THE GREAT POPE-MANICIPATOR

There are two schools of thought on Pope Francis. In one corner, the hardcore fans who believe he has assumed the right hand of Christ on earth, people who think his lectures about global warning and poverty are long overdue, and that he is a savior of the modern era.. one that will create a hybrid of heaven on earth and social justice across the planet.

[caption id="attachment_2596" align="alignright" width="300"] Pope Francis attends a dance presentation during his meeting with the youth in Asuncion, Paraguay, Sunday, July 12, 2015. On his weeklong trip to some of South America’s poorest places, Pope Francis burnished his credentials as a new kind of pontiff, issuing a searing apology for church crimes that are more than half a millennium old and making a pit stop at a Burger King to change clothes and freshen up before celebrating Mass. (AP Photo/Jorge Saenz)[/caption]

The other camp?
Well, quite frankly, they think he is the antichrist and use lots of information, sometimes clumsily clumped together, as proof. The prophecy of the Popes didn't help.. Malachi all but said this is "the end," we are told. And Francis' decrees seem to fit into the thought process that he is heralding over the end times..one social statement at a time.

Enter this little factoid into the ring and watch both sides scuttle: The Pope is going to use Abraham Lincoln's podium from the Gettysburg Address during his late September Philadelphia visit. From the ASSOCIATED PRESS:

The Union League of Philadelphia said Friday it would offer the simple wooden stand for the pontiff to use during his planned speech on immigration and religious liberty.

"Its simple beauty and humble role in one of American history's most important moments reflects, in many ways, Pope Francis' own world view," said Robert Ciaruffoli, president of the World Meeting of Families.

Don't judge. That wouldn't be very Catholic of you.