in an informal context in which he wanted to say that he always considers criticism an honor, particularly when it comes from authoritative thinkers, in this case, those in an important nation,” he said.

In other words, they're saying the pope considers everything an honor, like he's some la-di-da guy out there thinking only noble things. But we heard him the first time. He's angry, he hates Americans, he has a problem with critics, he's sarcastic as heck, and he descends rapidly into the mud of political mudslinging.

What a wretched, sorry, picture. He's down for the count to put himself into the Medieval leagues of battling popes.

Image credit: Zebra48bo, via Wikimedia Commons // CC BY-SA 4.0