The Death of Pope Francis Reveals How Shallow Lie the Rocks of Sectarianism in England

As is customary after the death of any Pope, a slew of carefully airbrushed eulogies has emerged, dutifully praising Pope Francis as a humble reformer and darling of the progressive elite. But strip away the hagiography, and what remains is a legacy of division and disorientation in the Catholic Church.

To the secular left, Francis was the acceptable face of Catholicism—vaguely spiritual, ideologically convenient, and endlessly quotable on climate change and immigration. But to many faithful Catholics—especially traditionalists—he was a figure of profound confusion and contradiction. Beneath his carefully cultivated image of pastoral compassion lies an astonishing record of protecting, promoting, and rehabilitating some of the most morally compromised men in the Church.