Columnist for The Independent Liz O’Donnell hearts Pope Francis. She thinks he’s really shaking up the Church, so much so that she feels the need to warn the pope that “conservative” Catholics might just kill the pope.

On the economy and the “modern tyranny” of unfettered capitalism, he decries “the idolatry of money and the dictatorship of an impersonal economy lacking a truly human purpose”.

Given such radical views and desire to be accessible I would have concerns for his personal safety. Such reforms will inevitably upset many conservatives and his celebrity status could make him a target for assassination. Unique people like Pope Francis come along once in a generation, and they can be taken away in a second of madness or evil. What a tragedy if his safety was compromised by any relaxation in his security detail . . .

This kind of thing doesn’t even really bug me. It’s too stupid to get all fired up about but it does highlight how “conservative” Catholics are viewed by many, which is to say not as Catholics at all but frothing at the mouth, money hungry Neanderthals who don’t like banjos at Mass, love babies, and hate women. That pretty much sums it up, right?

*subhead*Nuts.*subhead*