By Christopher Lamb, CNN

 8 minute read 

Published 8:50 AM EST, Wed December 13, 2023

In one corner: Pope Francis, who insists on a merciful Catholic Church open to everyone, a “field hospital” ready to bind up the wounds of a suffering humanity. In the other corner: a small but vocal minority that has set itself against the Pontiff and his reforms.

A showdown between the two is underway.

The unofficial leader of the opposition is US Cardinal Raymond Burke, one of the church’s legal experts and a figure whose style and approach harken back to the church of a different era and whose views closely align with those in its traditionalist wing. Francis, while maintaining he upholds the church’s doctrine and principles, has tried to move the church on from some of those customs he sees as hampering its mission.

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Those who oppose Francis say they are deeply concerned about his openness to giving communion to divorced and remarried Catholics, along with his pastoral welcome to LGBTQ people. They don’t like his focus on migrants and the climate crisis, and they want a pope instead who lays down the law and presents doctrine in black-and-white terms.

This Pope preaches for a humbler church, one focused on service and which seeks to bring the Christian message into the world.

While the attacks on him are likely to have stung, Francis has frequently turned the other cheek, going so far as to say he does not seek to crack down on opponents; he’s also appointed to Vatican departments leaders who held different views than his own.

Now, though, in the 11th year of his papacy, the Pope is taking more assertive measures to tackle some of the opposition he’s been facing, which is centered in the US – where American politics also may be in play – and in certain Roman circles.

With his 87th birthday Sunday and as he battles health issues, he doesn’t have time to waste.

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Suggested reading for living in the image of the Loving and the Most Merciful God by Zia H Shah MD, Chief Editor of the Muslim Times:

Thirty Plus Quotes from the Poet of Love

We are all living in the Womb of God-the-Mother, 13.8 billion Years Pregnancy

Two Hundred Verses about Compassionate Living in the Quran

A Message of Compassion and Love from the Holy Bible

True Fasting: A Message of Compassion and Love from the Old Testament

Abou Ben Adhem, A Compassionate Man

‘Love Hormone,’ How it works in Hospitality?

‘Love Hormone’ Oxytocin May Enhance Feelings Of Spirituality

I am a Jew, a Catholic, a Christian and a Muslim; I am Zia H Shah

Abdul Sattar Edhi: No religion is higher than humanity