gpmj12
Active member
Getting these glimpses into Pope Francis mind is great. I genuinely get his leadership and inspired vision for the Church in the future. Especially for the sake of unity/ecumenism.
In a letter to the new Prefect of the Dicastery for the Faith (DDF), Pope Francis said he entrusts him with a task he considers very valuable.
Its central purpose, he wrote, is to guard the teaching that flows from the faith in order to give a reason for our hope, but not as enemies who point out and condemn.
With these words, the Pope reached out to Archbishop Víctor Manuel Fernández as he succeeds Cardinal Luis Francisco Ladaria Ferrer as Prefect of the DDF, whom he thanked for his years at the helm of the Dicastery.
… Noting that the Dicastery in the past, at times pursued possible doctrinal errors and questionable methods, he underscored the fact that what he expects from the new leadership is something very different.
… The Pope highlighted the establishment of a specific Section in the Holy See dedicated to the protection of minors and asked the new Prefect to commit personally and directly to the main purpose of the Dicastery which is “to guard the faith”.
He asked him to give more momentum to the transmission of the faith in the service of evangelisation, so that its light, he said, may be a criterion for understanding the meaning of existence, especially in the face of the questions raised by the progress of science and the development of society.
He encouraged a renewed proclamation of the Gospel message, and called on the Dicastery to become an instrument of evangelisation, helping the Church to enter into conversation with the people of the world in a context that is unprecedented for the history of humanity.
The Church, Pope Francis continued, needs to grow in her interpretation of the revealed Word and in her understanding of the truth, without imposing a single way of expressing it.
A harmonious growth nurtured by respect and love, he said, will preserve Christian doctrine more effectively than any control mechanism.
The Holy Father went on to call for theologians who do not content themselves with “a desk theology” or a cold and hard logic that seeks to dominate everything.
We need theology to be attentive to a fundamental criterion that considers "inadequate” any theological conception that ultimately casts doubt on God’s omnipotence and, in particular, on his mercy.
We need a way of thinking, he continued, that presents a God who loves, forgives, saves, liberates, and promotes people and calls them to fraternal service.
Thus, the Pope asked the new Prefect to encourage a proclamation that concentrates on the essential, which is the most beautiful, the greatest, the most attractive and at the same time the most necessary, and he warned him against overshadowing central issues with secondary ones.
In a letter to the new Prefect of the Dicastery for the Faith (DDF), Pope Francis said he entrusts him with a task he considers very valuable.
Its central purpose, he wrote, is to guard the teaching that flows from the faith in order to give a reason for our hope, but not as enemies who point out and condemn.
With these words, the Pope reached out to Archbishop Víctor Manuel Fernández as he succeeds Cardinal Luis Francisco Ladaria Ferrer as Prefect of the DDF, whom he thanked for his years at the helm of the Dicastery.
… Noting that the Dicastery in the past, at times pursued possible doctrinal errors and questionable methods, he underscored the fact that what he expects from the new leadership is something very different.
… The Pope highlighted the establishment of a specific Section in the Holy See dedicated to the protection of minors and asked the new Prefect to commit personally and directly to the main purpose of the Dicastery which is “to guard the faith”.
He asked him to give more momentum to the transmission of the faith in the service of evangelisation, so that its light, he said, may be a criterion for understanding the meaning of existence, especially in the face of the questions raised by the progress of science and the development of society.
He encouraged a renewed proclamation of the Gospel message, and called on the Dicastery to become an instrument of evangelisation, helping the Church to enter into conversation with the people of the world in a context that is unprecedented for the history of humanity.
The Church, Pope Francis continued, needs to grow in her interpretation of the revealed Word and in her understanding of the truth, without imposing a single way of expressing it.
A harmonious growth nurtured by respect and love, he said, will preserve Christian doctrine more effectively than any control mechanism.
The Holy Father went on to call for theologians who do not content themselves with “a desk theology” or a cold and hard logic that seeks to dominate everything.
We need theology to be attentive to a fundamental criterion that considers "inadequate” any theological conception that ultimately casts doubt on God’s omnipotence and, in particular, on his mercy.
We need a way of thinking, he continued, that presents a God who loves, forgives, saves, liberates, and promotes people and calls them to fraternal service.
Thus, the Pope asked the new Prefect to encourage a proclamation that concentrates on the essential, which is the most beautiful, the greatest, the most attractive and at the same time the most necessary, and he warned him against overshadowing central issues with secondary ones.
