Posted on 09/26/2015 3:25:42 PM PDT by WilliamIII
Since the heydey of Pope John Paul II's pontificate, there has been a significant phenomenon in the US of politically and/or culturally conservative people converting to Catholicism.
With the current pope's politically liberal rhetoric, will we see fewer of these conversions?
Also, it's interesting that talking about global warming has proved to be a pretty effective way to get the media to stop focusing on pedophile-coverup scandals. You don't suppose that's part of the strategy, do you?
Pope Francis is repeating what Jesus told us.
We need to voluntarily share with others so that they have an opportunity to participate in God’s and our love. That is not Marxism, that is Christianity.
What the Pope proposes is voluntary (Americans are already very generous) and that it comes from the heart. We get a lot more when we generously help others. Check it out in the Bible.
The Pope is hopeful for a peaceful world if people will listen and work together with others without the violence and mean spirited positions. The Pope recognizes that there is evil in this world and tries to conquer it through love of neighbor as Jesus did.
When the state tries to control wealth and mandates income redistribution that is Marxism and communism.
Pay attention to the words and actions of the Pope and not the liberal interpretation of the liberal press.
So how do like large organizations to be managed?
An effective leader?
A committee (like Congress)?
A dictatorship?
Or no leader with everyone floundering?
“When the state tries to control wealth and mandates income redistribution that is Marxism and communism.”
And those who support the state implementing Marxism and communism are Marxists and communists. Pope Francis is a communist and a Marxist.
Jesus didn’t advocate this.
“What the Pope proposes is voluntary (Americans are already very generous) and that it comes from the heart.”
NO! What the Pope proposes is not that Americans donate to the causes the Pope wants its that GOVERNMENT open our borders, GOVERNMENT pay for illegal immigrants (Note he uses the same lines that dishonestly fail to distinguish between “illegal immigrants” and “immigrants”).
The Pope is a big-government Marxist, and supports forcing Americans to pay for it all. There is nothing voluntary about it. You know it. The pope knows it.
He’s turned the papacy into a political shill for liberal democrats and illegal immigrants.
Who the hell does he think he is? If he wants to turn Catholics into a worldwide liberal political bloc - which appears to be his strategy (rather than focus on moral individuals doing the right thing as a group) he will destroy your church.
He has cheapened the papacy, and prefers to reach into wallets (through government) to benefit and encourage lawbreakers who he practically canonizes on the spot (illegals) rather than do it the way Jesus commanded.
A cheesy Latin American Peronist politician who will take prosperity and hand it to immoral big government hacks.
No thanks.
***
Fine, but what I object to is this pope telling us we don't do enough. America has given tons of money to the poor around the world, both in tax dollars and in charitable contributions. Much of that money has gone to hell holes whose citizens are now entering the US illegally to sponge off our already overburdened welfare system. Not to mention the so-called Muslim refugees, purportedly from Syria, who will be coming here to sponge off us too. (What about the persecuted Christians?) Yet, this pope has the audacity to try to lay a guilt trip on us.
When the Vatican starts taking in refugees, maybe I'll listen to the pope. For now, he can go pound sand.
You do not understand Pope Francis or the teachings of the Catholic Church.
He is a holy man and wants to help the poor and needy as he has done before becoming Pope so that they have an opportunity to gain eternal life with God.
He asks for this voluntarily, neither he or the Catholic Church can require (mandate) Catholics to part with their riches.
When people give from the heart to help others they receives many graces and benefits from God.
Did you listen to the 2nd reading today?
Reading 2 Jas 5:1-6
Come now, you rich, weep and wail over your impending miseries.
Your wealth has rotted away, your clothes have become moth-eaten,
your gold and silver have corroded,
and that corrosion will be a testimony against you;
it will devour your flesh like a fire.
You have stored up treasure for the last days.
Behold, the wages you withheld from the workers
who harvested your fields are crying aloud;
and the cries of the harvesters
have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts.
You have lived on earth in luxury and pleasure;
you have fattened your hearts for the day of slaughter.
You have condemned;
you have murdered the righteous one;
he offers you no resistance.
Great line.
your comment: “the guy is a coward and a hypocrite.”
Are you sure?
Perhaps you should really try to understand how the Pope is approaching problems.
He makes a statement that leans one way and then comes back with the opposite viewpoint so that we really think.
Did you hear his comment yesterday that Jesus was not a committed bachelor..... (he let that sink in which puzzled many Catholics)...... then responded that Jesus as the Bridegroom took the Church as His bride.
