Pope Bluntly Faults Church's Focus on Gays and Abortion

[kozlosap]

anything, no matter how noble, when obsessed over, will lead to a disservice of even the initial noble ambitions

:thumbsup:Our Holy Father lived in the real world before he became Pope. He rode the bus to his offices and cooked his own meals. Maybe, just maybe he understands how the Church currently has a horrible PR dilemma. To non-Catholics the Church does seem obsessed with only certain social issues. Abortion should always be in the forefront, but the seemingly unending pointing of fingers at gay people and those who use contraception instead of reaching out to those who are starving and dying of preventable illness is troubling to the majority of non-Catholics AND Catholics. I am praying that this very blessed Vicar of Christ will start helping those obsessed change their hearts.

 

[Birdpreacher]

this only hurts the “political” catholics who use the church as an instrument of politics to further divide people. A pope that utters these truths truly takes the wind out of their sails and I for one say amen.

 

[catholicguy25]

I just read the article on yahoo news… and for the first time i saw atheists saying good things about christians… on the comments section.
i feel so guilty, but i didn’t like what the Pope said… i have never heard a homily about abortion or gay marriage, i wish i would hear a homily about those important topics once in a while! i only hear about those topics when i watch EWTN.

For instance, i didn’t like this part of the article

“Two months ago, Francis caused a sensation during a news conference when he was asked about gay priests. “Who am I to judge?” about the sexual orientation of priests, as long as they are searching for God and have good will, he responded.
Francis noted in the latest interview that he had merely repeated church teaching during that press conference (though he again neglected to repeat church teaching that says while homosexuals should be treated with dignity and respect, homosexual acts are "intrinsically disordered.”)"

Why he didn’t mention what the Catholic Church teaches about homosexuality?

I have never been involved in abortions or homosexuality… however, i deal with lust… and whenever i hear a priest on ewtn talking about lust, i like it! i want to be reminded that lust is a disgusting sin.

i feel bad for not having liked the Pope’s words.

God bless you.

 

[shawnbm]

They don’t love him. They love a caricature of him that they have created for themselves. Just as they did with JP2.

 

[Birdpreacher]

jeez enough with the “liberals dont love the pope the way i love the pope” or that the “secularists are loving the pope wrong”

PERHAPS, it is possible that despite their disagreements with church doctrine, the liberals/secularists/bad guys in your eyes actually identify with the root of all the communications of the pope: the love of christ.

 

[kozlosap]

Catholic Guy - Pope Francis is a Jesuit, his sermons will not be like a Southern Baptist, screaming and ranting about lust, etc. Most likely you will hear homilies that espouse the Gospels and the manner in which we treat those around us. It is also quite obvious that he will not speak very often about indulgences and such. The Holy Father wants us to live by the manner in which Jesus taught - doing for the least among us, feeding and clothing those in need, visiting prisoners, consoling those who are grieving and those who have lost their will to live. What a joy to have this simple holy man as Pope!,

 

[gracepoole]

Is leading people to believe that abortion, same sex “marriage,” and contraception, are obsessions of the Chuch, and things which shouldn’t be talked about, leading by example?

First – again – he hasn’t said these topics shouldn’t be talked about. He speaks of balance. The world’s poor cannot matter less than issues like same-sex marriage and birth control, for example. Second, no one need identify specific topics as obsessions of the Church – for any Catholic or non-Catholic who hasn’t lived under a rock for the past decade, it’s clear that for some in the Church, there are obsessions with these topics.

There seems to be a good deal of fear expressed by some here and I’ve got to confess that it completely confuses me.

 

[gracepoole]

jeez enough with the “liberals dont love the pope the way i love the pope” or that the “secularists are loving the pope wrong”

PERHAPS, it is possible that despite their disagreements with church doctrine, the liberals/secularists/bad guys in your eyes actually identify with the root of all the communications of the pope: the love of christ.

Yes! If nothing else, I think we’re being shaken awake and forced to evaluate the purpose of our own personal campaigns. Are we living truly Christlike lives? What an excellent question to ask every day.

 

[weller2]

They don’t love him. They love a caricature of him that they have created for themselves. Just as they did with JP2.

The Pope gave interview to a Jesuit magazine, which means that his words are directed to Catholics.

So, can we leave the mainstream media out of this and focus on what the Pope actually said?

 

[turtle18]

I must be a dunce. I thought the mission of the Church was to save souls. How many times are we told in the New Testament to repent? Jesus tells us we need to help the poor but the main message of the Gospels and New Testament is not to help the poor but to repent of our sins. I am sorry; I think the Church puts too much emphasis on the poor. Yes, we are called to help them but that is not our primary mission. In all the material help we have given to the poor, how much of that has actually caused them to turn from sin? What profit is their for a man to gain the whole world if he loses his soul in the process? Meanwhile, it the last forty years, you have had over a billion humans slaughtered worldwide and this is a “disjointed obsession?” Not to mention the state of the souls of those who participate in these acts.

Lord, have mercy on us and help us all.

