Pope officialliy de-emphasizes Papal Titles

[Lucky7]

Why can’t it be both? If it’s not, then what does the Pope mean by "heirarchical’?

 

[NeedsMercy]

Certainly a lot of titles. Is it possible that previous Popes were given additional titles in lieu of pay raises?

Do NOT read the National Catholic Reporter!! Believe me, as you read more and more articles coming from that site, you will start to see certain bias’ come out and it is very easy to point it out once you notice it.

I would stick with the National Catholic Register, it is a very good and reliable Catholic news source and blog site.

I never visited this website before, but this site seems to be run by a group like say ‘Catholics’ United (quotes intended) based on how this story was presented. In addition, just look at the comments section, the sentiment there is something like some secular repressive site like the Huffington Post would have with all the anti-Catholic (Christianity generally in some posts) statements. This is NOT coming from a conservative perspective, I am a Libertarian not conservative, but I don’t like seeing our Church attacked like it’s just hunky dory, it’s unacceptable and these people are “tolerant” right? I don’t think that I will look to this site for information on our Church, if I’m wrong please let me know, I didn’t check it out completely and probably will after I post this. As of this moment I think I’ll stick with The Tablet and EWTN.

Well, what can we expect from the National Catholic Reporter, whom Bishop Finn says should not even call itself Catholic.

I am somewhat disturbed by comments which recommend totally disregarding news items or editorials which appear in other than extremely conservative Catholic publications or websites. To properly form an opinion, or to argue a point, you must know all sides of an issue. Because you do not believe in x’s viewpoint does not necessarily make it invalid and untrue. Sir Francis Bacon said that “Knowledge is power.” The more knowledge you garner, the more educated your viewpoint. Read the “Reporter”, the Huff Post, etc. It’s not porn—you won’t go blind if you read something a little (or a lot) left of center. You shouldn’t have to be afraid to read it—if your faith is strong, nothing can change your mind, correct?

 

[J_the_Centrist]

Certainly a lot of titles. Is it possible that previous Popes were given additional titles in lieu of pay raises?

I am somewhat disturbed by comments which recommend totally disregarding news items or editorials which appear in other than extremely conservative Catholic publications or websites. To properly form an opinion, or to argue a point, you must know all sides of an issue. Because you do not believe in x’s viewpoint does not necessarily make it invalid and untrue. Sir Francis Bacon said that “Knowledge is power.” The more knowledge you garner, the more educated your viewpoint. Read the “Reporter”, the Huff Post, etc. It’s not porn—you won’t go blind if you read something a little (or a lot) left of center. You shouldn’t have to be afraid to read it—if your faith is strong, nothing can change your mind, correct?

I beg to differ, I am not a conservative just as I suggested, just view some of my past posts (in context) to see that. I have been accused of not being a genuine Catholic, but I stand by the Church and give it allegiance regardless of certain things. What bothers me is that these people would rather see our Church die if it doesn’t conform to what they
want it to be and we both know it!

 

[J_the_Centrist]

Certainly a lot of titles. Is it possible that previous Popes were given additional titles in lieu of pay raises?

I am somewhat disturbed by comments which recommend totally disregarding news items or editorials which appear in other than extremely conservative Catholic publications or websites. To properly form an opinion, or to argue a point, you must know all sides of an issue. Because you do not believe in x’s viewpoint does not necessarily make it invalid and untrue. Sir Francis Bacon said that “Knowledge is power.” The more knowledge you garner, the more educated your viewpoint. Read the “Reporter”, the Huff Post, etc. It’s not porn—you won’t go blind if you read something a little (or a lot) left of center. You shouldn’t have to be afraid to read it—if your faith is strong, nothing can change your mind, correct?

In addition I would like to add that I do read the Huffinton Post, as well as other anti-Christian media outlets. I am also familiar with the extreme anti-Christian scholarship that has enveloped academia, because I am a historian. The attacks on our Church either make me sad or incensed, because most of them are inaccurate and based on pseudo-intellectual fallacies and I pray that I can handle this more gracefully as I get older. God bless you, I hope I didn’t upset you too much.

 

[YoungTradCath]

I am somewhat disturbed by comments which recommend totally disregarding news items or editorials which appear in other than extremely conservative Catholic publications or websites. To properly form an opinion, or to argue a point, you must know all sides of an issue. Because you do not believe in x’s viewpoint does not necessarily make it invalid and untrue. Sir Francis Bacon said that “Knowledge is power.” The more knowledge you garner, the more educated your viewpoint. Read the “Reporter”, the Huff Post, etc. It’s not porn—you won’t go blind if you read something a little (or a lot) left of center. You shouldn’t have to be afraid to read it—if your faith is strong, nothing can change your mind, correct?

Well, I’m not sure anyone would say that just because you don’t agree with someone that he’s automatically wrong. But NCReporter type articles are usually invalid and untrue anyway.

 

[YoungTradCath]

No thy aren’t. We don’t live in Medieval Europe where the peasants bow and scrape before the Church.

Oh, the Medieval hating…

 

[SurfingTheTiber]

He has pointed out on numerous occasions that priests and bishops are servants. They are to serve their sheep and be close to them. They aren’t to separate themselves from their flocks. They aren’t better or superior. The laity doesn’t serve them; they serve the laity.

