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Pope Francis criticizes gay marriage, backs ban on contraception
Cruxnow ^ | January 16, 2015 | John L. Allen Jr.

Posted on 01/16/2015 8:46:35 AM PST by Mrs. Don-o

In points he’s made before in other settings, Pope Francis on Friday criticized what he called the “ideological colonization of the family,” language that many took as a reference to gay marriage, and also defended a previous pope who upheld the Church’s ban on contraception.

“The family is threatened by growing efforts on the part of some to redefine the very institution of marriage, by relativism, by the culture of the ephemeral, by a lack of openness to life,” Francis said.

A Vatican spokesman confirmed Friday evening that, at least in part, the pope had gay marriage in mind.

The remarks came in a session Francis held with more than 1,000 families in a downtown Manila arena, amid the pontiff’s Jan. 12-19 trip to Sri Lanka and the Philippines.

The pope also issued a strong defense of Pope Paul VI’s controversial 1968 encyclical Humanae Vitae, which upheld the Church’s traditional ban on birth control.

“He had the strength to defend openness to life at a time when many people were worried about population growth,” Francis said.

To be sure, the pontiff also asked priests hearing confessions to be “very generous” in individual cases, meaning that they should show compassion to couples using birth control, but he left no doubt that the broad Catholic rule isn’t about to change.

The pope has said before that marriage is between a man and a woman, and has also defended Paul VI and his position on contraception on multiple occasions — including beatifying Pope Paul last October, the last step before sainthood.

In November 2014, for instance, Francis defended the traditional concept of marriage to a three-day Vatican conference.

The man/woman nature of marriage, he said, is “an anthropological fact … that cannot be qualified based on ideological notions or concepts important only at one time in history.”

The comments also came less than a week after a speech to diplomats at the Vatican in which Francis criticized “legislation which benefits various forms of cohabitation rather than adequately supporting the family for the welfare of society as a whole,” saying that such legislation had contributed to a widespread sense of the family as “disposable.”

On contraception and Paul VI, Francis said in a November 2014 interview with an Italian newspaper that his predecessor’s “genius was prophetic.”

“He had the courage to stand against the majority, to defend moral discipline, to exercise a ‘brake’ on the culture, to oppose [both] present and future neo-Malthusianism,” he said.

Nonetheless, the fact that Francis chose to repeat those two points here, in a country that recently went through a national debate over a “Reproductive Health” law guaranteeing universal access to contraception despite strong Catholic opposition, is noteworthy.

The comments take on additional significance ahead of a summit of Catholic bishops scheduled for October on issues pertaining to family life, where issues such as marriage and contraception are expected to arise.

During a similar summit last October, called a “Synod of Bishops,” there was robust debate between progressive bishops determined to adopt a more positive language on gays, people living together outside of marriage, and the divorced, and more conservative prelates determined to uphold tradition.

There was a widespread assumption at the time that Francis was backing the progressive side in that argument, leading to speculation in some conservative Catholic circles that the pontiff had stacked the deck to favor certain outcomes.

In light of the pope’s comments in the Philippines, those conclusions may have to be rethought.


TOPICS: Catholic; Current Events; Moral Issues; Religion & Culture
KEYWORDS: homosexualagenda; humanaevitae; philippines
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To: sitetest; livius

This was a good defense of the faith by Pope Francis. Now he might say something entirely different tomorrow. Like the old AA saying let’s just take it “one day at a time”.


41 posted on 01/16/2015 5:41:13 PM PST by NKP_Vet
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To: sitetest

sitetest:

Pope Francis is at trained Scientist and Engineer, if I am not mistaken. The Jesuits have long drawn in learned men from the various disciplines of the academy. They founded among the first Observatories in the 16th century an many of the leading scientist of that day were in fact Jesuits. They saw the same things Galileo saw and in fact, the majority of them went on record stating his Theory was a solid theory. The Jesuits helped revise calendar, many were great mathematicians, I could to on and on.

Pope Francis would make a great parish priest at a large major University in the USA that presents him the opportunity to meet those from the academy and show the integration between Science and faith. He preaches best by his actions. He also might be a good Bishop in a City with very secular leanings, such as say Paris, New York, LA, etc.

On the other hand, since he is not a well trained theologian and he shoots from the hip too much, he often says things that are off the cuff and subject to interpretation by the secular press that drives some of us crazy.

I am not quite sure that he realizes he is Pope nor has he totally learned how to be a Pope.


