Can someone explain for the non-religious folk?
this post was submitted on 24 Apr 2025
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Calling someone a “pastor” is a Protestant thing. You wouldn’t hear a Catholic call The Pope a pastor.
Vance, like a lot of tradcaths, is LARPing because the rituals look cool. Sorta like how Andrew Tate is a “Muslim” because he thinks it’s all about controlling women, but at the same time unabashedly drinks in public.
Like not all Catholics are obsessed with the Pope, but like I have merch of the man from my Vatican visit. I have some conservative Catholic family critical of the Pope’s more progressive views, but they would never talk like this.
JFC who's upvoting this nonsense? Are bishops catholic enough for you?
- https://www.usccb.org/news/2025/global-pastor-word-and-deed-pope-preached-mercy-outreach
- https://eu.greenbaypressgazette.com/story/news/local/2025/04/21/bishop-david-ricken-remembers-pope-francis-as-strong-pastor-leader/83195098007/
- https://www.wlky.com/article/louisville-archbishop-remembers-pope-francis-as-a-great-pastor/64542751
- Etc, etc, etc
The first headline: “Global pastor: In word and deed, pope preached mercy, outreach”
Not “a pastor.” Emphasizing global.
That second article, the journalist is the one using the term “pastor.” It does not appear in quotes.
Third one is closest to your point, but again the wording is very difference from Vance.
"You know, I think for Francis, the image of the good Shepherd was very, very important ... to seek out the lost sheep. So I think he's going to be remembered as a pastor."
It’s kinda strange how eager some of y’all are to defend Vance from the allegation of speaking in a weird and off putting way.
Edit: Let’s try phone a friend (lapsed Catholic, invited me to services a few times for the sit kneel stand routine. The open air service I attended at the Vatican itself felt more Christlike to me, tbh)
These people who have obviously never been Catholic are really down on the whole "Catholics use Father and Pastor interchangeably" thing lol. This is crazy. A Catholic wouldn't address their priest as "Pastor" holy shit.
No, it's almost always "Father."
Right that's what I'm saying, I grew up Catholic and nobody ever said "Pastor X" because that's a protestant thing
I thought I was taking crazy pills. I grew up Catholic and the sentence gave me such a weird creeped-out feeling.
This is cultural uncanny valley.
Yeah exactly. Like, I'm not Christian anymore so I'm not saying it's bad to not to go church, but like, are all the people arguing about this Christmas Catholics or something??? I've never heard of a Catholic who goes to weekly mass calling their priest "Pastor" lol
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"Pastor" is the term for the person that leads a church / church congregation. The general ranking of the hierarchy is:
- Deacon (not yet a priest, are usually all volunteer, but can do some ceremonies)
- Pastor or priest (ordained, usually employed by the Church itself, they're allowed to hold all ceremonies and conduct mass or church service)
- Bishop (management level, must be 35, must be a priest for 5 years)
- Archbishop (oversee multiple churches and run the archdiocese; there's 196 in the US. Wyoming has a single archdiocese)
- Cardinal (upper management, only cardinals are allowed to vote on new popes)
- Lastly - Pope. The man at the top, there's only one.
J.D. Vance is Catholic, and referred to the Pope as a 'pastor'. This would be like somebody saying "(insert American President) was a good mayor".
there's only one.
unless
Yea yea there's some schismatics out there that claim to be the "actual" pope but there hasn't really been an anti-pope since 1449.
But there was pope emeritus
"Pastor" is a Latin word that means shepherd. Francis would appreciate the title of pastor, because for his entire papacy he put the pastoral concerns of guiding the congregation before theology and nearly any other concern the church might have.
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I think pastor is for the Protestants.
I'm assuming priest orr something similar. Please understand I am also non-religious. So I'm basically just guessing
Pope's are Catholic. Christian don't have pope.
Years and years of Christianity and Catholics hating or just tolerating each other. I know first hand. My Dad Catholic, follows the Vatican and the pope word for word... tries to at least. My Mum raised Baptist and now, I have no idea. It's all the same to me at the end of day. My family is a rainbow of all Christian/Catholic depending on the side of family.
Catholics are Christian, but they aren’t Protestant.
Considering the thing thing that Protestants protested was catholic rule….
It would be awkward if they were.
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I said this to my Dad before and drilled me how Catholics are not Christian and my Mum will say the same.
You're probably right, my parents are crazy in my eyes. How they got married at all is a "miracle" lol
Wonder who the guy on the Catholics' cross is then
Probably not Republican White Jesus, which is why some would consider them not Christian.
Absolutely guessing. I'm not an American so these weirdo Republicans don't make sense to me.
That’s a common lie Protestant pastors tell their congregations in order to create an enmity between their people and Catholics. They do it for other Christian denominations too, like Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and Seventh Day Adventists.
Can’t have their income source go to a competing church, now can they?
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Your parents are incredibly incorrect on this. Maybe try google.
How I was brought up and yes I agree.
Information is wrong, I see other replies with accurate information. I can tell them, but they are stuck in their ways.
Now that there is some classic American anti-Catholic sentiment.
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OP seems to not understand that the pastoral metaphor is common to all christianity because they are focused on “pastor” as a title. The job title of “pastor” is used by specific protestant denominations but the overarching metaphor of the faithful being a flock of sheep that God/Jesus/the faith tends to is common.
No - it’s more that this isn’t the way that Catholics talk, because Vance doesn’t give a shit about Catholicism and is only one because he thinks it gives him street cred.
Compelling testimony. He’s very aligned with the intellectualism of his patron Saint.
I totally believe he had an angry atheist Richard Dawkins phase.
I totally believe he had an angry atheist Richard Dawkins phase.
I feel that. I think it was a phase I needed, but man was some of it cringe. Chill, relaxed, "you do you, I'll do me," Atheism is soooo much better.
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Are you joking or have you literally never stepped foot in any Roman Catholic space? The pastoral metaphor is common to pretty much every major branch of the faith.
Vance is attached to the “Rationalists” (note the capital “R” because it is a philosophy that isn’t rational) and absolutely was an edge lord regardless the phrase he used is entirely acceptable.
Are you joking or have you literally never stepped foot in any Roman Catholic space?
Nope, never.
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The use of "pastor" is totally normal and not worth noting.
The "interesting" part is how this fascist refuses to talk about how he completely opposes the politics of the former pope.
Yeah, just like using three fingers and not the thumb to indicate three is totally normal and not worth noting.
that is under JD vanced REAPED his soul.
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