Pope Francis' untold damage to the Catholic Church

Did you see the latest antics of Pope Francis? First, he was walking along a press line of admirers when one woman not only touched his hand, but grabbed it and hung on. Without missing a beat, the pope pulled his arm back and took his free hand to smack her hand so that she'd let go. He turned away, and it was clear from the grimace on his face that he was NOT happy about the incident – nor should he have been.

What struck me was the public reaction to the incident. He was criticized for it and in fact was virtually accused of "violence against women"! The uproar was so great that the pontiff actually apologized the next day – it was as though he had beaten up a random female when all he had done was smacked her hand, which was pulling at him.

Sorry, ladies, that was not violence against women. Pope Francis was reacting as a human being to a situation that could have been dangerous. Suppose that woman was armed with a plan to harm the pope? We know now that was not the case, but at the time, no one had any way of knowing.

Think back to the day in 1981, when Pope John Paul II was being driven through St. Peter's Square in an open car and a Turkish terrorist opened fire on him. He was shot twice and nearly died. Two women in the area were also shot and survived. The pope's bodyguards were, there and while they didn't prevent the attack, they did capture the shooter.

And speaking of that, where were the pope's bodyguards when that woman grabbed his hand and wouldn't let go? Clearly, he had security nearby; he would be a fool to be out in public without them. But where were they? Why didn't they intervene, and why was the pope left to bear the shrieks of the media about his "violence" and be shamed into apologizing the next day?

TRENDING: Democrats now insist they'll investigate president's pardons

It was embarrassing, for him, for the Church and, quite frankly, for all Catholics.

When I was young, the pope was a distant figure in Rome who didn't get much publicity. If he traveled, it was reported with a sense of quiet dignity and talked about mostly within the confines of local parishes. There was a sense of respect for his position and his role in the "business" of the Catholic Church.

Well, those days are gone forever, and judging by what is going on today with the current pontiff, it's doubtful they'll ever return. One reason is that media have changed drastically both in how news is reported and in the myriad ways information is transmitted across the world.

The other reason for the change is the man who is the current pope – Francis. I'm not a church historian, but I don't think we have ever had a pope like this one. To say he hasn't seen a camera or microphone he doesn't like would be a massive understatement.

This is a man who relishes the position and the power and the fact that both give him a platform that can't be matched. Whether Pope Francis is speaking to the media in a formal interview or whether he is on the papal plane, going to and from his many travels, he speaks off the cuff to the reporters there – and the ramifications of those comments follow him permanently.

But apparently that doesn't deter him.

Just after New Year's Day, after the hand incident, during a general audience, the pope became aware that a group of nuns were delighted to see him, and one of them wanted to give him a kiss.

He acknowledged them but said, "You bite."

"You bite"? Where does that come from?

The pope added, "Promise you won’t bite?"

So he kissed the woman on the cheek, and the nuns were delighted. He loved the attention, and I'm sure his security detail was relieved all was OK.

And there was no biting.

What on earth is going on? What happened to the dignity of the papacy?

What are average Catholics thinking as this show continues?

This is a pope who has made changes in worship prayers, the Catechism and constantly criticizes traditional Catholics and their beliefs. He caters to popular movements and wants to introduce non-traditional practices into church life.

Lifesite quoted Marcello Pera, an Italian intellectual and non-believer, who criticized Pope Francis for "openly going against tradition, doctrine and introducing inexplicable innovations, behaviors and gestures."

As examples, Francis criticizes capitalism and colonialism; supports the Amazonian initiative; seemingly supports female priests, same-sex marriage, male to female and female to male transitions, the elimination of fossil fuels; and he supports continued and open migration of Muslims into the West, repeating the mantra that Islam is a religion of peace – despite the clear evidence that it is not friendly to Catholic beliefs.

None of this is helped by the ongoing sex scandals sweeping through the hierarchy worldwide as well as the revelation of the financial misdeeds in the Vatican.

The long-term effect of all this on the Catholic Church is unclear, except to say that things will never be the same again. However long Francis remains pope, surely the damage he is causing is deep, and it will only get worse.

Catholics are leaving the church by the thousands and those who remain have reduced their donations. How all that can be rectified is unknown, even if the next pope is more traditional in his beliefs and behavior.

All Catholics can do is pray, pray and pray – and pray some more.

Follow Barbara Simpson on Facebook.