CUTTING POPE LEO XIV AND POPE FRANCIS SOME SLACK

 I am pre-Vatican II enough, to be an ultramontane when it comes to the pope and papacy. I was shocked as a 22 year old when the seminarians who picked me up at the airport in Baltimore in August of 1976 started talking about Pope Paul VI in very derogatory ways—not because they perceived him to be too “liberal” but because he wasn’t liberal enough. I was shocked.

I am still shocked by how quickly Catholics not only critique popes, but hatefully condemn them. We’re adults and certainly we have a right to critique and to think critically, religiously as well as in secular things. 

Pope Leo is already receiving condemnation by the heterodox right. He’ll get it too from the heterodox left, although the left is a bit more discreet in their screeds. 

Of course, the right goes crazy over any hint of changing the sexual moral teachings of the Church, even when that really isn’t the case. What changes is the pastoral approach and moving away from anathemas to a more loving approach that isn’t strident, like the 1980’s “tough love”. 

Will it work? Yes and no! It didn’t work for Jesus at the Last Supper. Pope Leo spoke about Jesus’ betrayer, Judas, and the loving chance that Jesus offered him not to betray him (at the last Supper).

I think this is Pope Leo’s approach too, not just for those who live in and glory in sexual immorality of whatever stripe and publicly too, but all of us poor miserable sinners.

This is an AI summary of Pope Leo’s catechesis on Judas and it is the foundation of Pope Leo’s pastoral approach?

Overview

Pope Leo XIV has addressed Judas' betrayal by emphasizing Jesus's enduring love and mercy during the Last Supper, where Jesus offered a final attempt to save Judas through a gesture of love and forgiveness. The Pope highlighted that this act demonstrates that even in betrayal, God's love is unwavering and can lead to a path of salvation, rather than passive forgetfulness. He also reflected on the "woe" Jesus uttered for Judas, interpreting it not as a curse but as a lamentation born of compassion, which can be an opportunity for conversion if recognized.  

Love's Last Attempt at the Last Supper

• At the Last Supper, Jesus offered a morsel of bread to Judas, a gesture the Pope described as "love's last attempt not to give up". 
• This act, along with the washing of the disciples' feet, shows Christ's humility and unwavering love, even for the one who would betray him. 

Forgiveness as an Active Gift 

• True forgiveness, according to Pope Leo XIV, is not passive forgetfulness but an active gift of love given freely, even before it is accepted.
• It is the ability to set another free by loving them to the end, demonstrating the power of hope and preventing evil from multiplying.

Betrayal as an Opportunity for Salvation

• Every betrayal can become an opportunity for salvation if one chooses the path of greater love. 
• Even at the darkest moment of rejection, God does everything possible to reach people. 

The "Woe" to Judas 

• Jesus's utterance of "woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed" is not a curse but a cry of pain or a lamentation, according to Vatican News.
• This "woe" expresses sincere and deep compassion, and the recognition of this suffering can open the door to conversion.

The Nature of God's Love

• Jesus's love does not deny the truth of pain but ensures evil does not have the last word. 
• The act of forgiveness is not weak but a sign of strength that allows love to shine stronger than hatred.