Notre Dame's Shame! and Pope Francis' rebuke!
FROM POPE FRANCIS THIS MORNING SPEAKING TO OFFICIALS AND REPRESENTATIVES OF NOTRE DAME UNIVERSITY!
In my recent Apostolic Exhortation on the Joy of the Gospel, I stressed the missionary dimension of Christian discipleship, which needs to be evident in the lives of individuals and in the workings of each of the Church’s institutions. This commitment to “missionary discipleship” ought to be reflected in a special way in Catholic universities (cf. Evangelii Gaudium, 132-134), which by their very nature are committed to demonstrating the harmony of faith and reason and the relevance of the Christian message for a full and authentically human life. Essential in this regard is the uncompromising witness of Catholic universities to the Church’s moral teaching, and the defense of her freedom, precisely in and through her institutions, to uphold that teaching as authoritatively proclaimed by the magisterium of her pastors. It is my hope that the University of Notre Dame will continue to offer unambiguous testimony to this aspect of its foundational Catholic identity, especially in the face of efforts, from whatever quarter, to dilute that indispensable witness. And this is important: its identity, as it was intended from the beginning. To defend it, to preserve it and to advance it!
Franciscus
January 30, 2014
UPDATE: What the Holy Father said above to Notre Dame, the Holy Father said in a different way at his morning Mass at the chapel of his place of residence, the Vatican Motel 6:
The Pope said the first fruit of our Baptism is to make us a part of the Church, a member of the people of God. Recalling the words of Pope Paul VI, he said it’s absurd to claim that we love Christ without the Church, that we listen to Christ but not the Church, that we are with Christ but on the margins of the Church. The Gospel message, Pope Francis said, comes to us through the Church and our path to holiness must be found within the Church.
Speaking of the three pillars which underpin our sense of belonging to the Church, the Pope said the first is humility and the realization that the story of salvation does not start or end with us. A person who is not humble, he said, cannot feel with the Church but only feels what he or she desires. Instead, humility helps us understand that we are just a small part of the great people of God, that is following the way of the Lord.
The second pillar, Pope Francis said, is faithfulness to the teachings and doctrine of the Church. Quoting again from his predecessor Paul VI, he said we receive the Gospel as a gift and we must pass that gift on to others in faithfulness, rather than seeing it as something that belongs to us.
Thirdly, the Pope said, we must remember to pray with and for the Church in all parts of the world. Do we really pray for the Church, he asked, not just at daily Mass but also when we are at home? May the Lord help us, he concluded, to follow this path, to deepen our sense of belonging and feeling with the Church.
Text from page http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/01/30/pope:_christians_must_feel_with_the_church/en1-768777
of the Vatican Radio website
14 comments:
Here is the joke: "…continue to offer unambiguous testimony…." So, when has ND "continued" to offer this? The Pope's statement is watered down, conciliatory rhetoric toward an institution that is historically one of the worst violators of Catholic doctrine and teachings. This means nothing and will go nowhere. ND will continue as she always has and the Pope will do nothing.
It's hard to read this as a "go and sin no more" statement. It's more like a "go and keep doing what you're doing" statement.
I don't know if I agree with the analysis...
. "It is my hope that the University of Notre Dame will continue to offer unambiguous testimony to this aspect of its foundational Catholic identity..."
That presumes a Catholic identity was offered to begin with. And shelling the most pro-abortion president in history with a degree (albeit honorary) certainly doesn't help things....
That said, it's a step in the right direction.
I read Francis like a 'soft' manager who always starts the conversation off with a compliment, especially if he is about to discipline you. He also emphasizes the positive aspects of what Notre Dame has done, "keep doing the good things you have done (sotto vocce, "and stop the stupid $@¥£ or you'll lose more than the Sugar Bowl"). I don't care for that too much although I see that aspect in my own approach. As long as his disciplinary actions are appropriate in severity and quick then I think they are a good thing.
Commenting on Gene's comment, the way I see it, Pope Francis gave a warning to those who were expecting a warning. Harsher words would produce diverse adverse reactions. Notre Dame is sure to understand that, in this first encounter. The Pope in the future, will not fail to be like Paul in 2 Corinthians 10:10-11. God bless.
Gosh...nobody...not the priests, not the bishops, not the cardinals, not the pope, not the jesuits, not notre dame, not ANYBODY but the geniuses on southern whiners are REAL christian catholics.
Nope, nobody but you, Anonymous…LOLLOLLOLLOLLOL!!!!!
To Gene: When Pope Francis said for Notre Dame to continue in unambiguous teaching I am sure he was referring to its beginning and not to its current and recently past teachings which are not in line with the Magisterium.
I'm hanging on by my fingernails pastor. Having the priest turn his back on me and speak Latin wouldn't help. Reading the trivial nonsense that often shows up here doesn't help. My best bet is probably Pope Francis.
I'm probably the kind of guy that you would like to see out of this blog, and probably out of your smaller pre-VII church. I'm also the kind of guy, however who believes that days gone by are gone by and you will eventually have to face it.
What is a real Christian Catholic Anonymous? Catholics who actually believe everything that the Church has always taught are justified in their astonishment at the words and actions of this pope. He has done so much damage to the papacy by his heterodoxy that the results are incalculable at this point. He is imprudent, not theologically sound, impatient and condemnatory towards those he disagrees with. If Francis doesn't believe Catholic Doctrine and Tradition/tradition then maybe he should not have accepted the papacy. He would be better off and so would the Church.
I'm not the least bit interested in your conversation
Anonymous (lib one), you are actually accusing others of writing trivial nonsense…amazing!
Well, you and Ignotus being on the blog is, at least, an opportunity for others to see what they are facing from the world of unbelief and secular humanism. However, if it were my blog, both of you would have been banned long ago. There is just no point on keeping a couple of gibbering liberal magpies around. The entertainment value evaporates quickly...
Bless your heart, preacher. You still love to preach, don't you?
So, who's preaching?
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