By Fr. Thomas G. Weinandy, OFM, Cap., The Catholic Thing - Much has happened since I first published my original article, “Pope Francis and Schism,” in The Catholic Thing on October 8, 2019... First, Pope Francis’ dislike for and criticisms of the Catholic Church in the United States have intensified. As I noted in the earlier column, the American Catholic Church is the foremost critic of Francis’ often theologically ambiguous statements. Over the past four years, as Francis’ ambiguities have proliferated, often given in mid-flight and off-the-cuff, so has criticism of his statements and ecclesial policies mounted.