Posted on 11/13/2013 7:35:58 AM PST by cleghornboy
Writing for the Associated Press, Rachel Zoll notes that, "The Vatican ambassador to the U.S., addressing American bishops at their first national meeting since Pope Francis was elected, said Monday they should not 'follow a particular ideology' and should make Roman Catholics feel more welcome in church. Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano noted the challenges from broader society to Christian teaching....'the Holy Father wants bishops in tune with their people....He made a special point of saying that he wants pastoral bishops, not bishops who profess or follow a particular ideology.' In a September interview, Francis said Catholic leaders should give greater emphasis to compassion and mercy, arguing the Church's focus on abortion, marriage and contraception has been too narrow and alienating..."
Too narrow? But Our Lord insisted that we must, "Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few" (Matthew 7: 13, 14).
Why is the Holy Father insisting that the Church's focus on moral norms is something "alienating"? Pope John Paul II has already refuted this lie. In his Encyclical Letter Veritatis Splendor, he explained that, "The Church's teaching, and in particular her firmness in defending the universal and permanent validity of the precepts prohibiting intrinsically evil acts [such as abortion, homosexual acts and contraception], is not infrequently seen as the sign of an intolerable intransigence, particularly with regard to the enormously complex and conflict-filled situations present in the moral life of individuals and of society today; this intransigence is said to be in contrast with the Church's motherhood...
(Excerpt) Read more at lasalettejourney.blogspot.com ...
Isn’t this exactly what Jude pleads with the Church NOT to do in his epistle?
The guy is real. Don't be surprised if he has some of the icons melted down, cashed in and expands missionary orders....similar to what the Mormons do.
People are more likely to follow personal good examples than the truth. So I agree with the Pope that bishops and priests should be good personal examples. We need to learn to teach love in seminaries and to ourselves to love and care for one another.
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