The Pope and cursed media

                             While delivering a peace message in the Vatican this week, Pope Francis uttered a swear word, the Big One.
                             The papal solecism set social media ablaze.  The story went viral.  News outlets around the world led their pages with it.
                             "Pope Francis: Potty mouth," was the headline at Yahoo News.  Even stodgy National Public Radio couldn't resist the story, posting this: "Pope Francis Lets Vulgarity Slip During Vatican Address."
                            Except the facts show the story wasn't as advertised.
                            On Tuesday, as the Pope, a native Spanish speaker, delivered remarks in Italian, he stumbled over the pronunciation of "caso," which means "example."  He mispronounced it "cazzo" which, depending on its context, is the Italian Mother of All Swear Words.
                            The Pope corrected himself and moved on with his speech, which was a plea for peace in Ukraine.  Those remarks received scant coverage or analysis.  Instead, the giddy reporting was about how the Pope uttered a vulgarity ------- just like all of us!
                            It is the latest caricature of Pope Francis as an earthy anti-pope, a humble community activist quietly plotting to liberalize church doctrine on contraception, the meaning of marriage, and ordaining women as priests.  And he swears, too!
                            In previous episodes, Eugenio Scalfari, editor of the lefty Italian newspaper La Repubblica, declared that Pope Francis "has abolished sin.  In October, the European and U.S. press was giddy with speculation that Francis would appoint a woman cardinal.  And you could hear champagne corks popping in The New York Times newsroom when he criticized "trickle-down" economics.
                            He is enthusiastically portrayed as a kind of secular, Catholic Obama, even as the pope condemns "adolescent progressivism" and calls same-sex marriage "anthropological regression".
                            Though Francis' pastoral tone, particularly when speaking about the poor, seems fresh to secularists, Catholics regularly hear the same at Mass.  Francis isn't plotting to overturn church doctrine, but the blogosphere narrative embellishes to make the pope "a guy you'd want to have a beer with."
                           Forbes.com contributing writer Aaron Kwittken is a good example.  Still dazzled by the pontiff's momentary slip, he published a piece Wednesday on the magazine's website, "Why Pope Francis' (Swear Word) Is Music to My Ears."
                           "Pope Francis," he writes, "is already widely viewed as the Pope of the people and one of the more down-to-earth, dare I say 'chill' Popes in recent history.  This gaff only helps to humanize him, further his image and build character, thereby reinforcing the public's image of him and strengthening his connection with all of us....."
                          Sounds like young Aaron is ready to buy a round of Jell-O shots.
                          My guess is Francis is the last man you'd want to meet at the bar.  It wouldn't be long before he'd be on you about going to confession.  It is not widely reported, but he frequently implores Catholics to seek the sacrament.   Only about 1 percent or 2 percent of Catholics go to confession anymore.  Sin and its deadly effects on the soul are so out of fashion.
                          Ironically, reconciling and seeking forgiveness through a confessor is dismaying for those smitten with authenticity.  An authentic confession, after all, forces one to confront personal transgressions and failures, and to admit aloud the cruelties, injuries and pettiness inflicted on others, especially loved ones.
                         Which is too much authenticity, even for fans of humble Pope Francis.