You know what you don't see in those headlines? Any mention of God. On the contrary, if the words "pope" and "Church" weren't included, one could assume a CEO or politician had passed.

What does that tell you? It tells you exactly how the press views Christians and what their hopes for Francis were. The proliferation of the Gospel, you know, the entire purpose of Christianity as a religion, doesn't even register with these people. Instead, the Church only exists to serve left-wing secular wants. In that context, "reform" is simply code for secularization.

The press truly wanted Francis to use his role to change church doctrine on things like homosexuality, gay marriage, and sin as a whole. It never crossed the average journalist's mind what the Bible says about those things, nor why Church doctrine is what it is. Everything is a political game to them, and if that meant perverting an institution like the Catholic Church to achieve their ends, that was just fine with them.

That's not how any of this is supposed to work. Christians are not supposed to bend their viewpoints to the world's hedonistic views, and though I disagreed with Francis on several issues, I likewise disagreed with those who saw him as a vehicle for their political wants. The Church, no matter what denomination, is not supposed to be a plaything for left-wingers. It's not supposed to "reform" so that people can feel better about their sin. It is supposed to preach the unvarnished, unchanging Gospel of Jesus Christ.