Devout after a fashion, they follow their conscience or their convenience – their lives a more or less amiable standoff between doctrinal prohibitions and vernacular practice. As the comedian Bob Newhart observed, “The pope leaves us alone; we leave the pope alone.”
许多普通天主教徒也是如此。勉强皈依的他们跟随的是良心和便利——他们的生活或多或少是教义戒律和风俗实践的友好僵局。正如喜剧演员鲍勃·纽哈特（Bob Newhart）所观察到的，“教皇让我们孤独；我们也让教皇孤独。”