Pope Francis, company man
BostonGlobe.com
21 hours ago
Let the record show that the promise of Pope Francis died in
Santiago, Chile, on Jan. 18, in the year of our Lord 2018. When Pope
Francis slandered victims of sexual abuse, ironically by accusing those
very victims of slandering a Chilean bishop who was complicit in that
abuse, he confirmed what some critics have said all along, what I have
always resisted embracing: Pope Francis is a company man, no better than
his predecessors when it comes to siding with the institutional Roman
Catholic Church against any who would criticize it or those, even
children, who have been victimized by it. By saying he needs to see
proof that Bishop Juan Barros was complicit in covering up the abuse
perpetrated by the Rev. Fernando Karadima, Francis has shown himself to
be the Vatican’s newest Doubting Thomas. ...
8 comments:
Too bad the Globe used the opportunity to cheap shot Pope Francis instead of analyze the issue. Part of the problem seems to be that civil discussion has died and been replaced by constant adolescent point scoring.
I don't think I am alone in thinking or criticizing Pope Francis for speaking too much and too often off the cuff. But at this point, like Trump, His Holiness can't help Himself, so like Trump, let Pope Francis be Pope Francis.
Two years ago His Holiness was challenged about this bishop he appointed who had ties to the priest who was indeed a major sex abuser. Pope Francis off the cuff castigated those questioning him about the appointment and said the calumny against the bishop was politically motivated from the "left." I am not sure what the "left" means in Chile but I suspect it means being anti-Clerical in the political sense, not Catholic sense.
So Pope Francis may be more informed about the politics in Chile that surround this whole issue. But herein lies the problem. His Holiness should be clear and direct about what His Holiness thinks the political issues are and then condemn it outright.
Regarding off-the-cuff papal opinions. Does anyone recall a decade ago, when Benedict XVI published his book Jesus of Nazareth, some traditional Catholics were scandalized by his statement in the preface that aspects of the book were merely his own personal opinions as a private theologian, so others were free to disagree with these?
They were aghast that a pope would publish merely personal opinions, rather than confine himself to formal papal statements in the name of the Church. Who could have imagined then that a decade hence, standards of papal communication would have fallen so far?
LOL - well when the Pope apes the views of the "world" (left-wing loon elites, manmade global warming, illegal alien invasions are good), what should he expect. At some point he was going to violate one of the tenets of their "faith."
"Let Pope Francis be Pope Francis" - says it all. And increasingly, as people learn to do this, they will ignore him just the same. Well, maybe not everyone...
ByzRC, yes he has a sycophant that posts here regularly who will never give up worshipping his golden calf!
Father McDonald said..."I don't think I am alone in thinking or criticizing Pope Francis for speaking too much and too often off the cuff. But at this point, like Trump, His Holiness can't help Himself, so like Trump, let Pope Francis be Pope Francis."
Father, you have the right to voice, in charitable, Catholic fashion, your concerns about His Holiness Pope Francis. In turn, Pope Francis, by word and action, has made it clear that he desires frank discussion within the Church.
Example:
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/pope-francis-calls-a-traditionalist-writer-who-criticized-him
Pope Francis calls a traditionalist writer who criticized him
Vatican City, Nov 23, 2013 / 04:07 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Mario Palmaro, a traditionalist writer who co-authored an article critical of Pope Francis, received a phone call Nov.1 from the Pope himself, who knew that the writer is suffering from a grave illness.
Pope Francis called Palmaro’s home, and when his wife answered the phone, he could hear a “known voice asking her if it was my house and if she was my wife.” After getting affirmative answers, Pope Francis continued: “Madam, I have know that your husband is very sick, and I would like to speak with him.”
During the conversation, Palmaro reminded the Pope that he had co-authored an article in which he criticized him. When he got the phone call, Palmaro said he felt a “duty to tell the Pope that I criticized him. I did not think he would have read my articles, but I thought I was a coward in receiving such a great gift as a Pope’s phone call and not being sincere with him.”
Pope Francis responded saying that he “understood that the critics had been moved by love for the Pope.”
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Example:
During September 2013 A.D. interview with American Magazine, Pope Francis stated that he had not spoken, for example, often about abortion and homosexual unions. He added: "I have not spoken much about these things, and I was reprimanded for that."
But from September 2013 A.D. to date, following his acceptance of the reprimand in question, Pope Francis has, time and again, condemned abortion and homosexual unions.
Pax.
Mark Thomas
It is fascinating to compare Pope Francis and President Trump. Both men challenge the status quo with great audacity and much success. Global friction uniquely exists during our era and the brash are rewarded as traditional social structures are transitioning to something new. Let this be advice to conservatives - the rules governing society are changing and to succeed in our present era, one must not be afraid to "go out on a limb" and challenge the normal ways of doing things. When conservatives realize this, we might have some victories.
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