Pope chides ‘backward’ conservatives in US for replacing faith with ideology

Francis's comments acknowledge divisions in US Catholic church, which has been split between progressives and conservatives

Pope Francis has rebuked the backwardness" of some conservatives in the US Catholic church, saying they have replaced faith with ideology and that a correct understanding of Catholic doctrine allows for change over time.

The pope's comments were an acknowledgment of the divisions in the US Catholic church, which has been split between progressives and conservatives who long found support in the doctrinaire papacies of St John Paul II and Benedict XVI, particularly on issues of abortion and same-sex marriage.