Pope Francis: Confounding the pundits as an agent of change

Many American Roman Catholics would like to see their church change. In mid-March, the Pew Research Center delivered this poll: 76% of U.S. Catholics countenance birth control; 59% want women as priests; 64% think priests should be allowed to marry.

We’ve been assured by Vatican watchers of all stripes that America’s liberal Catholics are probably going to be disappointed in Pope Francis; the new pontiff, wrote John Allen in the National Catholic Reporter, is “unquestionably orthodox.�

And yet, so far, many American Catholics are not in the least unhappy with their new pope: 73% applaud his election, according to Pew.

Maybe that’s because the relationship between Francis and the faithful is still in the honeymoon stage. Maybe U.S. Catholics are resigned (only 20% think the church will change its position on female priests or married priests by 2050; a slim majority think contraception has a better chance). Maybe Francis is more of a change agent than the pundits realized.

Starting with Pope Benedict XVI’s historic decision to resign his office and the conclave’s vote to make a New World archbishop pontiff, it’s been surprise after happy surprise for some Catholics (for a dyspeptic counter view, read Michael Brendan Dougherty in Slate). Francis may never ordain a woman, but when change has been a long, long time coming, even small steps (especially if they’re taken in plain black shoes) can lift liberal hearts -- not to mention a pope’s American popularity. What will he do next?

SLIDE SHOW: Pope Francis’ small steps to lift liberals’ hearts

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