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Will the conservative American Bishops follow the Bishop of Rome in his teachings? It seems to me Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York has a belly ache. Republicans of the Catholic faith Paul Ryan and Rick Santorum will need a new priest for confession. Perhaps Russian Orthodox? It appears the latest statements by Pope Francis sound as heresy to US bishops and conservative Republicans. How will this new voice from Rome impact future US presidential elections? I too must admit, my first assessment was plain wrong.
Pope Francis: Church can’t ‘interfere’ with gays
(CNN) – Pope Francis said the church has the right to express its opinions but not to “interfere spiritually” in the lives of gays and lesbians, expanding on explosive comments he made in July about not judging homosexuals. In a wide-ranging interview, the pope also said that women must play a key role in church decisions and brushed off critics who say he should be more vocal about fighting abortion and gay marriage.
Moreover, if the church fails to find a “new balance” between its spiritual and political missions, the pope warned, its moral foundation will “fall like a house of cards.”
The interview, released by Jesuit magazines in several different languages and 16 countries, offers perhaps the most expansive and in-depth view of Francis’ vision for the Roman Catholic Church. The pope’s comments don’t break with Catholic doctrine or policy, but instead show a shift in approach, moving from censure to engagement.
Address of Pope Francis to the Community of Writers of “La Civiltà Cattolica” June 14, 2013
The rift between the Gospel and culture is without a doubt a drama (cf. Evangelii Nuntiandi, n. 20). You are called to make your contribution to healing this split which also passes through the heart of each one of you and of your readers. Such a ministry is characteristic of the mission of the Society of Jesus. Accompany with your thoughts and your in-depth examination the cultural and social processes and all who are going through difficult transitions, even taking conflicts into account. Your proper place is at the frontier. This is the place of Jesuits. Today too what Paul VI said about the Society of Jesus, taken up by Benedict XVI, applies in a particular way to you:
“Wherever in the Church, even in the most difficult and extreme fields, at the crossroads of ideologies, in the social trenches, there has been and there is confrontation between the burning exigencies of man and the perennial message of the Gospel, here also there have been, and there are, Jesuits.”
○ Exclusive interview with Pope Francis: A Big Heart Open to God
- See my earlier diary – About A Rib Taken From Adam.