Joel Osteen: ‘I Like The New Pope’

Pastor Joel Osteen likes that Pope Francis is more inclusive than previous popes.

In an interview aired on “Fox News Sunday,” the televangelist and author said the Catholic church had been getting increasingly insular and exclusive in recent years, and he appreciated Pope Francis’s attempts to combat that.

The pastor also said he remains optimistic about the state of religion in the United States, saying that, in some respects, faith “is at an all-time high.”

Asked about the Supreme Court case on the birth control mandate under Obamacare, Osteen said he hopes the mandate will be struck down. “The Constitution protects us to practice our faith,” he replied, saying he doesn’t like the idea of government telling people how to practice their faith.

But when pressed by host Chris Wallace on whether he believes there is a “war on Christmas” in the U.S., Osteen demurred. While acknowledging there are certain groups that would like to take the religious aspect out of Christmas, he said it was important to realize that “not everybody believes like me.”

By: Alan

Alan Colmes is the publisher of Liberaland.