Francis explains 'who am I to judge?'

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ROME Interviewing Pope Francis in July, Italian journalist Andrea Tornielli asked the pope how he might act as a confessor to a gay person in light of his now famous remarks in a press conference in 2013, when he asked: “Who am I to judge?”
Francis’ reply appears in a new book The Name of God is Mercy to be released Tuesday.

“On that occasion I said this: If a person is gay and seeks out the Lord and is willing, who am I to judge that person?” the pope says. “I was paraphrasing by heart the Catechism of the Catholic Church where it says that these people should be treated with delicacy and not be marginalized.”

“I am glad that we are talking about ‘homosexual people’ because before all else comes the individual person, in his wholeness and dignity,” he continues. “And people should not be defined only by their sexual tendencies: let us not forget that God loves all his creatures and we are destined to receive his infinite love.”

“I prefer that homosexuals come to confession, that they stay close to the Lord, and that we pray all together,” says Francis. “You can advise them to pray, show goodwill, show them the way, and accompany them along it.”

Asked whether there is an opposition between truth and mercy, or doctrine and mercy, the pontiff responds: “I will say this: mercy is real; it is the first attribute of God.”

“Theological reflections on doctrine or mercy may then follow, but let us not forget that mercy is doctrine,” says the pope. “Even so, I love saying: mercy is true.”

The Name of God is Mercy is the result of an interview between the pope and Tornielli, the coordinator for the Vatican Insider website. The book is being published in 86 countries and about 20 languages on Tuesday. NCR received an advance copy of the English-language version of the text.

ncronline.org/news/vatican/francis-explains-who-am-i-judge
 
I just preordered The Name of God is Mercy, and am very much looking forward to reading this book!
 
I may be reading a little into it to be fair, but I think one can reasonably say that the Pope is making the point that carnal homosexuality need not be the front page sin in the eye of the church that it has become for some. This is not to say that one who follows Catholic teaching must accept the act of actually engaging in same gender sex. However the level of public attention that it has received has pushed away a number who may consider living within the church’s teaching on the subject. Making the case to those who identify with LGBT feels is hard when they feel repulsed out of hand. It also makes it harder for those who aren’t gay but are Catholic and see this as either a secular union issue (for example) to see their church expressing compassion to the situation people find themselves in.
 
PJH_74 said:
I may be reading a little into it to be fair, but I think one can reasonably say that the Pope is making the point that carnal homosexuality need not be the front page sin in the eye of the church that it has become for some. This is not to say that one who follows Catholic teaching must accept the act of actually engaging in same gender sex. However the level of public attention that it has received has pushed away a number who may consider living within the church’s teaching on the subject. Making the case to those who identify with LGBT feels is hard when they feel repulsed out of hand. It also makes it harder for those who aren’t gay but are Catholic and see this as either a secular union issue (for example) to see their church expressing compassion to the situation people find themselves in.
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Well, what we need to explain to GLBTQ folks is that simply being a homosexual automatically means going to hell.

The problem is they see very judgmental, harsh comments like that (for reference, I don’t mean on CAF) but it’s obvious from what those comments entail that they are probably not Catholic but Christians who do not fundamentally understand the Bible.

Part of the problem is Catholics not taking a wholesome stance to counter errors on both sides, though, from threads in other forums on here I think more people are understanding the arguments.
 
That’s an interesting remark by the pope. Is there a hierarchy of attributes? If mercy is the first attribute, what is the second?
 
http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/i...ce_Credit_Daniel_Ibanez_CNA_9_9_15.jpgVatican City, Jan 12, 2016 / 03:02 am (CNA/EWTN News).- In his new book on God’s mercy, Pope Francis explains that his oft-quoted words “who am I to judge”, about a homosexual person who is searching for the Lord with a good will, is simply his reflection on Church teaching found in the catechism.

The Name of God is Mercy, to be released Jan. 12, is a book-length interview of Pope Francis by Italian journalist Andrea Tornielli. The book is meant to “reveal the heart of Francis and his vision,” according to Tornielli’s foreward. He had wanted to ask the Pope about mercy and forgiveness, “to analyze what those words mean to him, as a man and a priest.”

The journalist asked Pope Francis about his experience as a confessor to homosexual persons and about his “who am I to judge” comment, made during his in-flight press conference from Rio de Janeiro to Rome July 28, 2013.

“On that occasion I said this: If a person is gay and seeks out the Lord and is willing, who am I to judge that person?” Pope Francis told Tornielli. “I was paraphrasing by heart the Catechism of the Catholic Church where it says that these people should be treated with delicacy and not be marginalized.”

“I am glad that we are talking about ‘homosexual people’ because before all else comes the individual person, in his wholeness and dignity. And people should not be defined only by their sexual tendencies: let us not forget that God loves all his creatures and we are destined to receive his infinite love. I prefer that homosexuals come to confession, that they stay close to the Lord, and that we pray all together. You can advise them to pray, show goodwill, show them the way, and accompany them along it.”