42 posted on 01/16/2015 5:44:51 PM PST by CTrent1564
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To: CTrent1564
Dear CTrent1564,

You're on the right track, but I think it's not quite as rosy as you paint it. My understanding is that Jorge Bergoglio took a technical diploma, not a full-fledged college degree, as we understand it in the US. From the wiki article on him:

“He attended the technical secondary school Escuela Nacional de Educación Técnica N° 27 Hipólito Yrigoyen[42] and graduated with a chemical technician's diploma.[43] He worked for a few years in that capacity in the foods section at Hickethier-Bachmann Laboratory.”

This is not equivalent to a four-year liberal arts degree in the United States. Even though I have a major field for my degree, because I went to an American university for a baccalaureate degree, I was required to take more than just the courses in my field. I took history courses, math, science, English literature, and religion and philosophy courses. I hope that taking a broad-based, well-rounded degree program, I became a better-informed human being, not just someone with a narrow set of technical skills.

Even engineers in the US take similar (although sometimes not as comprehensive) programs.

He took theology courses to be a Jesuit, but frankly, I've seen the sort of intellects who get “graduate” degrees at Catholic seminaries, and most don't impress me. I live near the Catholic University of America, which is the only pontifical institute in the US, and actually offers pontifical degrees. Yet, the local Dominicans don't send any of their seminarians there because of the low quality of Catholic’s theology program for seminarians.

So, this is someone basically trained to be a chemical lab assistant with some abridged theology courses.

A great intellect he is not.

Yet, he regularly comes into contact with great intellects. He is outmatched and outclassed by them. But he is vain. Those who are smart enough to flatter him and his predilections are praised by him, those who don't are “rigid doctors of the law,” with an inferior faith.

He'd have been better as pope of the Manichees.


sitetest

43 posted on 01/16/2015 6:08:02 PM PST by sitetest (If Roe is not overturned, no unborn child will ever be protected in law.)
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To: Mrs. Don-o

That is a lie.
...........

What recent news do you think provoked the pope’s comments about it not being right to make fun of one’s religion?

We both know the answer to that. The ASSASSINATION of Charlie Hebdo employee’s by muslims because Hebdo mocked mohammed. The pope was defending the demonic monsters without having the guts to come right out and say it.


44 posted on 01/16/2015 7:18:55 PM PST by bramps (Go West America!)
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To: BarbM

You disagree with gay marriage, but what about the fundamentals of birth control? Or divorce? When biblical principals make your life more difficult, do you just ignore them and make up your own rules ie: your own church that reinforces your false biblical beliefs

....................................................

Why the ad hominem attack? And what does it have to do with the fact that the pope has sided with savage animals? The fact that you attack me (and my religion- you yourself went against what this pope is trying to teach) and don’t defend the pope says everything.


45 posted on 01/16/2015 7:24:34 PM PST by bramps (Go West America!)
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To: Grateful2God

You have a very twisted and disturbing take on free speech. (the good news is that the pope and the terrorist both agree with you).


46 posted on 01/16/2015 7:26:35 PM PST by bramps (Go West America!)
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To: Mrs. Don-o; bramps
Dear Mrs. Don-o,

“That is a lie.”

No, it's not. When Pope Putz compares insulting the fake prophet of the false religion to insulting one’s mother, and then says the natural consequence of that is to get punched in the nose, Pope Putz is saying, in so many words, “Well, the boys really shouldn't behave like that, but, hey, who can blame them?”

Franky owes the world an apology. If he apologized in the form of a resignation, I would, for my part, forgive all.


sitetest

47 posted on 01/16/2015 7:49:19 PM PST by sitetest (If Roe is not overturned, no unborn child will ever be protected in law.)
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To: Grateful2God

Most evil post of the century.


48 posted on 01/16/2015 7:50:33 PM PST by sitetest (If Roe is not overturned, no unborn child will ever be protected in law.)
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To: trisham
God bless Pope Francis. I believe that he is a good and kind man.

I agree! Pope Francis is unique in his roots, and is going to be different in his ideas and ways of communicating them; thus he may be easily misunderstood, and easily the target of anti-Catholic media, and people who categorically hate Catholicism. The Francis detracted in forum and MSM is different than the one seen live on EWTN, or taped on the Wednesday audiences, or written on the Vatican website. We need to give him a chance.

49 posted on 01/16/2015 7:51:23 PM PST by Grateful2God (And Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.)
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To: sitetest

29. A man who lived his life in South America, where there is massive deforestation related to gold mining; who has loved with the poor, and is the first Pope to come from the Western Hemisphere is bound to have different ideas, especially on the poor and on ecology than what we are used to from our last two Popes. He also is perhaps not as media-savvy. For verbatim remarks, interviews, documents, try EWTN radio, TV, internet, or mobile. Try also the Vatican website. Get what he actually says, then maybe rethink a little... The MSM is often filled with anti-Catholic bias and skewed opinions. Read both sides, get the facts, then decide for yourself. God bless you!


