YOU CAN READ VATICAN NEWS FULL INTERVIEW WITH THE POPE, THE ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY AND A PRESBYTERIAN BY PRESSING HERE.
This is the National Catholic Reporter’s Christopher White’s synopsis of the high altitude news conference of Pope Francis. I will print the official transcript of the interview when it is published.
Pope Francis powerfully condemns those who have instrumentalized Pope Benedict’s death against him and then Pope Francis proceeds to instrumentalize Pope Benedict’s death in favor of him.
It’s all very sad as the pope stokes the flames of polarization and schism initiated in March of 2013.
This is an excerpt of the NCR article but read it all HERE:
ON BOARD THE PAPAL PLANE FROM SOUTH SUDAN — Pope Francis on Feb. 5 said the recent death of retired Pope Benedict XVI has been "instrumentalized" by those in the Catholic Church seeking to score points against the current papacy and using the late pope’s death to serve their own agendas.
"Those people are without ethics," said Francis en route back to Rome following his first international trip after the Dec. 31 death of the late pope emeritus. "They are people who belong to a party, not to the church."
While Francis didn’t name names, over the last month a number of vocal critics of Francis' pastoral priorities — including Benedict's longtime personal secretary, Archbishop Georg Ganswein — have given interviews and published books claiming that in retirement, Benedict was embittered by certain decisions taken by Francis.
Francis dismissed those reports as fabricated and said that such individuals were serving their own agenda, using a colloquial Italian expression for those seeking to divert a community’s water supply solely for their own purposes.
Just days after Benedict’s death, Ganswein published a tell-all memoir claiming that the retired pope was heartbroken by Francis’ 2021 decision to restrict the celebration of the Latin Mass and was at odds with Francis’ 2016 apostolic exhortation, Amoris Laetitia, which offered a cautious opening to Communion for divorced and remarried Catholics. One week later, following the unexpected death of Australian Cardinal George Pell, a long-time ally of Benedict, it was revealed that Pell had been the author of an anonymous March 2022 memo labeling the Francis papacy a "disaster" and out-of-sync with the papacies of Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI.
Francis, however, told reporters on the plane that he consulted regularly with Benedict and that the two were on the same page. He went on to share an anecdote of an unnamed theologian who went to Benedict with a complaint over Francis' support for civil unions. Francis said that Benedict tapped several noted theologian-cardinals to examine the complaint.
"They explained it, and so the story ended," said Francis, adding that Benedict was not saddened by decisions he had taken over the last 10 years as pope.
11 comments:
“these people are without ethics!” Look in the mirror Santita.
Father McDonald said..."AS PREDICTED…THE FOCUS OF THE PRESS ISN'T ON THE SUCESSFUL AFRICAN PILGRIMAGE..."
Father McDonald, the manner in which you, I, news media outlets — anybody — will spin Pope Francis' press conference is meaningless.
That is, meaningless to the massive amount of our African brothers and sisters in the Faith who have been blessed abundantly via the holy, joyful time that they have just spent with Pope Francis.
Following an Apostolic Visit to this, or that, country, reports have flowed as to the uplifting, powerful, long-lasting degree of good will that Pope Francis had established among that country's Faithful.
Press conference, or otherwise, there isn't any way to weaken the massive amount of love, respect, and joy, that the Holy People of God in Congo, and South Sudan, have for Pope Francis.
Pax.
Mark Thomas
Mark, although I agree with what you write, that’s not my point. For most of the western world, there is little care about African, not much news coverage of any pope going there (in the secular media). Thus, the pope fell into the media’s trap by speaking of other things rather than his glorious trip to Africa and what happened there. The focus now in the Western Press here and in Europe will be on what the pope said about Benedict and the insturmentalizing of Benedict’s death by others and this pope too. Also the obsession with homosexuality and promoting it, even if veiled in Christian love and inclusivity, does not resonate with Africans, but certainly with the west. Thus, the headline in the National Catholic Reporter and Crux is what the pope said about the death of Benedict and Francis’ views on homosexuality and God’s love from every person—as though that is a new teaching! The pope is his own worst enemy when it comes to stepping on his own SUCESS and diverting attention away from it. This is sad for Africa following such a grand SUCESS there.
Father McDonald, I am glad that we are in agreement in regard to Pope Francis' successful Apostolic Visit to Congo, and Southern Sudan.
I appreciate also your point that "For most of the western world, there is little care about African, not much news coverage of any pope going there (in the secular media)."s
I do not believe, however, that Pope Francis has fallen into a news media trap. Or that he has stepped on the tremendous success that God has bestowed upon the Pope's visit to Africa.
Father McDonald, I would note:
Pope Francis, during the past few days, has focused substantial secular, as well as Catholic, and Protestant, news media coverage upon Congo, Southern Sudan, as well as Africa in general.
