Pope: Half-hearted Catholics aren't really Catholics at all

cns ^ | June 5, 2014 | Cindy Wooden

[NYer]

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Those who insist others pray and believe exactly like they do, those who have alternatives to every church teaching and benefactors who use the church as a cover for business connections may call themselves Catholics, but they have one foot out the door, Pope Francis said.

"Many people say they belong to the church," but in reality have "only one foot inside," the pope said June 5 at the morning Mass in the chapel of his residence.

(CNS/Paul Haring)

"For these people, the church is not home," but is a place they use as a rental property, he said, according to Vatican Radio.

Pope Francis reflected on the day's Gospel reading, John 17:20-26, and Jesus' prayer that there would be unity, not divisions and conflict, among his disciples. There are three groups of people who call themselves Catholic, but are not really, the pope said. Apologizing for making up words, he labeled the three groups: "uniformists," "alternativists" and "businessists."

The first group, he said, believe that everyone in the church should be just like them. "They are rigid! They do not have that freedom the Holy Spirit gives," and they confuse what Jesus preached with their "own doctrine of uniformity."

"Jesus never wanted the church to be so rigid," Pope Francis said. Such people "call themselves Catholics, but their rigid attitude distances them from the church."

The second group, those with alternative teachings and doctrines, "has a partial belonging to the church. These, too, have one foot outside the church," he said. "They rent the church," not recognizing that its teaching is based on the preaching of Jesus and the apostolic tradition.

Members of the third group "call themselves Christians but don't enter into the heart of the church," they use the church "for personal profit," the pope said. "We have all seen them in parish or diocesan communities and religious congregations; they are some of the benefactors of the church."

"They strut around proud of being benefactors, but in the end, under the table, make their deals," he said.

Pope Francis said the church is made up of people with a variety of differences and gifts, and if one wants to belong to it, he or she must be motivated by love and enter with "your whole heart."

Being open to the Spirit, who fosters harmony in diversity, he said, brings "docility," which is "the virtue that saves us" from entering the church half-heartedly.

[ebb tide]

If you doubt the Perpetual Virginity of the Blessed Mother, you have apostatized from the Catholic faith

[MamaB]

Protesrants were not mentioned so why do you bring it up? It is about Catholics.

[mlizzy]

I pray that God forgives me and finds me worthy to somehow join him but the RC isn't really anything special to me other than a place where I am familiar with the ceremony but have become disillusioned by what I perceive as the changes in the church and doctrine.

When you were a Catholic, and not fallen away, did you believe the Eucharist was the Body of Christ? If so, why would you leave Him at the altar? We were told (by a couple of saintly priests) that if the priest says the right words at the Consecration, the Eucharist is Real. And that we weren't supposed to take it upon ourselves to think any differently. So if you wish for God to forgive you, why not partake in His Son; a gift [to you from Him] beyond all measure.

[GreyFriar]

Perhaps they can be called “CINOs” — Christians in name only?

[Gamecock]

Those who insist others pray and believe exactly like they do

Good thing there are no FRoman Catholics who do this! </sarc>

[aMorePerfectUnion]

“Pope: Half-hearted Catholics aren’t really Catholics at all”

Sorry el pepe. I’ve been assured by Roman Catholics on FR that every catholic, as long as they go through the ritual baptism and confirmation are always indelibly roman catholic.

He is new at the whole pope thingy.

[Gamecock]

Just haters chiming in.

[Trapped Behind Enemy Lines]

It is not a question of what I believe. It is a question of what is written. May I refer to Mark 3:31

“Then Jesus’ mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone to call him. A crowd was sitting around him, and the told him, Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you.”

[aMorePerfectUnion]

“Because neither Hebrew nor Aramaic (the language spoken by Christ and his disciples) had a special word meaning “cousin,” speakers of those languages could use either the word for “brother” or a circumlocution, such as “the son of my uncle.” “

But Greek does have words for brother, cousin, uncle and aunt. God chose to inspire the use of the Greek word for brothers. Take it up with Him.

“Mary was and remained a virgin. “

No Biblical evidence that this was true.

[irishjuggler]

Well, thank you. That’s nice. But the fact is that Pope Benedict’s Summorum Pontificum (2007) wouldn’t have been necessary but for the fact that most of the bishops worldwide were not supportive of those who preferred the TLM. And the resistance that it received and continues to receives shows which side has the upper hand in this debate. The demand for uniformity is not coming from the supporters of Summorum Pontificum but rather its opponents. And I’m not talking about lay people like you, but rather people with actual power over these issues (i.e., modernist bishops).

[Campion]

No Biblical evidence that this was true.

No Biblical evidence that Mary had any other children (nobody else is called a son or daughter of Mary), and positive evidence that she didn't (Jesus on the cross giving her to John, which would have been a sin if she had any other living children).

[Trapped Behind Enemy Lines]

Exactly. The Bible only mentions Mary being a virgin at the time of Jesus’s conception. That’s it. Period.

And I also know some Catholics who also think that Mary herself was conceived of an immaculate conception, although there is no mention of this anywhere in the Bible that I can find.

[NKP_Vet]

When will protestants start telling pro-homo “marriage” and baby killer Obummer to quit calling himself a protestant?

[kenmcg]

Too bad the Pope doesn’t specifically denounce American phony pols who claim to be Catholic yet support abortion (over 40 million since Roe V Wade) and homo marriages. Yet they’ll come and kiss his ring for publicity and receive the Holy Eucharist.

[Dick Vomer]

So if you wish for God to forgive you, why not partake in His Son; a gift [to you from Him] beyond all measure.

I believe in Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. I believe that he gave his life for my sins and that he acted as an example of faith for all of us. I believe that I can never and in any way "earn" my way to heaven but only by his looking at my lying sinful evil soul have mercy on me and just maybe, maybe get into the kingdom of heaven.

I would never put down or belittle anyone that finds comfort in the current church. I, as a prideful hypocrite, will only eat so much sh#t in the form of the Catholic heirarchy and know that I should just walk away and I have done it. What is odd is that my kids have gone to church with me and are thinking of converting to Catholocism. I encourage them to follow their inner voice that draws them to the church. God bless them and I hope that they and you all find peace, I however am jaded, cynical, prideful and in spite of my mask not a very good or nice person except to my family.

I pray that I haven't burned my bridge to the Lord by leaving the church but I really am lazy and find fighting the urge to tell the priest to just speak his word, give me some guidance and pray for my sould instead of carrying on a musical production and spouting off about political cr#p make it hard for me to go.

I've gone back every several months but the same sense of just disappointment and unease fill me. It's a "me" problem and not the church's problem. I'm the one that has to change....the church is what it is. I can not demand it change anymore than I can stand at a shoreline and yell at the waves for crashing into the beach.

Peace, brother.

[ebb tide]

I don't give a hoot about your YOPIUS. These are the four Marian Dogmas.

The Four Marian Dogmas

Any Catholic who denies Church dogma has aposostasized.

Adios

[ebb tide]

That’s a second Marian dogma you have denied/questioned.

[Trapped Behind Enemy Lines]

You sound just like the type of person the Pope was talking about in the above article.

Nearly all we know about Mary comes from the New Testament. I’ll stick with that if it’s OK with you.

We shouldn’t be making things up.

[SkyDancer]

You could also ask “if Yashua spoke Aramaic why is the service in Latin?”

[ebb tide]

Between your denial of Catholic Church dogma and your screen name, you sound just like Bowe Bergdahl.

Do you think Popes make things up when they proclaim dogmas of the Catholic Church?