At least with respect to how the pope conducts himself in relation to the secular powers, lecturing as if he has authority over them and as if they would be listening.
CNA/CWR: Pope Francis warns of a coronavirus ‘genocide’ if economy prioritized over people
Echoing the concerns of some Catholics (R.R. Reno) and conservatives. With what competence does he have to make this judgment, and why should his opinion count more than R.R. Reno's? After all, there is no guarantee that his judgment of particular circumstances are correct, nor a guarantee that he has the gift of political prudence. There is no guarantee that he has learned moral theology well, either. These statements amount to nothing more than royal nagging.
So much of the power of the patriarch of Rome would be taken away if the news media would stop covering everything he says. If Latin news media stopped reporting on the pope, would they be able to stay in business? Would they have any reason to exist? Maybe Latin laity, if they wish to see a reform of the papacy, should stop patronizing Latin news media and give their reasons for doing so.
As for the pope's presence in social media, which is in accordance with certain claims by Rome about the office of the bishop of Rome, does social media pass on charismatic gifts? Or does it produce instead counterfeits of Christian spirituality, one of which can be identified as the cult of personality surrounding the bishop of Rome? Do the charismatic gifts instead require a face-to-face interaction that is built upon authentic witness, trust, and accountability? To know that someone is an authentic witness of Christ, we must be familiar with his character and this is possible only through our observations of his words and deeds.
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