Posted on 09/19/2013 2:46:04 PM PDT by SkyPilot
VATICAN CITY Pope Francis has warned that the Catholic Church's moral structure might "fall like a house of cards" if it doesn't balance its divisive rules about abortion, gays and contraception with the greater need to make it a merciful, more welcoming place for all.
Six months into his papacy, Francis set out his vision for the church and his priorities as pope in a lengthy and remarkably blunt interview with La Civilta Cattolica, the Italian Jesuit magazine. It was published simultaneously Thursday in Jesuit journals in 16 countries, including America magazine in the U.S.
John Allen, a senior correspondent with the National Catholic Reporter, told CBS Radio News the pope is not changing church policy but makes it clear that he wants a less judgmental church.
"I think he is conscious that he's at a sort of make-or-break moment where the kind of pope he wants to be - if he wants to affect real change - he's got to be explicit about it," Allen said.
Play Video Pope's comments on gays could have ripple effect
Play Video Cardinal Dolan: Pope's views on gay priest are not a shift in church teaching
In the 12,000-word article, Francis expands on his ground-breaking comments over the summer about gays and acknowledges some of his own faults. He sheds light on his favorite composers, artists, authors and films (Mozart, Caravaggio, Dostoevsky and Fellini's "La Strada") and says he prays even while at the dentist's office.
But his vision of what the church should be stands out, primarily because it contrasts so sharply with many of the priorities of his immediate predecessors, John Paul II and Benedict XVI. They were both intellectuals for whom doctrine was paramount, an orientation that guided the selection of a generation of bishops and cardinals around the globe.
(Excerpt) Read more at cbsnews.com ...
To this time, I’ve sat back and watched/listened.
I must say, your post reflects how I’ve reacting to him.
Top story on Google News and CBS
_______________________
THAT should be a clue right away as to the authenticity of the “reporting.”
LOL...they want so desperately to have us believe that he has a different vision than Benedict or John Paul II...or that he is changing Church teaching.
He lines up perfectly with his predecessors and has not changed any Teaching of the Church.
Unfortunately...some very foolish people believe whatever they hear or read...even if it comes from CBS or any other pathetic source.
Sigh...
An interview translated into English for a handful of Jesuit magazines as reported by the National Catholic Reporter (not Register, the more orthodox of the two) to CBS news?
The jury’s still WAY out on this one. These folks love nothing more to twist everything this Pope says way out of proportion.
Oy vey!
Well. If he could admonish, as he should, as the Catechism allows/instructs, especially in this case, the USCCB for getting into politics in regard to their misguided stance on amnesty (they call it, quaintly, immigration), then he would have credibility.
But for now I do pray to the Blessed mother to appeal to her divine son, for this man to shut
I had high hopes for this man, but it appears he will soon be switching to become an Episcopalian or a Unitarian-Universalist.
Do not trust the MSM to ever get what the Pope said right. They do not understand the concept of welcoming the sinner so that he may be healed through Christ’s grace and mercy.
He's just getting started.
I predict that we will soon be floored at what awful stuff comes out of his mouth in the coming years.
ping
Thank you all for your reasoned words.
I didn’t like him the first time I laid eyes on him, oh well.
next
Direct quotes. You should read them.
The same is true for many Christians and some Freepers, as well.
I’m surprised to hear that “thou shalt not commit adultery” is small minded.
It appears that soon, very soon the Catholic Church will be supporting gay marriage, free love, abortion and acid trips and socialism, well they already support socialism
“I mention to Pope Francis that there are Christians who live in situations that are irregular for the church or in complex situations that represent open wounds. I mention the divorced and remarried, same-sex couples and other difficult situations. What kind of pastoral work can we do in these cases? What kinds of tools can we use?
“We need to proclaim the Gospel on every street corner,” the pope says, “preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing, even with our preaching, every kind of disease and wound. In Buenos Aires I used to receive letters from homosexual persons who are ‘socially wounded’ because they tell me that they feel like the church has always condemned them. But the church does not want to do this. During the return flight from Rio de Janeiro I said that if a homosexual person is of good will and is in search of God, I am no one to judge. By saying this, I said what the catechism says. Religion has the right to express its opinion in the service of the people, but God in creation has set us free: it is not possible to interfere spiritually in the life of a person.
“A person once asked me, in a provocative manner, if I approved of homosexuality. I replied with another question: ‘Tell me: when God looks at a gay person, does he endorse the existence of this person with love, or reject and condemn this person?’ We must always consider the person. Here we enter into the mystery of the human being. In life, God accompanies persons, and we must accompany them, starting from their situation. It is necessary to accompany them with mercy. When that happens, the Holy Spirit inspires the priest to say the right thing.