 

[godisgood77]

Amen Papa Francis!!! This man talks like Jesus did…

 

[Birdpreacher]

I must be a dunce. I thought the mission of the Church was to save souls. How many times are we told in the New Testament to repent? Jesus tells us we need to help the poor but the main message of the Gospels and New Testament is not to help the poor but to repent of our sins. I am sorry; I think the Church puts too much emphasis on the poor. Yes, we are called to help them but that is not our primary mission. In all the material help we have given to the poor, how much of that has actually caused them to turn from sin? What profit is their for a man to gain the whole world if he loses his soul in the process? Meanwhile, it the last forty years, you have had over a billion humans slaughtered worldwide and this is a “disjointed obsession?” Not to mention the state of the souls of those who participate in these acts.

Lord, have mercy on us and help us all.

where does it say that the main absolute goal of the gospels is to repent sins? I read it as being that GOd Loves us as the main message. We can repent all we want but without love we are missing the mark

 

[AdvanceAlways]

this only hurts the “political” catholics who use the church as an instrument of politics to further divide people. A pope that utters these truths truly takes the wind out of their sails and I for one say amen.

So those of us who speak out against the moral evil of abortion are political Catholics?

 

[AdvanceAlways]

First – again – he hasn’t said these topics shouldn’t be talked about. He speaks of balance. The world’s poor cannot matter less than issues like same-sex marriage and birth control, for example. Second, no one need identify specific topics as obsessions of the Church – for any Catholic or non-Catholic who hasn’t lived under a rock for the past decade, it’s clear that for some in the Church, there are obsessions with these topics.

There seems to be a good deal of fear expressed by some here and I’ve got to confess that it completely confuses me.

When these topics are bringing about a destruction of society and culture, there had better be an obsession with them.

 

[Birdpreacher]

So those of us who speak out against the moral evil of abortion are political Catholics?

no those who obsess over it for personal gain are. once again obsession can corrupt even the noblest of ambitions

 

[Gospel]

I have to say that this Pope makes me nervous. We need “blunt” truth during these times of uncertainty. We need to hear sermons on dogma, and church teachings, and what is right and wrong. “Loosy Goosy” teachings on how love will fix everything will not get the job done. We as Catholics need to be a beacon of light to the world. We need to educate our own people and the people around the world of what moral truth is.

 

[Birdpreacher]

When these topics are bringing about a destruction of society and culture, there had better be an obsession with them.

that is where i and the pope disagree with you. no problem should be obsessed over. DOes that mean we ignore it- no but obsession just opens the door for more sin.

 

[Birdpreacher]

I have to say that this Pope makes me nervous. We need “blunt” truth during these times of uncertainty. We need to hear sermons on dogma, and church teachings, and what is right and wrong. “Loosy Goosy” teachings on how love will fix everything will not get the job done. We as Catholics need to be a beacon of light to the world. We need to educate our own people and the people around the world of what moral truth is.

without a foundation of love, all the blunt truth in the world is useless. we must focus on the most absolute fundamental truth- God’s call for us to share in his love, only this truth can bear fruit capable of combatting sin, as opposed to mere obsession and fixation on the sin

 

[AdvanceAlways]

without a foundation of love, all the blunt truth in the world is useless. we must focus on the most absolute fundamental truth- God’s call for us to share in his love, only this truth can bear fruit capable of combatting sin, as opposed to mere obsession and fixation on the sin

We’ve had 50 years of post Vatican II emphasis on feelings, and love, and more feelings, and the amount of moral evil in the world has seemingly only become worse. I’m not saying that emphasizing God’s love is bad, obviously it isn’t, it’s the message of Salvation, but to act as if love without doctrine will help anything is foolish.

 

[The_Bucket]

I have to say that this Pope makes me nervous. We need “blunt” truth during these times of uncertainty. We need to hear sermons on dogma, and church teachings, and what is right and wrong. “Loosy Goosy” teachings on how love will fix everything will not get the job done. We as Catholics need to be a beacon of light to the world. We need to educate our own people and the people around the world of what moral truth is.

If you read his words, he is far from “loosey goosey.” He said flat out that confessors who wave things away and say “this is not a sin” are in the wrong.

You say that we need to hear sermons on dogma, but obviously the Holy Father believes all the world hears is the dogma. And dogma is a good thing, but the dogma without love is not dogma at all. It is just a bunch of rules.

Christ said and did as much when He “violated” rules of ritual cleanliness and noted that the only thing that makes us clean or unclean is what comes out of our mouths, not what goes in them. His vicar is now telling us that the rules are good but the rules come from a relationship, a place of love in Christ and without that love the rules make no sense!

Pope Francis wants to start from the ground up and he is correct. All the world hears from us is “no this” and “no that.” They see rules and they see hypocrisy. They do not see love. Are they misinformed? Yes. But whose responsibility is it then to get the right message out there? Ours!

Look at what he said about the Church being a battlefield hospital. What battle do you think he’s referring to here? It’s the battle for souls! The fight between what God wants for us and what Satan tells us we want for ourselves. Remember that the Ignatian spirituality places a lot of emphasis on the power of Satan to bend our will away from God and towards ourselves and the enemy.

So in this eternal of battles, the Church is the hospital, her ministers are the medics and we are the soldiers. What should the Church do when she sees so many of her soldiers hit by the terrible blows of sin? Tell them that they need to cut their sugar intake? Or should she first, as Francis says, bind their wounds and then tell them about a good diet.

Do not be afraid my friends! The Holy Father wants us to get messy, to get outside of our comfort zones and that means meeting the world where it is and trying to bring it back to the Lord through example. Francis is not going soft on us. He is challenging us to be more like Christ.