For Pope Francis, the first pope from the Americas, the Catholic Church in the United States continues to be a particularly challenging part of his flock. American Catholicism in particular highlights the polarization of the church into those who embrace Francis, and the vocal and often influential minority who see him as a threat to the faith.
Five years since Francis became pope, and nearly three since he made his first visit to the U.S., his relationship with U.S. Catholics is entering a new phase, one in which the divide that separates Catholics on either side of the culture wars has hardened.
This hardening comes as Francis' pontificate can no longer be considered a transitional and provisional papacy. He has now been bishop of Rome longer than St. John XXIII was pope. And the far-reaching changes that Francis has made in such a short time remind us of the changes shepherded by the pope who called Vatican II.
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