Pope Francis, described as friendly and charismatic, has gained fans both within, and from outside of, the Catholic Church. His popularity is the result of denouncing extreme capitalism, warning about global warming, and urging the church to show compassion and mercy toward divorced couples and women who have had abortions.
But he has also sparked a strange trend. The same conspiracy theories and political slurs used against President Barack Obama are now being used against Pope Francis, and essentially by the same people. One self-righteous critic has said the two leaders have morphed into one sinister figure, he calls “Popama.”
The Obamification of Pope Francis includes charges from Republican critics he is a socialist, the Antichrist, an illegitimately elected pope who wants to create a “New World Order,” or all of the above. Their anger and frustration was captured by the headline:
“Pope Francis is the Catholic Church’s Obama — God help us.”
One of the claims used in arguing the Pope has been Obamified says he is a stealth socialist. Pope Francis’ observations on faith and finance have started a theological firestorm. He has said the poor have the “sacred rights” of land, lodging, and labor. He said the “unfettered pursuit of money” is the “dung of the devil” and has called world leaders “cowards” for refusing to defend the Earth from being stripped of resources and poisoned.
Denise C. McAllister (R), a senior contributor to the Federalist, a conservative online magazine covering politics, religion and culture, said the Pope’s social justice schemes are “immoral” and similar to Obama’s “socialist ideology.”
During a speech in Bolivia in July, he called on the poor to rise up against “new colonialism,” including corporations, loan agencies, free trade treaties, and austerity measures.
Pope Francis has also been called the Antichrist. In July, Jennifer LeClaire, of Charisma magazine, asked her readers to Google “Is Pope Francis Antichrist?” The search produced 425,000 hits, she wrote in her column.
One Pope Francis critic, using the name Paul Joseph C., edits The Wild Voice, a Catholic website about current events and subjects such as “the mark of the beast” and the “Illuminati.” He states both President Obama and Pope Francis are both cunning figures, but that the Pope is even more dangerous. Paul Joseph C. says,
“We are in the presence of a very powerful political figure, the likes of which we have never witnessed before. Pope Francis is not a legitimately elected holy vicar of Jesus Christ as many believe, but he is the very igniter of a new world.
Pope Frances has also been described as being on an ‘Apology Tour.’ After President Obama was elected, critics said he spent too much time apologizing for the sins of America. Republican extremists called the President’s early international tours, a “Barack Obama’s Apology Tour.”
In Bolivia, Pope Francis apologized for the Catholic Church’s treatment of Native Americans.
“I humbly ask forgiveness, not only for the offense of the church herself,” Francis said, “but also for crimes committed against the native peoples during the so-called conquest of America.”
During a visit to an Italian church, the Pope Francis apologized for past persecution of Pentecostals under Italy’s 20th century fascist government.
The apologies irritated Adam Shaw, an editor for FoxNews.com, so much, he wrote the opinion piece, “Pope Francis is the Catholic Church’s Obama — God Help Us.” Shaw wrote,
“Just like President Obama loved apologizing for America, Pope Francis likes to apologize for the Catholic Church, thinking that the church is at its best when it is passive and not offending anyone’s sensibilities.”
