There’s a joke (or perhaps a coping mechanism) among more traditional Catholic circles that embracing ignorance about the goings on in the Holy See and regarding the pope is good for the soul and reminiscent of the “medieval piety” cultivated by illiterate peasants who faithfully attended Mass centuries ago but knew nothing of church governance or its leadership. 

For more traditional- or conservative-minded Catholics, the papacy of the late Pope Francis provided many opportunities to embrace a tunnel vision focused more on the local church and individual devotion. After all, the alternative was to pay attention to Francis’s penchant for a more liberal and modern approach to church governance, much of which was at minimum a strong test of faith for more conservative or traditionally minded Catholics who pined for the more conservative leadership of John Paul II and Benedict XVI.