Pope Francis could have skipped his return-home press conference which, in theory, we may have kept the secular news media focused upon Africa, rather than the Pope's press conference replies.
However, Father McDonald, I suggest that having eschewed the press conference would not have spurred the news media to have remained focused upon Africa.
As soon as Pope Francis had boarded the airplane to return to Rome, the secular news media coverage of Congo/South Sudan/Africa was finished, or all but finished.
That said, the press conference had featured some questions in regard to Africa.
But upon Pope Francis' departure to Rome, the job to remain focused upon Africa has fallen to the Catholic news media. The Protestant news media, as Justin Welby, and Iain Greenshields, had traveled with Pope Francis, could also contribute reports in regard to Africa.
Father McDonald, I believe above all, that the Apostolic Visit's holy success, upon which we agree, is the key to advance positive change in Congo/South Sudan/Africa.
Our brothers and sisters there, having just been blessed abundantly by our Heavenly Father, via Pope Francis' Apostolic Visit, are called to continue the good will that the visit has generated.
From there, the Catholic news media will continue to inform millions of us as to the story at hand.
Anyway, Father McDonald, thank you again for your reply.
We at least agree that Pope Francis' Apostolic Visit will have a positive, long-lasting influence upon Catholics (and perhaps non-Catholics), throughout, as well as beyond, Africa.
Pax.
Mark Thomas
Except his comments about decriminalizing homosexual acts - in Sudan they are punishable by death.
In regard to the tremendous love, and respect, that Pope Francis received from massive amounts of our brothers and sisters in Congo, and South Sudan:
Attention: Rorate Caeli, The Remnant, Crisis Magazine, 1Peter 5, as well as additional folks of that ilk:
Good luck trying to convince our African brothers and sisters of the vile, round-the-clock attacks, hatred, and lies, that you direct at Pope Francis.
Attention: Peter Kwasniewski: Go to parishes in Congo, and South Sudan. Try to peddle your attacks against Pope Francis. Try to convince our African brothers and sisters that Pope Francis is a hateful heretic.
There are suckers in America who have filled Peter Kwasniewski's bank account as said folks have purchased his books, and attended anti-Catholic lectures that he has hawked.
Conversely, Peter Kwasniewski would go broke trying to peddle to our African brothers and sisters his books, as well as anti-Pope Francis mutiny lectures/rants.
Good luck trying to peddle the Demos letter to our brothers and sisters in Congo, and South Sudan. Good luck trying to convince them that Pope Francis has been catastrophic to Holy Mother Church.
Good luck trying to convince our African brothers and sisters that Pope Francis is hated, isolated, and ignored throughout the Church. Good luck trying to convince our African brothers and sisters that Pope Francis/his Pontificate had been eclipsed years ago.
Our Holy Ghost-filled African brothers and sisters promote love and respect for Pope Francis.
Pax.
Mark Thomas
"Attention: Rorate Caeli, The Remnant, Crisis Magazine, 1Peter 5, as well as additional folks of that ilk:
"Good luck trying to convince our African brothers and sisters of the vile, round-the-clock attacks, hatred, and lies, that you direct at Pope Francis."
Oh puh-leeze!
Attacks?
Printing the pope's own words, comparing them with the deposit of what the Church has always taught and holding him accountable is hardly an "attack". He's one of the two most notable celebrities in the world, and he could easily rebut such "attacks". Every time we are told of some outrageous quote of his, Bergoglio neither affirms or denies and the source for much of it--Scalfari--admitted that he neither took notes or taped the interviews, always so careful to give your pope plausible deniability.
Lies? Bergoglio's words speak for themselves.
Hatred? If anything, I've watched these sources bend over backwards to find some plausible way to excuse much of what this pope has said and done. However, it's hard--if not impossible--to excuse the inexcusable.
Grow up Mark. Rorate Caeli and The Remnant are not Tiger Beat magazine and Pope Bergoglio is not Bobby Sherman--except in your world.
Your puerile fan-club fixation embarrasses the rest of us.
Jerome Merwick,
His posts should be preceded with a MAJOR BARF ALERT warning
You might want to cancel your membership to the Jorge Bergoglio Fantasy Fan Club and the Vatican II Geriatric Hippy Institutionalized Mediocrity Collective after reading this and the stories linked within the story:
https://www.newliturgicalmovement.org/2023/01/mythbusting-african-catholicism-is.html#.Y-FLZnbMLIU
Jerome Merwick,
I almost posted that story but I realized he would never read it, and if he did, would not understand it.
Sophia here: Jerome, thanks for posting the link re the myth of growth in Catholicism post
Vatican ll-excellent discussion.
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