Pope Francis, fighting a bit of bronchitis, met with the Roman clergy this morning for his annual meeting which lasted three hours.. It took place at Rome’s Cathedral, the Basilica of Saint John Lateran.
Vatican News stated that the meeting was cordial. Could you imagine Vatican News saying it wasn’t cordial. Did Vatican News think that the meeting might be hostile toward the Bishop of Rome? Very odd to report that, I think. But we are in the Twlight Zone these days.
I am sure there will be more news about what the pope said about this, that and the other, after all the meeting lasted three hours! The Vatican News story was very brief. Here are a couple of money bytes with my astute comments embedded in red:
Open, friendly dialogue
The meeting, which lasted about three hours, was reported in a statement from the Diocese of Rome to have taken place "with an open and familiar dialogue in cordial atmosphere." (Someone must have worried that it would have been an angry and contentious meeting????)
Blessing people, not sin
He then responded to questions about blessing homosexual couples, stating that the doctrine on the Sacrament of Marriage between a man and a woman has not changed, saying that people are blessed, not sin. (Isn’t this what Cardinal Ladaria stated when he was the Prefect for the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith. It’s all the more puzzling that Pope Francis would have allowed Cardinal Fernandez to write a missive that shows how to bless individual people in a couple relationship but doing it with both of them. Aren’t we toying with people here by this kind of nonsense that makes those who think this is an opening to blessing sin and those who think this is emphasizing the second class nature of people living in sin, that the individual with his sexual partner can be blessed and blessed together. Isn’t that a bit incoherent? Oh, I forgot, incoherence has become a gesture leading to other things…?)
To a question from an African-born priest, he said that African culture does not accept these blessings because there are different sensitivities. He added that this has been clarified with Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo, Archbishop of Kinshasa and President of SECAM (Symposium of the Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar).
Pope Francis stated that many do not read well the texts of the Church. Good listening is required, he emphasized, noting that conflicts must be managed but not hidden.
The Pope then urged the priests of Rome to always forgive. “I always forgive; one must always have mercy,” he said.
On the topic of permanent deacons, he said they must be among the people, serving those in need.
In conclusion, Pope Francis recalled that homilies should be brief, about 7/8 minutes, direct, and must capture the spirit of the Word of God. (I think this is the most important thing the Pope stated. A short bad homily is better than a long bad homily!)
5 comments:
The Holy Father needs to not merely state but also make clear and consistent that he endorses the perpetual Law of God as we have known it for all ages and that it is actually the Law of the Church. His current, and past, statements ‘confirming’ catechism and Law are more easily understood as consolidations of ground gained for progressive heterodox positions and not repudiations of a mistake or mistaken perceptions of his poorly written letters and statements. FS is the most recent of these that can be easily misunderstood or even selectively interpreted by orthodox as well as heterodox Catholics. For this latest example we see that homosexuals, both laity and clergy, have gleefully embraced the teachings in FS as allowing and encouraging blessing of homosexual unions as an incremental step to including sodomy in the sacraments. It should be noted that Pope Francis issued several ‘corrections’ to the German Synod while simultaneously formally approving one of their more controversial recommendations and goals in a missive from the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith. This is at least dismaying for its lack of clarity, but also for the lack of action against the public blessings of homosexual couples that are supposedly in contradiction to FS but also possibly blasphemous. This is in contrast to punishments for transgressions against the Holy person of the Pope, which appears to be held in higher regard than the Trinity. So words mean one thing and actions another; Fatti maschii, parole femine. Our Pope and his staff say one thing and do another and likely laugh at us when the camera is off.
The next question is not whether there will be any clarification of FS per the objections of the Africans; that is a done deal and the next step for that contest is how the Vatican can undermine the authority of the current bishops and replace them with homosexuals. The real next question is do we get female priests or married priests? Or perhaps priests iof either gender n irregular relationships that circumvent any restrictions on relationships outside of marriage. A serendipitous benefit of this disaster that it clears up the questions about communion on the tongue versus in the hand. I hope they don’t mind if I wear latex gloves.
Father McDonald said..."Vatican News stated that the meeting was cordial. Could you imagine Vatican News saying it wasn’t cordial. Did Vatican News think that the meeting might be hostile toward the Bishop of Rome? Very odd to report that, I think."
Not at all odd. News reports from Rome have often noted that this or that meeting with the Pope had been conducted in cordial fashion. That practice was in place long before Pope Francis' reign.
Anyway, Vatican News reported information from a statement issued by the Diocese of Rome.
The Diocese of Rome's statement had noted that the meeting had taken place "with an open and familiar dialogue in cordial atmosphere."
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The notion that the Church "cannot bless sin" is a given.
The letter from SECAM (Symposium of the Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar) made it clear that per Fiducia Supplicans, the "Church's doctrine on Christian marriage and sexuality remains unchanged."
Pax.
Mark Thomas
Juan Peron in a miter.
The Pope is incoherent now because this whole mess was incoherent from the beginning. If all the priest is doing is an informal and spontaneous blessing of individuals, why did the DDF/Pope need to publish anything? They published an illogical document to give cover to those clergy (bishops and priests) who are gay or gay sympathizers. They can try to backtrack all they want but the goal has already been accomplished - except where good bishops have stepped in to stop it. The only good to come out of this is that it clarifies where bishops stand - and that is helpful.
The horse has fled the stable, no point in shutting the gate-praxis trumps doctrine- was intended!
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