“This is also the great benefit of confession as a sacrament: evaluating case by case and discerning what is the best thing to do for a person who seeks God and grace. The confessional is not a torture chamber, but the place in which the Lord’s mercy motivates us to do better. I also consider the situation of a woman with a failed marriage in her past and who also had an abortion. Then this woman remarries, and she is now happy and has five children. That abortion in her past weighs heavily on her conscience and she sincerely regrets it. She would like to move forward in her Christian life. What is the confessor to do?
“We cannot insist only on issues related to abortion, gay marriage and the use of contraceptive methods. This is not possible. I have not spoken much about these things, and I was reprimanded for that. But when we speak about these issues, we have to talk about them in a context. The teaching of the church, for that matter, is clear and I am a son of the church, but it is not necessary to talk about these issues all the time.
“The dogmatic and moral teachings of the church are not all equivalent. The church’s pastoral ministry cannot be obsessed with the transmission of a disjointed multitude of doctrines to be imposed insistently. Proclamation in a missionary style focuses on the essentials, on the necessary things: this is also what fascinates and attracts more, what makes the heart burn, as it did for the disciples at Emmaus. We have to find a new balance; otherwise even the moral edifice of the church is likely to fall like a house of cards, losing the freshness and fragrance of the Gospel. The proposal of the Gospel must be more simple, profound, radiant. It is from this proposition that the moral consequences then flow.
“I say this also thinking about the preaching and content of our preaching. A beautiful homily, a genuine sermon must begin with the first proclamation, with the proclamation of salvation. There is nothing more solid, deep and sure than this proclamation. Then you have to do catechesis. Then you can draw even a moral consequence. But the proclamation of the saving love of God comes before moral and religious imperatives. Today sometimes it seems that the opposite order is prevailing. The homily is the touchstone to measure the pastor’s proximity and ability to meet his people, because those who preach must recognise the heart of their community and must be able to see where the desire for God is lively and ardent. The message of the Gospel, therefore, is not to be reduced to some aspects that, although relevant, on their own do not show the heart of the message of Jesus Christ.”
From http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/20130919_1.htm
We - all who claim to follow Christ - are under attack by homosexuals. The idea that marriage involves more than a right to fun is under heavy attack, and is about to go under. And what does Pope Feel-Good say?
“In Buenos Aires I used to receive letters from homosexual persons who are ‘socially wounded’ because they tell me that they feel like the church has always condemned them. But the church does not want to do this. During the return flight from Rio de Janeiro I said that if a homosexual person is of good will and is in search of God, I am no one to judge. By saying this, I said what the catechism says. Religion has the right to express its opinion in the service of the people, but God in creation has set us free: it is not possible to interfere spiritually in the life of a person.”
All he had to say was something like, “We love our fellow man and fellow sinners, but we need to tell them the truth - you cannot come to God unless you repent. You must take your sin seriously, because God does. God loves us while we are yet sinners, but He does not love our sin or give it an easy excuse. And no one is truly happy in their sins.”
But that might make some unhappy, so the new Pope won’t tell them the truth. He thinks the Gospel is “Sin on, Brother!”
Modern man is rushing to a hell they don’t believe exists, while worshiping the God of Nike: “Just do it!” And the Pope is content to say, “Yes, do it!”
Most churches will, in the last days
Popes aren't "worshiped".
How very, very true. Also, the HCB has a requirement that we start getting the chip implants in 2014.
“A person once asked me, in a provocative manner, if I approved of homosexuality. I replied with another question: ‘Tell me: when God looks at a gay person, does he endorse the existence of this person with love, or reject and condemn this person?’
Why did he change the subject, rather than answer the question directly? He seems to be implicitly accepting the proposition that rejecting someone's acts as immoral is rejecting the person himself.
I'm not impressed.
I don’t know exactly what Pope Francis is saying, but if the reporting is true, he’s about to make the same mistake as Pope John the 23rd. When you loosen the reins too far on the congregation, a bunch of liberals step in and that’s a recipe for ruin. Pope John the 23rd was trying to let some fresh air into the church. A bunch of liberal people stepped in and started things like guitar and tambourine masses. They changed the cannon of the mass until it was full of niceties, but the regimentation was gone. Then the people started to not attend.
If Pope Francis starts down that same road, he’ll lose more. Please learn from the past, Pope Francis. Hold to the truths of the church. Use common sense. Be conservative. I pray!
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