“If you want to understand Pope Francis’ politics, look no further than the two American Catholics he singled out in his speech yesterday — Dorothy Day and Thomas Merton, who are hardly conservatives. Also note the issues where he was specific (abolishing the death penalty, calling for action against global warming, demanding tolerance for immigrants) and where he was vague (on life and family). No doubt, Pope Francis had something for everyone in that speech. But to us, it was revealing what he underscored and what he didn’t,” First Read notes.

Wonk Wire: Why Pope Francis sounds like a Democrat

“As he upends church convention, Pope Francis is grappling with a conservative backlash to the liberal momentum building inside the church. In more than a dozen interviews, including with seven senior church officials, insiders say the change has left the hierarchy more polarized over the direction of the church than at any point since the great papal reformers of the 1960s,” the Washington Post reports.

“The conservative rebellion is taking on many guises, in public comments, yes, but also in the rising popularity of conservative Catholic Web sites promoting Francis dissenters; books and promotional materials backed by conservative clerics seeking to counter the liberal trend; and leaks to the news media, aimed at Vatican reformers.”