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Francis must be understood in the ministry of Christ and especially of His passion. This is the promise of the church that has been unfulfilled for ages.
Humanists have disparaged the church for its weak witness and inability to sacrifice itself. Francis is turning this around, making it clear that only the church is capable of witnessing to Christ but it must do so with humility and in poverty.
This is not a liberal doctrine. Liberals seek their own authority and build temples to their power. Francis speaks eloquently to the terror that follows in the footsteps of this rise of the beast. Today liberals are convinced Francis is speaking on their behalf. Soon they will begin to turn on him as they understand the deep Christian spiritual convictions he is espousing.
There is a winnowing occurring in this ministry. Conservatives who are proud of their status and achievements will turn against Francis. Human rights advocates will become his enemies. The sword of the Word will slice through falsehood and pretense.
I am profoundly excited, as a non Catholic, about Francis’ ministry. A shaking up is coming. Those who have been made low by the authority of clericism will be raised up. Those who have elevated themselves will be thrown down. Tables will be turned. A crucifixion is coming followed by a resurrection that will rebirth humanity in the Way of God.

Louis Foxwell: This is a Catholic Caucus where you must be an active Catholic...

...but as a non-threatening poster I give leeway to your post in here.

Well put. I will admit that I wish Francis would be a little more cautious in his statements, but of course, Benedict was extremely cautious and the media still twisted his words to say whatever they wanted to hear.

Louis, Thank you for your good words. I wrote much the same in my parish newsletter, which will reprint here:

Former janitor, nightclub bouncer, chemical technician and literature teacher named Time Mag’s “Person of the Year”

By now --- weeks after the Big News --- anything that could be said about Pope Francis being Time’s Person of the Year has already been Twittered, briefly registered in the mind, and dropped into the black hole of media memory.
There’s no doubt that our Holy Father is Mr. Big from a media point of view. He was 2013’s most talked-about topic on Facebook (!), beating the British Royal Baby, Barak Obama and --- pitiful to even have to mention it --- Miley Cyrus. He scores huge favorables not only amongst Catholics, but almost equally from other Christians, and, across most categories, from the world at large.
“Woe to you when all men speak well of you…” (Luke 6:26) Now why did that pop into my mind?
Just as Pope Benedict had the burden of being hated by ninnies who had no idea what he was talking about, Pope Francis has the (perhaps heavier) burden of being loved for --- all too often --- the same reason.
People said Benedict loved luxury: really? An old man of 78 --- at the time of his election --- whose only personal possessions were several crates of books, a piano, and a cat?
People say Francis is doctrinally loosey-goosey: really? A pastor who constantly preaches on the Sacrament of Penance and on the Marital Sanctity of “one flesh, one life from the two, Male and Female only”? And has the same view of Poverty and Wealth that’s in the Prophets of Israel and the Fathers of the Church?
Holy Father Chrysostom! Check out Isaiah and Amos before you say another word!
I personally expect (fear? hope?) that Francis will suffer and/or be glorified along the same general lines as his Master. One Sunday it will be “Ho-sanna, Hey-sanna, Pope Frank Superstar,” and by Friday of the same week, it’ll be “Nail him and knife him.”
I recently saw a video of screaming demonstrators mobbing a Catholic church in Buenos Aires, abusing young Catholic men, and burning Pope Francis in effigy
---http://tinyurl.com/chanting-burning
Look at it. It’s painful. It’s the path trod by the Lord. As Flannery O’Connor wrote, “People think the Faith is a big electric blanket, when of course it is the Cross.”

By he way, do check out the linked video. Watch i as long as you can stand it. It's a real eye-opener.