We all need to listen and understand and not just hear one side. The Pope wants us dialogue and solve problems. We cannot compromise with principles that Jesus taught us, and the Pope has not done so.
“Obviously the entire Catholic church is really just turning into a racket of scoundrels and enablers.”
Not so much, really.
“Where that series of motions to go through is far more important than taking a stand against the governing body that isn’t even interested in promoting what you think that church actually believes in.”
I didn’t become a Catholic because of any “governing body”. I became a Catholic to receive Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament. There is no “stand” for me to take except for Christ.
His Peace be with you always.
the pope wants others to solve the problems except those causing them....
why lecture a sympathetic audience in congress about oppressed people and people having the right to live dignified lives??? why not tell that to the castro brothers, some of the worse tyrants of the past half century, when you are sitting in front of them??
why?? cowardice....
why tell the United States they should accept more and more illegals and refugees when you don’t do the same where you presently live (Vatican city) or where you formerly lived (Argentina???
why??? hypocrisy...
“You do not understand Pope Francis or the teachings of the Catholic Church.”
I fully understand Marxism and communism. You cannot excuse his statements that espouse those evil things that directly and irrefutably contradict the God-given rights under our Constitution.
One expects a pope to have some socialist aspects, but this guy has gone too far - He is not my leader, he is yours. Whatever else he may be that is a positive for you and other Catholics is immaterial to me. I respect that you have a structure that you abide by, I know a fair amount about Catholicism, and have been to Catholic mass more than once.
But this pope did not have the good sense to calibrate his political speech.
Whatever else he is in your eyes - and I don’t argue with it - it’s up to you. To you he is a holy man. To me his recurring themes in his statements shows me he is just another politician attempting to leverage “other peoples money” to gain power and wealth for his organization - and also some level of fame and recognition for himself.
He’s no John Paul II, a man any freedom-loving human being could respect, and indeed, one I did respect.
Maybe Francis is good enough for you - maybe he’s good enough for many or even most Catholics - but not all.
You can’t believe in his Marxist words and the promise of America at the same time.
I know a person who thinks just like you....he won't buy a new Cadillac because he doesn't like the president of General Motors.......sigh
Very sad and misinformed...we'll all pray for their souls....hope it does some good.
I think what he was trying very hard to say, was that we are all here on this one big ball and we should remove all borders, language and cultures and all be the same, helping and being good to each other. But, ahhhh, I really don’t think he has thought it through. He seems very naive.
I do think that you have missed the the significance of Pope Francis. The Pope has no power to enforce Marxism. I sense your getting the political spin from the media and not the full story. He is challenging both sides to solve problems.
Even as head of the Catholic Church, he can not mandate or make anyone give or tax their wealth like a Marxist or Socialist government. He has stated that he is not a Marxist and does not support that political system.
Pope Francis is preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ that is to Love God and your neighbor as yourself. Just like the reading from James at today’s Mass and other parts of the Gospel. Jesus encourages us to help others through love.
The Catholic Church has always helped others, just like Jesus did. Especially the poor and sick. The Pope is asking us to help solve the problems of the world and to do it through the love of God and our neighbors. From the heart voluntarily and not forced by government or from an insincere desire to do good.
Catholics and other religious people are generally good and generous and have done great things to help others. This Pope sees the problems in Catholicism and many are falling away from a spiritual life. He sees the need to challenge people and their set ways of thinking and opposing things and not working to solve problems.
I agree that there is evil in this world and many choose to take advantage of situations to their sinful advantage. We see it in politics, those in authority including church leaders and in business.
While capitalism is generally a better system and beneficial to most people, it does have its excesses and many have abused others through capitalism.
The Pope has lived a simple life like Jesus Christ and is encouraging us to follow Christ’s example and live life through our love of God and neighbor. We gain much by doing so including God’s graces and gain more than we give.
Keep an open mind and try to understand that he is prodding both sides to do the right moral action.
“The Pope has no power to enforce Marxism.”
Of course not, but he encourages illegals here, to stay and encourages those in Latin America to come here. He encourages our politicians to leave our borders open, and encourages government to spend OUR money to benefit citizens of other countries to come here.
He encourages Catholics to break our laws and take advantage of American citizens.
“He is challenging both sides to solve problems.”
Seriously, what does he know about solving problems? To him, an Argentinian Peronista it’s all about figuring out how to get other people to pay for his constituency to travel and illegally locate where they aren’t allowed to be.
Then he uses the tried-and-true political strategy of blurring the lines between LEGAL immigrants, and ILLEGAL immigrants.
He is not an honest man. Just like the rest of the politicians in Washington.
