Patrick T. Brown

Make no mistake - we're down the rabbit hole. Seeing mainstream media treat Pope Francis as the same sort of front-cover sales lift as Jennifer Lawrence and Brad Pitt is a welcome, if bizarro-world, sensation for Catholics who grew up in the shadow of the sex abuse scandals and criticism of Church activity in the public square. When the spiritual leader formerly known as Jorge Mario Bergoglio makes global breaking news by stating for the record that he is not a Marxist . it is clear that we're in unprecedented territory (not to mention BuzzFeed, that noted arbiter of cultural newsworthiness, and its " 19 Best Pope Francis Moments of 2013 ").

"Catholic liberalism didn’t go into eclipse because it failed to let the Vatican dictate every jot and tittle of its social agenda. Rather, it lost influence because it failed to articulate any kind of clear Catholic difference, within the bigger liberal tent, on issues like abortion, sex and marriage. "Now the challenge for conservative Catholics is to do somewhat better in our turn, and to spend the Francis era not in opposition but seeking integration — meaning an economic vision that remains conservative, but in the details reminds the world that our Catholic faith comes first."