Shep Smith has always been one of the few people at FOX I respect

He has a history of clearly resenting the excrement FOX purveys, resisting, for instance, the decade-long campaign of the network to teach its flock that torture was Teh Awsum:

Now he risks the wrath of the Movement Conservative Hivemind at FOX by (gasp!) saying nice things about Francis’s positions on Unapproved Subjects (basically anything apart from Pelvic Issues):

I would put it slightly differently and say that these *are* political issues, but that they are also moral and spiritual ones too.

It is a curious superstition that has grown up on the right that money and its uses have no moral or spiritual dimension, only sexuality. Jesus, in fact, talks about money constantly. He uses it to illustrate parables, he warns the rich of the immense spiritual danger it poses, he lays down flat either/or ultimatums to Mammon worshippers to the effect that it’s God or Money, so choose.

And his investment advice: shocking. Give to *anybody* who asks (not the “deserving”). When you give, make a special effort to make *sure* that the people you give to are the ones who will *never* give you a return on your investment. Taxes? Pay ’em. Forgive debts. Don’t worry about it. You can’t add a cubit to your height and God has you covered, so don’t sweat it.

Scary? Of course. I don’t much like a lot of it either. But my point is not “Like it.” My point is that when conservatives say, “The pope should stick to spiritual issues and not economics” they make extremely clear that they have not the slightest idea what the gospel says because Jesus talks about money all. the. time.