Why people keep blathering on about the new Pope being a reformer is beyond me. Not only has he not actually changed anything or even attempted to do so, he can't even talk about change in any substantial way. This should not surprise any one who has ever attempted to study Christianity and the various other world religions. When they change at all it is very slowly and in very small increments. The Religious News Service has recently added a new feature wherein they share a quotation from the Pope. One such quote I found particularly revealing in how it reflects both Catholicism and Christianity more generally.
“I try to maintain the same way of being and of acting that I had in Buenos Aires, because if I were to change at my age it would certainly be ridiculous.” – Pope Francis, in a letter to a priest friend in his native Argentina, quoted by the Zenit news agency.
What would make change ridiculous? Why would your age matter? Shouldn't it be a goal of every thoughtful person to constantly assess and re-assess what you believe and why? Nope, nope when it comes to religion. I cannot think of a single religion that encourages critical thinking in regard to itself. It is, of course, fine to critique other faiths but never their own. Even when they make claims to the contrary they never actually do so. Occasionally they will pretend to self-evaluate but the moment you look into their process/method you can easily find all sorts of double standards and special pleading.
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