[Mmogamer]

As a non-catholic I don’t understand. Would someone in simple english explain what all the hubbubs about?

[Brian Kopp DPM]

Would someone in simple english explain what all the hubbubs about?

The appearance that Church rules and canon law are "Good enough for thee, but not for me." If the pope need not obey Church rules, why should any of us? If the pope can make the rubrics moot, why not your humble village pastor? If the pope can arbitrarily make up the rules as he goes along, why not the pro-choice pols and the LGBT crowd?

This has real implications in a world that rejects God and His rules.

Maybe its much ado about nothing. Maybe its Pharisaical.

But Christ said, "Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."

How is any given faithful Catholic to know which things the Church binds on earth can be arbitrarily ignored, and which are important? In an age when Catholics are so poorly catechized after 50 years of the "Spirit of VII," this type of action increases the confusion and gives a green light to dissent and liturgical abuse.

[Lou Budvis]

Canon (Church law) prohbits the washing of women’s feet as part of the Holy Thursday service on the basis that Jesus only washed the feet of the Apostles, who were all men. This also relates the the Church law that only men can become priests.

This rule, however, is not dogma - such as belief in the Triune God, eg. and the Pope has the right to change the Holy Thursday rule. Instead of opennly changing the law, Pope Francis just ignored it. Some people believe that this means Pope Francis is open to women priests or deacons. Others are upset b/c they think that rather than breaking the law, Pope Francis just should have changed it as it may invite other breaches of canon law.

[Mrs. Don-o]

Pope Francis changed a seemingly small rubric in the ceremony of foot-washing, when he washed the feet of girls at the Rome juvenile detention center.

Almost everybody concedes that

• he had the authority to do it (as Bishop of Rome, he's also chief liturgical authority for the Diocese of Rome), and
• he had the best of intentions (to show what it is to serve and love the lost sheep)

BUT... he also gave an example of disregarding the rules, instead of using his legitimate power to actually change the rule (he could/should have first formally legislated, "From here on in, you can wash the feet of girls/women").

But he didn't, he just did his own thing on the spot.

The EneMedia have apparently latched onto this as a signal for "Whee! The Catholic Church has declared a New Age of No Rules", and in fact, some of the looseygooseys in the priesthood are sure to see it as just that ("Yahoo, the Pope disregards rules for the sake of compassion, and so can I. Next up, I'm marryin' lesbians...")

In sum, this would not have been the Pope's intention, but this may be the result.

Stay tuned!

Watch and pray!

[terycarl]

As a non-catholic I don’t understand. Would someone in simple english explain what all the hubbubs about?

paranoids worrying about ABSOLUTELY NOTHING !!!!!