I'm Starting To Like...
...this new Pope:
"Pope Francis said the Catholic Church must shake off an obsession with teachings on abortion, contraception and homosexuality and become more merciful, or risk the collapse of its entire moral edifice “like a house of cards.”I like people who shake things up. There are a few other areas that desperately need a good shaking, though. Oh well. The pendulum is swinging.
In a dramatically blunt interview with an Italian Jesuit journal, the Pope said the church had “locked itself up in small things, in small-minded rules” and should not be so prone to condemn."
posted by Louise at 3:18 pm
3 Comments:
What's the difference between "obsession with teachings" and "strict adherence to fundamental Christian doctrine" plus "moral consistency"?
I'm all for "more merciful", however there are some fundamental Christian moral standards.
Abortion is, at best, a lesser-of-the-evils choice when a woman's life or long-term health is truly in jeopardy. Under mainstream Christian doctrine, unborn babies are human beings, with a soul. They are not a lump of tissue to be discarded when inconvenient to feckless people who choose to be irresponsible about their sexuality.
Also: Marriage is a sanctified-by-God bond between one man and one woman. Admittedly with polygamy exceptions, this has been all human civilization's norm for millenia. Fascist Neo-Liberalism's attempt to brainwash people into turning millenia of civilizational norms on it's head notwithstanding.
Now, if the Pope wants to talk about making celibacy optional among priests and nuns, as in the Greek and Russian Orthodox Churches, I'm all ears. That is a man-made rule, not Biblical doctrine. Ordination of clergy stresses the "laying on of hands", transmitting the Holy Spirit to the newly ordained, and as this is, among the Anglican, Orthodox and Catholic Church, an unbroken line back to the Apostles. Since Jesus Himself chose the Apostles, we must observe consistency. Some of the Apostles, including Peter, the first Pope, were married men. That ought to resolve that question!
Oh, and while the Pope's talking about opening the Church to fresh air, how about a thorough expulsion of all the child-molesting clergy and lay leaders, plus those senior prelates who engaged in decades of looking the other way and/or cover-ups???
I could go on ... but I think I've said enough to give The Usual Suspects among the "Progressive" species hot flashes and reach for the phone to call the Human Rights "Star Chamber" Tribunals. :-)
Well, meanwhile he:
http://www.theatlanticwire.com/global/2013/09/pope-francis-excommunicated-priest-who-supports-womens-ordination/69827/
Baby steps, Snoopy. Baby steps.
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