50 posted on 01/16/2015 8:05:47 PM PST by Grateful2God (And Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.)
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To: Citizen Zed

9. The MSM has done a good job of persecuting him,too, as have some dissenters who hate Catholicism, yet call themselves Christians.


51 posted on 01/16/2015 8:09:27 PM PST by Grateful2God (And Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.)
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To: Grateful2God

Charlie Hebdo is the name of the magazine, not its publisher. A hebdomadaire is the French word for a weekly magazine.

There is no justification for those Muslims killing anybody in response to an “insult,” any more than there is justification for the boys in the hood killing somebody because they felt he “dissed” them or even the Pope saying he’d punch somebody in the nose if they “insulted” his mother. This behavior, when not lethal, is childish; when lethal, it is homicide (in the case of a personal vendetta) or terrorism (terrorism is violence to further a political or ideological goal). There is simply no justification for it.

Something to consider: if the Muslims had just ignored it, would it ever have been seen by anybody except the French leftists and liberals who love Charlie Hebdo because it usually attacks the Catholic Church and the conservative parties?


52 posted on 01/17/2015 5:28:24 AM PST by livius
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To: sitetest

“He’d have been better as Pope of the Manichees.”

LOL! Never thought of that one!

I think you’re right on his intellectual capacity and his resentment against people who are smarter and more learned than he.


53 posted on 01/17/2015 5:30:26 AM PST by livius
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To: livius
Dear livius,

Let us not forget, as well, that how the islamics define “insult” is a bit broad. Theo Van Gogh didn't mock the false religion with its fake prophet. He just made a movie with Ayaan Hirsi Ali about the treatment of women in islam. Pim Fortuyn’s offense was the recognition that widespread moslem immigration was changing his country, and not in a positive way. Even those who offer reasoned critiques of islam are hunted down and murdered by the death cult.

In the eyes of these blasphemous followers of Satan, any criticism of islam or its damned fake prophet modhammed are offenses deserving of death.

Let us recall what sharia - standard islamic law - entails:

- death to infidels (non-moslems or Jew or Christians);
- submission and humiliation of Jews and Christians, formalized by the payment of a tax;
- the right to the property and lands of vanquished infidels;
- the right to sexual access to the spouses and daughters of vanquished infidels;
- the right to own, buy, and sell the women and children of vanquished infidels.

That’d be: murder, oppression, pillage and plunder, rape and child sex abuse, and slavery.

That's sharia. That's a system endorsed by large majorities of moslems in predominantly-moslem societies (99% of moslems in afcrapistan, as an example).

But I guess, by golly, that that's really “extremist,” “fringe” islam. The moderates are all peace-loving Jeffersionian western liberals. It's that nasty, extremist, fringe 90% of moslems that give the moderate, mainstream 10% a bad name, LOL.

The fact is that islam, itself, in the main, the “moderate” idea of islam, the islam blieved and held by most moslems, is evil, is oppression, is terrorism, is murder, rape, pillage, plunder and enslavement.

Islam DESERVES to be mocked and ridiculed. It DESERVES Charlie Hebdo.

Those who assert otherwise are ignorant and stupid, and perform great evil.

And that goes for Pope Putz. In spades.


sitetest

54 posted on 01/17/2015 7:07:33 AM PST by sitetest (If Roe is not overturned, no unborn child will ever be protected in law.)
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To: sitetest

sitetest:

Fair enough, I assumed his post high school education was equivalent to University Education here in the States. So basically he was trained as a Chemistry Sort of Lab/Research Assistant, fair enough.

Regardless, he does not have the theological training of say Pope Benedict who had to Doctoral degrees, 1 based on the Theology of Saint Augustine and the other I think based on Saint Bonaventure.


55 posted on 01/17/2015 5:17:18 PM PST by CTrent1564
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To: CTrent1564
Dear CTrent1564,

No, sadly, we have a pope whose education comprises training to be a junior chemistry lab technician supplemented by “theology for dummies” coursework.


sitetest

56 posted on 01/18/2015 2:55:51 AM PST by sitetest (If Roe is not overturned, no unborn child will ever be protected in law.)
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To: Mrs. Don-o

Personally, I’m tired of hearing from Vatican spokesmen about what Francis had in mind. He needs to speak to the world very clearly so there can be no chance of misinterpretation or scandal.


57 posted on 01/18/2015 8:21:29 PM PST by Melian ("Where will wants not, a way opens.")
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