Francis preaches Marxism along with the Bible. They don’t mix.
Francis knows that Democrats in the US are desperate to bring in illegals to legalize them so they will become voters.
He’s not a stupid commie. He’s as diabolical as the savviest democrat politician.
So he does his part.....encourage them to come, encourage them to send their children.
Follow him if you think your religion requires you to. As for me, I reject Francis and his Marxist/communist rhetoric.
I hope to throw every last illegal immigrant back across our borders - much to the chagrin of Francis.
There is no love with this pope. There is no God with this pope. THere is only politics, and racism and marxism.
That’s all I hear. It affects me, my family, and my country.
I don’t need to hear any preaching from him - maybe he actually is a religious man - maybe he actually cares about God and Catholicism and peoples souls. But I’m not hearing it.
I’m hearing something far harsher and judgmental from a man who needs to take his hypocrisy back to Rome and live with it there.
FYI From Chuck Norris:
Before landing in the U.S. while flying the short flight from Cuba, the pontiff was asked to comment on media outlets that are asking if he is liberal. He emphatically denied it, saying, “Some people might say some things sounded slightly more left-ish, but that would be a mistake of interpretation.”
My point here is not to argue whether the pope is liberal or conservative. It is to say, if one only listened to mainstream media, one would likely believe he was a liberal progressive. They would also overlook or ignore four key points the pontiff made in his speeches: for the defense of religious freedom, marriage and family, sanctity of human life, and against Islamic extremism. Let me discuss each in turn.
1) For defense of religious freedom
In the pope’s speech at the White House last Wednesday, he aimed directly at President Obama with 112 words (one-sixth) of his relatively short 615-word speech. He spoke indirectly against the ways Catholics and Christians have been persecuted and oppressed under Obama’s administration: “Mr. President, together with their fellow citizens, American Catholics are committed to building a society which is truly tolerant and inclusive, to safeguarding the rights of individuals and communities, and to rejecting every form of unjust discrimination. With countless other people of good will, they are likewise concerned that efforts to build a just and wisely ordered society respect their deepest concerns and their right to religious liberty. That freedom remains one of America’s most precious possessions. And, as my brothers, the United States bishops, have reminded us, all are called to be vigilant, precisely as good citizens, to preserve and defend that freedom from everything that would threaten or compromise it.”
A day later in his speech before Congress, the pope essentially reiterated the same point: “In this land, the various religious denominations have greatly contributed to building and strengthening society. It is important that today, as in the past, the voice of faith continue to be heard, for it is a voice of fraternity and love, which tries to bring out the best in each person and in each society.”
Chuck Norris provides real solutions to our county’s problems and a way to reawaken the American dream in his best-seller, “Black Belt Patriotism.”
2) Against Islamic extremism
Speaking of religion, the pope also stood up against ISIS and Islamic extremism though he did not use those titles: “Our world is increasingly a place of violent conflict, hatred and brutal atrocities, committed even in the name of God and of religion. We know that no religion is immune from forms of individual delusion or ideological extremism. This means that we must be especially attentive to every type of fundamentalism, whether religious or of any other kind. A delicate balance is required to combat violence perpetrated in the name of a religion, an ideology or an economic system, while also safeguarding religious freedom, intellectual freedom and individual freedoms.”
His last point being, we must maintain a “delicate balance” to preserve the religious liberty of Muslims while at the same time stamping out barbaric extremism in groups like ISIS and al-Qaida.
He added last Friday at the 9/11 Memorial in New York: “This place of death became a place of life too, a place of saved lives, a hymn to the triumph of life over the prophets of destruction and death, to goodness over evil, to reconciliation and unity over hatred and division.”
Just a week before coming to the U.S., the pontiff warned that ISIS could “infiltrate” Europe by hiding among the tens of thousands of refugees fleeing countries such as Syria and Libya.
He may have encouraged Congress to better massage the issue of immigration and help the refugees, but he confessed, “It’s true, I also want to recognize that, nowadays, territorial security conditions are not the same as they were in other periods of mass migration.”
He warned that even Rome is at risk with ISIS just a few hundred miles south on the desert coastline of Libya: “The truth is that just 400 kilometers (250 miles) from Sicily there is an incredibly cruel terrorist group. So there is a danger of infiltration, this is true.”
3) For marriage and family
Speaking of threats to our country, the pope passionately reiterated the importance of fighting for the two institutions at the very heart of our country and fabric of our communities: marriage and family.
