Posted on 03/10/2014 12:29:14 PM PDT by redleghunter
Pope Francis has suggested that the Vatican could support gay civil unions in the future, according to one of the church’s most senior cardinals.
Cardinal Dolan told American television that Francis wants church leaders to 'look into it and see the reasons that have driven them.'
'It wasn't as if he came out and approved them,' Dolan told NBC on Sunday. 'He said, “Rather than quickly condemn them, let's just ask the questions as to why that has appealed to certain people.”
In an interview to mark his first year in the church’s top job, Pope Francis last week reaffirmed the Vatican’s opposition to gay marriage but indicated that some types of civil unions could be acceptable to the church.
The Pope restated the church's teaching that 'marriage is between a man and a woman,' but added 'We have to look at different cases and evaluate them in their variety.'
Some countries justify civil unions as a way to provide the same economic and legal rights to cohabitating couples as those who are married, the Pope said in the interview with Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera.
As archbishop of Buenos Aires, the then Jorge Maria Bergoglio was one of the leaders of the Catholic Church's public charge against legalising same-sex marriage in Argentina. He called the proposed legislation ‘a destructive attack on God's plan’.
But behind closed doors the Argentine archbishop is said to have supported civil unions for same-sex couples.
Former theology professor and gay rights activist Marcelo Marquez said: 'He told me “I'm in favour of gay rights and in any case, I also favour civil unions for homosexuals, but I believe that Argentina is not yet ready for a gay marriage law”.’
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
I believe the 'mess' Pope Francis and some others in RC leadership get into is because they are looking for a post-modern approach to reach sinners. The Protestant and Evangelical churches are not immune to this either. But we have one of the oldest churches in history (Eastern Orthodox probably the oldest) in ancient pomp addressing sin in a post-modern mindset.
Dolan et. al. will say "love the sinner, hate the sin" but they are having issues communicating such. Why? Because they have forgot how to conduct Biblical evangelism IAW well the Bible. Paul and the apostles condemned all sins and presented the Gospel which told men and women how to be free of their sins, not accommodate sin nor embrace it or compromise with it. Are Francis and Dolan stating they will accomodate sin or compromise on it to get people 'over' to hear the Gospel? No I don't think they are, but their words in so many words sure implies that and it seems they are in an uncomfortable position of wanting to condemn sin but not 'worry' the sinner about their sin.
Dolan played loose with what the Pope said. Not judging and condoning are quite different. I thought I thought the entire interview with Dolan was all about Dolan.
The article points out the Pope was addressing civil unions, all of them. He did say there are a variety. He did not expound on what he meant by "variety." However, given your above explanation, one would conclude the Pope is fine with a man and woman living together out of wed-lock. I thought the Catholic church condemned such arrangements. Perhaps the Pope could have said "for widows/widowers living together to make ends meet and join in civil unions, the church can make exceptions." But Pope Francis did not say that and did not even imply that. He could have, but he left the door open for all the interpret. Plus we know civil unions are mostly used by homosexuals. My point? Why even address the issue.
Slippery slope..
Of course if one would simply take God at His Word, then what any pope, or church leaders say really is irrelevant.
From the Meet the Press webpage:
Cardinal Dolan: Pope Francis Wants Church to Study Gay Unions
By Tom Curry
Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York said Sunday that Pope Francis believes the Catholic Church needs to examine why some states are choosing to legalize civil unions of gay couples. But the pontiff has not expressed approval of such unions, Dolan said.
“He didn’t come right out and say he was for them,” Dolan said in an exclusive interview on NBC’s Meet the Press. What the pope has said, according to Dolan, is that church leaders need to “look into it and see the reasons that have driven them…. Rather than quickly condemn them… let’s just ask the questions as to why that has appealed to certain people….”
Context is gay civil unions. Dolan says the Pope did not endorse them. The door is wide open...
I believe he was asked about it in the course of an interview.
However, one of the things I don’t like about Pope Francis is that I think he’s at least somewhat a statist, probably just because of his Argentinian background. Maybe he’ll correct, maybe not. He seems to avoid conflicts with the state, and while I agree that we shouldn’t go out and look for them or stir them up, we shouldn’t be so conciliatory that the state thinks we’re weak or vacillating. And I think that’s what’s happening with him.
some people (heterosexuals) don’t get married because they are too poor, or differences in cultures, so we shouldn’t necessarily consider those people as “living in sin”
Of course they are living in sin, however so is anyone that hasn’t been “born again” so we all are no different from them. The people that are made right are on so because they believe Jesus and have been “born of the Spirit”.
-JS
The list of news outlets getting the Pope wrong or out of context grows each day it seems. Pope Francis has to be the most misunderstood, misinterpreted and mistranslated Pope in modern history. Is it a left wing press conspiracy? Perhaps, that has something to do with it. But as an old Soldier I learned early you don't give the enemy ammunition to use against you.
Pope John Paul II said something it was clearly reported. Bottom line you knew what he said and what he meant. Same with Benedict XVI. Why such a problem with this Pope? Is it possible he is "throwing spaghetti at the wall" to see what will stick?
Advice for Pope Francis handlers. Tell him to make his Yes, Yes and his No, No. If not, don't expound on the matter at all. And then don't have a Cardinal go out and make matters worse.
“Advice for Pope Francis handlers. Tell him to make his Yes, Yes and his No, No. If not, don’t expound on the matter at all. And then don’t have a Cardinal go out and make matters worse. “
Oh, I am SO glad you said that. Pope Francis is often misunderstood when he speaks, and I’ve wished his people would read over his remarks and make it plainer in ENGLISH, so that the leftwing media can’t misquote him.
“If you can’t, please refrain from posting bad info.”
As someone else has said, the Pope’s handlers need to make sure his English is plain so that the leftist media can’t claim he said otherwise.
Is this from the Onion??
Pope Francis' problem is he is a Jesuit. I went to a Jesuit university and know the Jebbies love to answer every "yes/no" question with "it depends." So again, the Pope needs to let his Yes be Yes and his No be No. No to gay 'marriage' and No to civil unions. That would have been the end of the news cycle. But no, he implied "it depends."
I know what you mean. John Paul is hard to follow. He wasn’t afraid of the world and did not let the press manage him. That being said, we were in different times. Reagan was in the white house and America was standing tall and proud. Now it’s hard to find anything to be proud of. Evil seems to be rampant and accepting evil is encouraged and almost forced.
I am not Catholic but I have attended with my Catholic angel of a wife for over 30 years and I think it has made me a better person and given me faith.
I did not exactly say that. I said the Popes no should be no and his yes should be yes. The handlers can help him actually answer questions unequivically.
LOL! No an article coving Dolan’s interview on Meet the Depressed.
We are stuck with Obama and the Catholics are stuck with Pope Francis.-Tom
Worst. Headline. Ever.
The pope said no such thing. The media just keep trying to twist everything he says.
I tried to fit the entire headline. Is this better?
“Pope to stop condemning same-sex civil partnerships hints leading cardinal in move which could be step towards Catholic gay marriage”
I really, really miss those times, and I am very glad that they live in my memories.
That is a pretty fine hair to split.
This pretty much assures that there will be a suit filed against a church soon that will lead to forced ceremonies preformed with same sex couples.
After all, the pope said that such civil unions were ok, so lets do it in a church!
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