.
Will the conservative American Bishops follow the Bishop of Rome in his teachings? It seems to me Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York has a belly ache. Republicans of the Catholic faith Paul Ryan and Rick Santorum will need a new priest for confession. Perhaps Russian Orthodox? It appears the latest statements by Pope Francis sound as heresy to US bishops and conservative Republicans. How will this new voice from Rome impact future US presidential elections? I too must admit, my first assessment was plain wrong.
Pope Francis: Church can’t ‘interfere’ with gays
(CNN) – Pope Francis said the church has the right to express its opinions but not to “interfere spiritually” in the lives of gays and lesbians, expanding on explosive comments he made in July about not judging homosexuals. In a wide-ranging interview, the pope also said that women must play a key role in church decisions and brushed off critics who say he should be more vocal about fighting abortion and gay marriage.
Moreover, if the church fails to find a “new balance” between its spiritual and political missions, the pope warned, its moral foundation will “fall like a house of cards.”
The interview, released by Jesuit magazines in several different languages and 16 countries, offers perhaps the most expansive and in-depth view of Francis’ vision for the Roman Catholic Church. The pope’s comments don’t break with Catholic doctrine or policy, but instead show a shift in approach, moving from censure to engagement.
Address of Pope Francis to the Community of Writers of “La Civiltà Cattolica” June 14, 2013
The rift between the Gospel and culture is without a doubt a drama (cf. Evangelii Nuntiandi, n. 20). You are called to make your contribution to healing this split which also passes through the heart of each one of you and of your readers. Such a ministry is characteristic of the mission of the Society of Jesus. Accompany with your thoughts and your in-depth examination the cultural and social processes and all who are going through difficult transitions, even taking conflicts into account. Your proper place is at the frontier. This is the place of Jesuits. Today too what Paul VI said about the Society of Jesus, taken up by Benedict XVI, applies in a particular way to you:
“Wherever in the Church, even in the most difficult and extreme fields, at the crossroads of ideologies, in the social trenches, there has been and there is confrontation between the burning exigencies of man and the perennial message of the Gospel, here also there have been, and there are, Jesuits.”
○ Exclusive interview with Pope Francis: A Big Heart Open to God
- See my earlier diary – About A Rib Taken From Adam.
It will be interesting to see how this particular Pope evolves during his tenure. So far, looks promising.
.
Is the South-American Pope preaching to the North-American Bishops? USCCB Media Relations Director Sister Mary Ann Walsh has tweeted 5 times in past 24 hours about the pope’s interview. Her previous average was once a month. This is her article – Pope Francis: An Exclusive, America Magazine’s Coup. It does look that way …
○ Read full interview A Big Heart Open to God
○ Cardinal Dolan’s press statement on Pope Francis interview
I do hope Pope Francis has overturned recent Vatican attitude towards US nuns, working the trenches of social issues – The Catholic Church’s Treatment of Nuns Is Polarizing and Alienating.
.
Archbishop Neinstadt, the authoritarian teabagger in charge of minnesota these days, must be absolutely miserable. He’s the one under fire for spending $600,000 in parishioner donations to fund an anti-gay marriage campaign that even many local priests didn’t support.
In fact, local catholics are so pissed off about that and other bad spending choices they are demanding to have a seat at the table when it comes to financial decisions in the diocese. Neinstadt gave them the middle finger this week on that, only a couple of days before Pope Francis’ remarks.
We’re all munching on popcorn out here. This is getting good.
Having been close to Jesuits in family ties and college at St. Louis University, I couldn’t understand the initial stories about the life of Jorge Mario Bergoglio. He admits being too authoritarian when elevated to provincial at age 36. He is seen as a shepherd as I expect of a bishop leading and communicating with the people. Pope Francis has more than amazed me and has positioned himself at ground level between the masses (Rio de Janeiro). If he continues on this path, he will be seen following the footsteps of Pope John XXIII. This pope left a task unfinished, Vatican Council II, interrupted by conservatives from Rome and an untimely death of Pope John Paul I.
1963. A bad year for progressive forces.
This is at least thirty years late, and much damage has already been done.
The other large elephant in the room is the church’s child predator/child molester problem. Francis needs to address this problem full on and clean house.
I suspect there would be significant push back, one reason being the church simply doesn’t have anyone to replace the numerous priests they would have to get rid of.
Francis hinted in his remarks that he might be open to married priests. That would dramatically increase the recruiting pool.
Obviously celibacy isn’t working.. Allowing married priests would be a big step in the right direction.
Sorry. This will never do.
The one official progressive line on organized religion involves strangling the last king with the entrails of the last priest, because religion is the root of bigotry and obscurantism, a crutch for the weak-minded, a prop for authoritarianism, and un-, or anti-scientific.
There may be a carve-out for colorful, exotic, or oppressed religions — or even better, colorful oppressed religions.
But not for mainstream religions. They’re the opiate of the masses.