He said, “I will end my visit to your country in Philadelphia, where I will take part in the World Meeting of Families. It is my wish that throughout my visit the family should be a recurrent theme. How essential the family has been to the building of this country! And how worthy it remains of our support and encouragement! Yet I cannot hide my concern for the family, which is threatened, perhaps as never before, from within and without. Fundamental relationships are being called into question, as is the very basis of marriage and the family. I can only reiterate the importance and, above all, the richness and the beauty of family life.”
At the heart of the World Meeting of Families is also the Preparatory Catechesis, which has as its principle No. 4: “Two Become One. We are not made to be alone. Human beings need and complete each other. Friendship and community satisfy that longing with bonds of common interest and love. Marriage is a uniquely intimate form of friendship that calls a man and a woman to love each other in the manner of God’s covenant. Marriage is a Sacrament. Married love is fruitful and offered without reservation. This love is in the image of Jesus’s faithfulness to the Church.”
4) For the sanctity of human life in the womb
Regarding the sanctity of life, the Huffington Post went so far as reporting, “Pope Francis’ speech to Congress didn’t mention abortion … by name.”
He might not have mentioned the term, but he sure did stand up for sanctity of human life in the womb.
Regarding family in particular, the pope said, “I would like to call attention to those family members who are the most vulnerable, the young … trapped in a hopeless maze of violence, abuse and despair. Their problems are our problems. We cannot avoid them. We need to face them together. …”
The pope echoed: “Let us remember the Golden Rule: ‘Do unto others as you would have them do unto you’ (Matthew 7:12). … This rule points us in a clear direction. Let us treat others with the same passion and compassion with which we want to be treated. …The Golden Rule also reminds us of our responsibility to protect and defend human life at every stage of its development.”
As he gazed upon the marble relief portrait of Moses that stares down on Congress as the central figure among lawgivers, the pontiff summarized at the outset of his message: “Yours is a work which makes me reflect in two ways on the figure of Moses. On the one hand, the patriarch and lawgiver of the people of Israel symbolizes the need of peoples to keep alive their sense of unity by means of just legislation. On the other, the figure of Moses leads us directly to God and thus to the transcendent dignity of the human being. Moses provides us with a good synthesis of your work: You are asked to protect, by means of the law, the image and likeness fashioned by God on every human face.”
It is not a coincidence that Moses appears many times on the buildings in Washington, D.C., including depictions where he is holding the Ten Commandments. He is doing so in a bronze statue in the main reading room of the Library of Congress and as the central figure looking down from atop the outside arches of the U.S. Supreme Court. Moses is even depicted in a frieze inside the very courtroom where the U.S. Supreme Court justices meet each day they are in session.
Interestingly, the tablet Moses is holding in the U.S. Supreme Courtroom frieze only reveals Commandments 6-10. Is it a coincidence that the sixth commandment is at the top of the tablet mandating to all who see it: “Thou Shalt Not Murder“?
I hope and pray that our lawmakers and, in particular, the Supreme Court justices who sat front and center listening to the pope’s inspiring address to Congress, are haunted by the papal words: “Defend human life at every stage.”
maybe now you’ll understand why i call this guy a coward...here was here for almost a week but he waits until he’s on a plane heading home to make this statement:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3342049/posts
My spouse was considering converting to Catholicism, but is now very hesitant because of this Pope. Probably won’t happen.
Personally, I’m offended that he came here, exhorting the US and Europe to open their doors to migrants and illegals, but not a word to the secular and religious leaders of the countries those folks are fleeing, exhorting those ‘leaders’ to change their countries to make them more livable, thus keeping their own people at home. Just remove the need for folks to leave their home countries.
Wow! I don’t see how that makes Pope Francis a coward?
He is expressing his opinion like many of us have done.
Five judges have redefined “marriage” based on their personal opinion and not the constitution or valid legal principles. In addition it goes against God’s law. I expect that if the USA becomes a moral country again, then this decision will be reversed, just like the dred scott decision.
The clerk was elected and is following Kentucky law and her conscious. She just asked for her name to be taken off the marriage certificate.
The Pope had a very busy schedule and I hope that you may be able to fully understand his teachable comments.
Like families everywhere, we don’t always see eye to eye on many things, but we respect each other and love one another.
didn’t think you would as you missed the point entirely..
why didn’t he express that opinion while he was here in America??? here in front of obama??? here in front of congress???
why did he have to wait until he was 38,000 feet above the ground and flying back to vatican city???
probably the same reason he didn’t speak out publicly while he was in cuba in front of the castro’s about people having the right to live a dignified life and be free from oppression...
he’s an effing coward...again- its very easy to lecture to a sympathetic audience...
this guy isn’t qualified to clean John Paul II’s dirty socks...
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