Look, I am a devotee of Dr. David L. Schindler, one of the foremost theological critics of the American conception of the human person, politics, the state, religion, economics, just about everything you can think of. I have NO issue at all with critiquing the parts of American Catholicism which ally themselves to a value-voters, pro-free market, pro-American democracy for all worldview.

Nevertheless, the Spadaro-Figueroa article sweeps literally every American Catholic who does not align themselves exclusively with Francis' view of the Church and the world in the same dustbin. It's wildly off the mark.

Reality check: Pope Francis and the folks condemned by the Civilta article are TWO SIDES OF THE SAME COIN. As much as they want to claim that Francis seeks to disentangle "spirituality" from civil affairs, his actions do not line up. He uses the papacy as a political bully pulpit. Lest we forget the influence held by Card. Parolin nowadays in Rome. Premier Catholic political office.