Some Conservatives Balk At Pope Francis' Message
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Catholics all around the nation are welcoming Pope Francis to America.
However, some conservative Catholics are concerned that parts of his message aren't exactly traditional.
As CBS 2's Derrick Blakley reports, it's a change for any Pope to address climate change. In his first remarks on U.S. soil, that's exactly what Pope Francis did.
"We must commit to care for our common home," he said.
That's a commitment that rubs conservatives the wrong way.
Mary Ann Hackett, of Catholic Citizens of Illinois, says: "Some of the things he's into, I wish he weren't into. Climate is one of them and talking about the economy."
Like other conservatives, she's concerned that the pope has strongly criticized capitalism and spoken less about sexuality and abortion.
"I think the fact that we've killed 54 million babies in our country in 42 years, that's something to be obsessed about. It's a tragedy and it says what kind of people we are."
Pope Francis hasn't altered doctrine, but his approach is strikingly different.
"Under the two previous popes, there was a kind of admission ticket to the church," said Susan Ross, chair of Loyola's Theology Department. "Do you follow church teachings on these issues?"
Ross says Francis puts people first.
"He's just opened the doors. Everybody's welcome; everybody can come in. His approach is very non-judgmental."
But criticizing this pope, or any pope, makes conservatives inherently ill-at-ease.
"I respect the papacy and the person who's serving as pope," said Hackett. "I'm just concerned about some of the issues he's addressing, which seem more political than religious."
Conservatives also chafed at the pope's role in re-opening diplomatic ties between the United States and Cuba.
But they point out that in his climate change encyclical, Francis strongly criticized abortion, euthanasia, and transgenderism.
They claim liberals in the media chose not to focus on this pope's conservative values.
