Did the Pope Really Say.....

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El_PAso

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Nothing in defense of the unborn?

Here’s as close as I can find:

"The Golden Rule also reminds us of our responsibility to protect and defend human life at every stage of its development.

This conviction has led me, from the beginning of my ministry, to advocate at different levels for the global abolition of the death penalty. I am convinced that this way is the best, since every life is sacred, every human person is endowed with an inalienable dignity, and society can only benefit from the rehabilitation of those convicted of crimes."

He went out of his way to mention death penalty but not abortion.

~20 execution in USA last year; over 1.3 MILLION abortions!

Please direct me to some more firm strongly worded statements from this USA trip about abortion please!

I have been in dialogue with some anti-life types who fall back on “abortion is not in the Bible” and I’m sure will use “the Pope said nothing about it”

I feel abandoned by out Pope…

El Paso
 
I agree that I wish he would say something about abortion outright, right now while the world is listening. My proabortion friend posts support for Planned Parenthood, followed by quotes from the pope and how much she loves him. If a proabortion, pp supporter loves our pope, I thibk something may be wrong.
 
Well, he did state that we must protect life at every stage of its development. That was clearly a reference to abortion. I was disappointed he wasn’t more clear, but a liberal friend of mine said he heard it loud and clear, and the media seems to have not ignored it either.

Hopefully he will make a stronger statement at some point during his visit.
 
i am heartbroken by Pope Francis’ lukewarm, half-hearted statements about the scourge of abortion.
certain members of congress are fighting to defund PP. Pope Francis could not find it in his heart to offer one word of encouragement?
 
brian_custer said:
i am heartbroken by Pope Francis’ lukewarm, half-hearted statements about the scourge of abortion.
certain members of congress are fighting to defund PP. Pope Francis could not find it in his heart to offer one word of encouragement?
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Saying we must protect all human life in every stage of development wasn’t enough?
 
JD1789 said:
Saying we must protect all human life in every stage of development wasn’t enough?
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That beautiful statement of respect for the unborn did seem to get lost amid the more explicit statements made about care for the earth, immigration, and the death penalty.

I, too, hold out hope that the Pope will say something a little more direct in upcoming messages.
 
Does anyone seriously think that Pope Francis isn’t opposed to abortion?

As he, himself, said, there is much more to being Catholic than simply being opposed to abortion and gay marriage.
 
JD1789 said:
Saying we must protect all human life in every stage of development wasn’t enough?
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No. That’s easily glossed over. Maybe he could have quoted Mother Theresa, or something. I can see that he wants to try to unite both sides, and not increase the partisanship. Not sure that’s his role. I feel disappointed as well. I think he maybe does not realize how people are looking to him for very clear moral teaching.
 
Tim_D said:
Does anyone seriously think that Pope Francis isn’t opposed to abortion?
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There are loads of people who believe this. Hence all the confusion around the pope’s year of mercy message about abortion and priests granted permission to lift the automatic excommunication. I think people perceive the pope as believing that abortion is less than ideal, but it’s secondary to more important issues like caring for the environment and helping the poor and suffering. In the minds of many people, abortion is a way of addressing both of those problems, so it doesn’t warrant such harsh condemnation.
 
During the Mass that I heard yesterday on EWTN radio, one of the prayers of the faithful specifically was to end abortion.

Not the same as coming from the Pope’s mouth during a speech, but…
 
JD1789 said:
Saying we must protect all human life in every stage of development wasn’t enough?
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Not for me!

Other points were addressed specifically and he glossed over abortion. He had pelosi et al right there and basically let them skate.

Point is IF you are a rational, humble, spiritual prison what he said is enough but if you are a irrational, deceitful, prideful, worldly person you will continue to delude yourself and others.

I get more of a scolding here at CA for misspeaking than he gave the lawmakers for condoning murder of the innocent!

EP
 
I agree he did not take on the abortion issue head on, but in a way, I don’t think he should have during this address to Congress.

I could see where during some of his statements, some stood and some stayed seated. I heard louder claps when more agreed with him, and less clapping when fewer agreed with him. Unfortunately, it seemed to me it was more of a “political” visit and less of a “spiritual/religious” visit, at least from the Congressional perspective.

If he had addressed abortion or same sex unions head on, I tend to think we would have seen the normal polarization of the House and I think his goal is not to polarize, but to bring all of us together?

Looking back at the transcript from this speech, a few points I thought may have been subtle hints at abortion were:

“We need to avoid a common temptation nowadays: to discard whatever proves troublesome.”

“…if we want life, let us give life”…“The Golden Rule also reminds us of our responsibility to protect and defend human life at every stage of its development.”

“…we live in a culture which pressures young people not to start a family, because they lack possibilities for the future. Yet this same culture presents others with so many options that they too are dissuaded from starting a family.”

I have hope that the Holy Spirit was at work today and will have opened the hearts and ears of those who have pulled away from traditional Catholic teachings, and those non-believers who are pro-choice and same sex marriage proponents.

Even though I would have loved him to come out swinging, maybe this was the more diplomatic/tolerant approach.
 
nodito said:
There are loads of people who believe this. Hence all the confusion around the pope’s year of mercy message about abortion and priests granted permission to lift the automatic excommunication. I think people perceive the pope as believing that abortion is less than ideal, but it’s secondary to more important issues like caring for the environment and helping the poor and suffering. In the minds of many people, abortion is a way of addressing both of those problems, so it doesn’t warrant such harsh condemnation.
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A good comment.

The problem with Pope Francis is the same as what we had with Pope Benedict but in reverse. Benedict was/is an incredibly intelligent person and spoke from that intelligence. The problem was that most people didn’t understand what he was saying!

Pope Francis speaks as a “common man” but he presumes that we all have the same foundational basis as he. Thus, he says things without including the qualifiers. The perfect example is his statement that “if a person is homosexual and is sincerely seeking Christ, then who am I to judge?” Everyone went straight to “who am I to judge” and ignored the “sincerely seeking Christ,” which means that one who acknowledges their sinfulness and avoids those particular sins is free of judgement. Hardly an endorsement of a sinful activity.

We also must keep in mind that Pope Francis’ criticisms of Capitalism are directed in general, not specifically to the United States. For some reason, every time Pope Francis opens his mouth people here think he is addressing the 330 million people in the US and not the other 7 billion people in the world.
 
He has been described as “laconic”!

He thinks bishops, priests and laity should have been well enough catechised to be able to unpack the issues for outsiders and enquirers.

Part of the trouble is, even most bishops haven’t been well enough catechised!

Why pin all the blame on one old man who since he came to Rome at any rate, has on overdue issue after overdue issue after overdue issue pulled his weight against obstacles we probably know little about. An element wore Benedict out and they are wearing Francis out.

When people in my diocese clamoured for catechesis there were fearful rows, there were turncoats among senior clergy, there was mob rule, hijacking of a diocesan publication, negative announcements were made about the vulnerable in the church.

Now for proclaim '15 the clergy told us “We don’t think we can do anything”.

Maybe quite a lot of other dioceses are like that also.

The Pope is showing up the shepherds that haven’t prepared the flock. They have in fact shown themselves up.

People think they are being hurt by the Pope. That is the intention of the aforementioned element.
 
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