This is a big deal. Father Thomas Rosica is a Canadian priest tapped by the Vatican as a representative to the English-language media. He is also a fervent booster of Pope Francis. Here’s a passage from a tribute Rosica wrote to Francis and his governing style:

That passage seems to have been edited out of the online version of Father Rosica’s column (linked above) after it caused a big stir online. What Rosica claims in it is exactly what more conservative Catholics have said about Francis: that he rules as a dictator unbound by Scripture and Tradition, guided only by personal whim. In fact, a sensational book highly critical of Francis was titled The Dictator Pope  — and here, one of Francis’s biggest supporters is saying the same thing, though he’s thrilled about it!

Like Ross Douthat warns, Francis is causing a major, totally unnecessary crisis in Church authority. Don’t just listen to the pope’s critics on this — listen to his friends.