Posted on 09/28/2019 11:32:30 AM PDT by ebb tide
VATICAN CITY, September 27, 2019 (LifeSiteNews) ― In a question-and-answer session with Jesuits in Mozambique, Pope Francis underscored his dislike of “proselytization” by condemning the actions of a Catholic woman he had met that day.
The Argentinian pontiff’s September 5 remarks were published yesterday in the Holy See’s news website Vatican News.
“Today I felt a certain bitterness after a meeting with young people,” Pope Francis told the assembled Jesuits.
“A woman approached me with a young man and a young woman. I was told they were part of a slightly fundamentalist movement,” he continued.
“She said to me in perfect Spanish: ‘Your Holiness, I am from South Africa. This boy was a Hindu and converted to Catholicism. This girl was Anglican and converted to Catholicism.’ But she told me in a triumphant way, as though she was showing off a hunting trophy. I felt uncomfortable and said to her, ‘Madam, evangelization yes, proselytism no.’”
Pope Francis seemed to believe that the young people had been coerced in some way, for he told his listeners that whereas “evangelization is free,” “proselytism … makes you lose your freedom.”
“Proselytism is incapable of creating a religious path in freedom,” he said.
“It always sees people being subjugated in one way or another. In evangelization the protagonist is God, in proselytism it is the I.”
Pope Francis continued by saying that there were “many forms of proselytism’ and that “the one practiced by soccer teams, acquiring fans, is all right, obviously!”
“And then it is clear that there are those forms of proselytism for commerce and business, for political parties,” he added.
“Proselytism is widespread, we know that. But it doesn’t have to be the case with us. We must evangelize, which is very different from proselytizing.”
The pontiff repeated the old story about St. Francis telling his friars to evangelize and “if necessary, use words, too.”
“Evangelization is essentially witness,” Francis continued.
“Proselytizing is convincing, but it is all about membership and takes your freedom away.”
He cited an address Benedict XVI gave at the Shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida in Brazil during his visit in 2017. The German pontiff had said that the Church does not engage in proselytism.
“Instead, she grows by ‘attraction’: just as Christ ‘draws all to himself’ by the power of his love, culminating in the sacrifice of the Cross, so the Church fulfils her mission to the extent that, in union with Christ, she accomplishes every one of her works in spiritual and practical imitation of the love of her Lord,” Benedict continued.
Catholics expressed their dismay about Francis’ rejection of the South African lady on social media. British Father Evan Julce contrasted Pope Francis’ approached with that of St. Padre Pio when an enthusiastic lady addressed him.
“A woman excitedly told Padre Pio that there was a prophecy that a Franciscan would convert 1/3 of the world,” Julce recalled over Twitter.
“The saintly Padre responded: ‘what would I want with only 1/3? I want everyone to come to Christ,’” he continued.
“He didn’t spurn her. Her spurred her (and himself) to work more.”
A Twitter user named Heather replied, “I feel so sad for this lady. She was probably just so excited for the Pope to meet her convert friends.”
Because it's a form of coercion. And historically Catholics have been very abusive in that regard.
So no joy if there is conversion? There is no conversion?
Ah, I get it, there’s no more catholicism.
Swamp Pope
What?
So Christ died for...nothing?
Not quite, there’s still the bingo.
We need a few new protected classes to help diversity: trads, proselytizers and rosary-sayers have rights too.
Jesus HAS to be obeyed as per Mathew 16:16-20,
John 14:1-6.
Please see post 28. Thank-you!
The great St. John Paul 2 must be face palming in his grave.
He’s desperate to rid himself of us, making such a scene, “bitterly” judging against a woman whom he so wickedly characterizes as a “proselytizer” to defame her and anyone else who speaks of the Traditional Church”
Thank you for putting into words, what I was feeling.
A socialist pretending to be a Pope. “Vicar of Christ” indeed! “Papal infallibility” ? Hahahahaha ... more like papal bullshittery. This from a former Catholic turned evangelical Christian.
How dare he presume her excitement for a bad motive. He reads minds now?
He’s the one who needs to be impeached.
It’s droll that you and Pope Francis are both so anti-Catholic.
---John Zmirak
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O.K. that made me LOL
Well you didn’t think this through or read carefully. My comment were about Francis, not all Catholics.
I’m not anti Catholic, but since reading the Bible on my own 30 years ago, I view the Pope as nothing more than another church leader like Billy Graham or Joel Osteen or Jim Dobson, neither better nor holier than anyone else. Pretending that he is Christ’s representative on earth, or infallible is any sense, is a hoot.
And this Pope in particular is a bloody laughingstock. He’s already done enough damage to the church and the faithful. I wouldn’t be any more outraged if he knocked up a few nuns or was caught in bed with a couple altar boys. Meaning, he has already proven himself to be a horribly flawed man with obvious unChristian beliefs and instincts, so nothing else would surprise me.
Pope Francis is appointing apostates, perverts and criminals to top positions throughout the Catholic Church, and, even more horribly, they are spawning: raising up new cadres even worse than themselves.
But if you really understood what the Church really is, you would never have abandoned the Catholic Church in her hour of need. People who leave under these circumstances are like soldiers who go AWOL just as the battle gets hot, or warriors who leave their posts as soon as the enemy is within the gates.
Lay claim to the graces of your Confirmation. We're not to fall back at first blood. We're to stand and fight.
Francis sees all religions as equal, with no need for Christ as savior.
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