They serve the laity as those ordained by God in order to point the laity to something beyond themselves; namely, God. My concern is that “servant leaderhip”, at least in the USA, has often come to mean little more than being very concerned with the trivia of people’s preferences and opinions rather than calling people to be concerned with the faith of the Church. Leading people to the faith of the Church is the greatest act of servanthood anyone could render to another.

 

[YoungTradCath]

It seems that our understanding of the term “service” is extremely tainted, to the point of being meaningless.

 

[kag1982]

Certainly a lot of titles. Is it possible that previous Popes were given additional titles in lieu of pay raises?

Tee Hee… So the Roman Curia works exactly like corporate America.

I am somewhat disturbed by comments which recommend totally disregarding news items or editorials which appear in other than extremely conservative Catholic publications or websites. To properly form an opinion, or to argue a point, you must know all sides of an issue. Because you do not believe in x’s viewpoint does not necessarily make it invalid and untrue. Sir Francis Bacon said that “Knowledge is power.” The more knowledge you garner, the more educated your viewpoint. Read the “Reporter”, the Huff Post, etc. It’s not porn—you won’t go blind if you read something a little (or a lot) left of center. You shouldn’t have to be afraid to read it—if your faith is strong, nothing can change your mind, correct?

Agreed. I think that some of the reporters at the “Reporter” are very insightful… John Allen, for instance. Also, I enjoy mixing it up with liberals on Huffington Post.

Oh, the Medieval hating…

I like democracy, medicine, economic mobility, etc. You? The Church is not a temporal Medieval power, so let’s shed the symbolism.

 

[kag1982]

They serve the laity as those ordained by God in order to point the laity to something beyond themselves; namely, God. My concern is that “servant leaderhip”, at least in the USA, has often come to mean little more than being very concerned with the trivia of people’s preferences and opinions rather than calling people to be concerned with the faith of the Church. Leading people to the faith of the Church is the greatest act of servanthood anyone could render to another.

I think that many priests have forgotten the servant part. I can give you numerous examples in my own life where priests were actually uncaring to family members, friends, or me.

 

[FrancisBenedict]

“Let him who would be first be last.”

Lets get back to the humanity and the Divinity
The simple love of God for his people
The simple love of the Church for God
The intimate proximity of God to us
A love for us that is beyond words and felt in silence and peace.

And the image in the very heart of the Vatican?

The white dove of the Holy Spirit.

Silent, simple, here.

Deo Gratias+

 

[YoungTradCath]

Tee Hee… So the Roman Curia works exactly like corporate America.

I like democracy, medicine, economic mobility, etc. You? The Church is not a temporal Medieval power, so let’s shed the symbolism.

These sentiments are paradoxical in a way.

 

[NeedsMercy]

I beg to differ, I am not a conservative just as I suggested, just view some of my past posts (in context) to see that. I have been accused of not being a genuine Catholic, but I stand by the Church and give it allegiance regardless of certain things. What bothers me is that these people would rather see our Church die if it doesn’t conform to what they want it to be and we both know it!

In addition I would like to add that I do read the Huffinton Post, as well as other anti-Christian media outlets. I am also familiar with the extreme anti-Christian scholarship that has enveloped academia, because I am a historian. The attacks on our Church either make me sad or incensed, because most of them are inaccurate and based on pseudo-intellectual fallacies and I pray that I can handle this more gracefully as I get older. God bless you, I hope I didn’t upset you too much.

Actually, J, you didn’t upset me at all. I, like you, am “centrist” and this is why I want people to read as much as they can about an issue. Sometimes, I think that folks just take the hard line. Period. End of debate. This practice prohibits healthy discussion and is dangerous, IMHO. I agree totally concerning attacks on our Church, but sometimes I feel like the Church is attacking me because of my mild, “leftist” views. Yeah, take a look at some of my posts and the responses thereto. So, really, J, we are on the same page.

 

[NeedsMercy]

Well, I’m not sure anyone would say that just because you don’t agree with someone that he’s automatically wrong. But NCReporter type articles are usually invalid and untrue anyway.

Sorry, but I disagree. Many people posting in CAF are called “wrong” because they don’t tow the hard line.

 

[CutlerB]

To me, Pope Francis’ general trend to reduce the Church’s outward appearance of power and wealth seems consistent with what Pope Benedict has said:

"[The Church] will become small and will have to start afresh more or less from the beginning. She will no longer be able to inhabit many of the edifices she built in prosperity…. It will make her poor and cause her to become the Church of the meek…"

• Cardinal Ratzinger

Things like Papal Trappings and Papal Titles probably made a lot of sense during a time when the Church wielded more political might then many kings. That said, the future Church is going to be a poor one and possibly heavily persecuted. In fact, today’s Church is already a lot smaller and poorer then a lot of Her member’s realize.

And there is nothing wrong with being poor… Blessed are the poor. That said, what point is there in a homeless man wearing royal garments and using royal titles? The advantage of poverty is that you can separate yourself from all these material things, and I just happen to think that Pope Francis is aligning the Church with that new reality.

I yearn for those former days. But why doesn’t the Church put up a fight, instead of shying away? Not fighting in the violent sense, but – while she still has her position – throw her weight behind evangelising. She shouldn’t have to be on the defence and be forced out of public life into insignificance. That’s not to say she should go all out on pomp and circumstance, but don’t throw everything out the window before you have to.