The book includes nine chapters following the foreword by Tornielli, consisting of questions-and-answers between him and Pope Francis. It includes as an appendix Misericordiae vultus, Francis’ papal bull announcing the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy.

In the work, Pope Francis explains that he considers the present day a special time of mercy for the Church. He chose to hold a Year for Mercy through prayer and reflection on the teachings of recent Popes, as well as his own thought of the Church as a field hospital for sinners.

“Mercy is God’s identity card. God of Mercy, merciful God. For me, this really is the Lord’s identity,” he reflects.

In The Name of God is Mercy, Pope Francis includes advice for confessors and for penitents.

"I feel compelled to say to confessors: talk, listen with patience, and above all tell people that God loves them, "he said.

And Pope Francis’ advice for making a good confession is that the penitent “ought to reflect on the truth of his life, of what he feels and what he thinks before God. He ought to be able to look earnestly at himself and his sin. He ought to feel like a sinner, so that he can be amazed by God. In order to be filled with his gift of infinite mercy, we need to recognize our need, our emptiness, our wretchedness. We cannot be arrogant.”

The best way to participate in the Year of Mercy, Pope Francis said, is to be open to God’s mercy.

A believer “should open up to the Mercy of God, open up his heart and himself, and allow Jesus to come toward him by approaching the confessional with faith. And he should try and be merciful with others.”

Full article…
 
Pope Francis emphasises that the approach we should have towards people with same sex attraction should be cordial and friendly, without presumption. In this regard he emphasises God’s mercy.

I don’t see anything about a lack of repentance. Someone who merely has same-sex attraction has nothing to repent of. Desire isn’t sinful in and of itself.

Of course the theologian in me thinks about what mercy being an attribute of God would mean. I think the Popes point is just that we should see God as merciful first and foremost. That is what is important.

Technically though, as St. Thomas Aquinas argued, mercy is not an aspect of God. Its a particular manifestation of His goodness, as it is very good to pardon people who have wronged you. In fact its probably the greatest good God shows us.

The reason why mercy itself can’t a property of God is that all God’s properties are made manifest timelessly, and so if mercy was a property then evil would have to exist for all eternity in order that God could continually forgive it.
 
So this refers only to a person with SSA, who is pursuing a life of celebacy ?
 
Seamus_L said:
So this refers only to a person with SSA, who is pursuing a life of celebacy ?
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Perhaps, but not exclusively.

Anyone who is not married are called to continence, this applies to anyone, no matter what sexual attractions they might have.

Celibacy is a particular and very noble vow of completely abstaining from all sexual activity, with others, or with one self in the future. This isn’t a vow all can take up, even though all are called to have continence. I know many Catholics who are single, but fall to impurity many times. They can’t make a vow of celibacy.

Beyond that I don’t think all people are entirely heterosexual, but that doesn’t mean that therefore the opposite is true. Some people who are in a lawful marriage, with someone they love, will sometimes feel same sex attractions. To many Christians this is very greatly disturbing, and I have a protestant friend who suffers very much with it, so I can testify to that. Unfortunately this person doesn’t have the tempering guide of Catholic moral theology, and so needlessly repents of something no one is culpable for.
 
PrintzLeonhard said:
Pope Francis emphasises that the approach we should have towards people with same sex attraction should be cordial and friendly, without presumption. In this regard he emphasises God’s mercy.

I don’t see anything about a lack of repentance. Someone who merely has same-sex attraction has nothing to repent of. Desire isn’t sinful in and of itself.
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This and many other of the posts is what I was going for. Those who are in full support of the church’s teachings should heed the Pope strongly on what he is trying to say there.

Approaching gay related topics head on as if they are all equal forms of sin, where no heterosexual person is capable of performing,a like sin, is getting no where. Non-married heterosexuals are called to celibacy too. So if you are going to attack gay sex with vitriol, attack premarital sex strongly also.
 
Who’s making the argument that unmarried heterosexuals are not called to a life of celebacy ?
 
Seamus_L said:
Who’s making the argument that unmarried heterosexuals are not called to a life of celebacy ?
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Ah, I think we’re just using the same words slightly differently. The way I take them, all celibates are also continent. But if an unmarried person had sworn celibacy, to devote themselves entirely to God, then they couldn’t seek marriage afterwards. A continent person could seek marriage.

Its basically a promise, or an intent to never engage in sexual relationships with anyone for the rest of your life, out of love for God. Not all heterosexuals are called to that. Its a higher calling than marriage, and the Church has always taught that. Don’t get me wrong, its a very noble sacrifice for the love of God.

However if you have SSA, maybe you’re called to that… It depends. Perhaps you can also have meaningful relationships with another person of the opposite gender? That’s something that takes careful discernment.

I try not to make answers simple, its very individual.
 
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