Is anyone surprised in the slightest by the election of another anti-gay crusader as pope? The utterly stubborn intransigence of the Catholic Church leadership to bend to modern thought and practice is potentially the reason so many are fleeing the church.

Pope Francis. Image: guardian.co.uk

Pope Francis is a conservative who is anti-gay marriage and anti-gay adoption. He has described same-sex marriage as the work of the devil and a “destructive attack on God’s plan.” He has also said that gay adoption is a form of discrimination against children.

via Pope Francis Against Gay Marriage, Gay Adoption.| Huffington Post

Of course, there’s also the recent analysis of the General Social Survey (GSS) that notes that in 1990 approximately 8% of Americans reported no religious affiliation, while today’s percentage is 20%. A huge societal shift in just over 20 years.

Why is this, I wonder? Perhaps it has something to do with the mule-like insistence of religious leaders to look to the past and not to the future for answers.