MAGA Proprio

In a well-written article, Jayd Henricks compares President Trump and Pope Francis, both men who govern with autocaracy and confusion. Here is the best excerpt:

As in Trump World, the Francis papacy is marked by the influence of a small group of advisers whose personal loyalty seems to be their major skill. Penetrating that bubble with differing views seems nearly impossible, which allows ill-informed and biased judgements to go unchallenged. In effect, both leaders tend to govern by personal fiat. President Trump’s flurry of executive orders is an obvious example, and it tracks with Pope Francis’ extensive use of the motu proprio (he has issued motu proprios at a rate of more than five times that of John Paul II and Benedict XVI). This reflects an arbitrariness that, at least in the case of Pope Francis, creates significant instability within the global community he leads. So many of the motu proprios that come from the Holy Father’s desk seem to be spontaneous acts that lack any effort at consultation or legal vetting. This very quickly takes on the appearance of governance by whim, which then fosters discouragement, confusion, and disunity.

But you should read the entire thing if you can: 

https://whatweneednow.substack.com/p/the-president-and-the-pope

Here is a point I have been trying to make all along, how we need a pope who has read the CCC:

The pope moralizes in broad terms, missing opportunities to catechize the faithful about the issue in a way that would draw them more deeply into the Church’s rich tradition. He employs little theological precision or even concern for such precision, which opens him up to easy criticism.