It’s often quite difficult to know what to make of what this pope has to say. Some of this is certainly attributable to translation issues, and some, I’m sure, the intentional twisting of his words and phrases by the media. But the fact that he never makes any ever to clarify some of the more disturbing reports is, at best, disconcerting. This Washington Post story is typical.
Pope Francis seems to be suggesting that all sins and all sinners are equal. He can’t possibly mean that, since that is not the teaching of the Church. The Church teaches us that where all sin offends God, some sin (mortal sin) is much greater. We are also told in the Scriptures that four (and only four) specific sins are so offensive that they cry out to heaven for vengeance.
But acknowledging that we are all sinners (including all of the Apostles), there is only one person that walked the face of this earth that Jesus Christ said: “The Son of man indeed goeth, as it is written of him: but woe to that man by whom the Son of man shall be betrayed: it were better for him, if that man had not been born”. The man he was speaking about was Judas Iscariot.
Either Pope Francis is distorting this man’s history, or he is again being misquoted or mistranslated.
Yes, the Interpreter-in-chief is much subject to interpretation.
Yes, we are not referring to "infallible teaching," but which itself is much subject to interpretation as seen by the sects who contend modern Rome has contradicted past teaching (and in some things i think they have a case ), while even which and how many infallible teachings there are, and what magisterial level others fall under, and their meaning, and allowance of dissent, if any.
But which is not as manifest as it is among evangelical types as RCs typically are not doctrine-intensive, and either render implicit assent to Rome or substantially ignore what she says on many issues, while those who hold most strongly to Scripture being the supreme and accurate authority testify to the greatest unity in the most basic values and beliefs, if declining. Pray.
I don't recall any of the previous popes being so misunderstood and mistranslated.
This is almost a daily occurrence. Something just isn't right there.
When one person is so misunderstood by so many people so often, you have to consider that not everyone else in the world is wrong.