Apologies for this messy post, it is an almagamation of a few posts which I had lined up but I think the idea comes across.
What is a personality cult? The wikipedia definition is:
"A cult of personality arises when an individual uses mass media, propoganda or other methods, to create an idealized, heroic, and, at times god-like public image, often through unquestioning flattery and praise".
How could this apply to the Pope? Quite easily in fact, especially since he is a very public figure that is attracting a lot of media attention. The "god-like" image as referred to in the quote and this becomes particularly problematic when one uses a public Catholic figure as the means to evangelize. What are the problems exactly? That we become obsessed with this man´s perceived holiness and humility. This, "look at how holy our Pope is" mentality can potentially lead to a problem of reducing the Gospel down to how one man lives it out however I believe that the bigger problem from this is that we place the Pope on a pedastall and fail to look at his actions objectively, believing that by doing do we will be harming the Church in some way, when in fact to defend the Orthodox is to love Christ and Church.
As said, I believe the deeper problem of the cult of Francis arises when a lack of objectivity makes us accept unquestioningly all that Pope Francis says and does as if he has a completely free reign over all the Church which is not the case and shouldn't be the case.
We should remember that even Pope Francis is not above criticism. Indeed, if a Pope strays from the Orthodox, makes questionable statements or commits liturgical abuses, it is in fact our duty to question and criticise these actions. Has the Pope said good things? Undoubtedly do. However, he has also said many things which could rightly be criticised or at least questioned. Examples include his attitude of seeming wish not to offend anyone except traditional Catholics - insulting the traditional Catholic practice of offering rosaries, calling the TLM a "fashion", the on-going Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate scandal which is deepening; placing a beach ball on the altar; calling a protestant minister "brother bishop"; his often vague and imprecise language (something he was famous for in his native Argentina before becoming Pope) with regards to various issues which has created much confusion - leading Catholic apologists to have to "explain" something he has said almost weekly it seems; his seeming support of Cardinal Kasper with his "deep" and "serene" theology despite seemingly wishing to throw the Church in to schism...the list goes on and on...
How should we address this attitude?
Well, first of all we should remember that we are not OF Pope Francis, just as was warned not to be of Peter or Paul, but of Jesus Christ. Therefore it is important to remind ourselves that the power of the Papal office does not come from the individual but rather from the Christ given office itself. We owe obedience to the Pope but that doesn't mean we must hang off his every word, or even agree with all of his actions.
We need to read and inform ourselves intellectually through traditional sources especially through reading material written before Vatican II - encyclicals by Pius X, XI, XII, Gregory XVI are highly recommended if you wish to see what true Orthodoxy sounds like. Let's not idolise this man. Pope Francis should be judged by Tradition not Tradition and practices by Pope Francis. We should be especially careful not to follow, or get carried away by, any supposed "who am I to judge?" false mercy and also be wary of "militant humility". Or to believe that we are somehow seeing the re-birth of a new glorious age of the Church as led by Francis (the pew statistics show that the "Francis Effect" is simply non-existent.
We should also remember that those who criticise the Pope generally do not do so out of hatred of the man but out of love for Christ and His Church. They wish to defend the Orthodox knowing that by doing do they help to save souls.
Unfortunately, Pope Francis isn´t the only place we see this in the Catholic Church but this can also be seen in the near fanatical obsession with some apparitions that we see in some sections of the Church where followers of certain "visionaries" hang on their words almost dogmatically, believing everything they hear from them, basing their whole spiritual lives around these "visions" which often leads them in to error and sometimes in direct contradiction to the Church. Why? Because they have fallen in to the personality cult and latch on to it as if it were Christ himself...
My Conclusion - As Catholics we must not become obsessed with trying to prove the holiness of Pope Francis or become obsessed with this one man at all, or where he wishes to take us - the Church is much bigger than him. One day, like all of us, he will die too and the Church will continue and so will the Papal Office. Certainly, there are holy people and we should give thanks for them where appropriate, but we can´t become obsessed with them.
We must avoid that attitude that makes the Pope (or Cardinals, Priests anyone in fact) above criticism. Questioning the Pope's dubious words or actions does not makes us less Catholic and in fact if done prudently and for love of Christ and His Church it actually makes us far more Catholic than someone who hangs on his every word or whim, casting aside true Catholic teaching to follow one man's ideas.
