The Catholic Church needs major reformation not only if it is to regain any moral credibility, but if it is to survive at all.
#1 Declare an international day of prayer for victims of pedophile priests.
#2 Allow priests to marry.
#3 Ordain women as priests.
#4 Acknowledge that homosexuality is natural (the birds do it, other species do it), that Christ didn't say anything about it in the 4 Gospels, that the 6-7 total mentions throughout the entire Bible are all problematic, and thus remove homosexuality from the sin category and encourage holy matrimony between homosexual couples as well as heterosexual couples.
#5 Hang tough on abortion (except for when the mother's life is endangered or she is the victim of rape), but support birth control to prevent the unwanted pregnancies that lead to abortion.
Either the RCC must leave the Middle Ages and join the Modern, or the Modern age will leave the RCC in the ash bin of history.
20
"...walk with deep interior freedom, following the spirit of Jesus.”
Would that the rather rabid, self-anointed religiosity-sodden warriors on the authoritarian right could loosen their bonds of rigidity and fear and power and find "the spirit of Jesus." Then they would not be the subject of Gandhi's lament,"I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians. They are so unlike your Christ."
Raymond Cardinal Burke, Leonard Leo, Justices Alito, Thomas, Gorsuch and Kavanaugh, William Barr, Mick Mulvaney, Kellyanne Conway et. al., take heed. Michael Pence, of Catholic origin, also.
32
If the pope were truly fearless then hundreds of priests would be in jail for sexual abuse.
14
Catholic priests are by no means turning their backs on migrants nor ignoring the plight of the poor. The USCCB has written at length about the Catholic position on migrants, and the Catholic Church does more for the poor than almost any other body, save the US government itself.
18
I'd be fearless too with a lifetime job and infallibility. I'd still be a fool too.
3
Absolutely ludicrous. I'll believe that Pope Francis is "fearless" when all of the victims of clerical abuse are made whole, and the priests, bishops and cardinals responsible for this GO TO JAIL.
1
Too little, too late. Religion is withering on the vine and the Catholic Church is an anachronistic vestige with a 15th century mindset. It is a boy’s club that has not only tolerated but encouraged the abuse of women and children for the length of its existence. Its hypocrisy knows no bounds.
If the Church really wanted to put its money where its doctrine is, it would liquidate all of its vast properties, works of art, and gold chalices and send its married priests – male,female, gay, bi, trans - to minister to the sick and poor like Jesus supposedly said.
And then maybe the Church faithful would notice that it is PEOPLE making change – not religion, not a god, not magic – just people.
13
He is the head of one of the most corrupt empire ever conceived.
I cannot respect him because of that.
6
Trump has crossed a line for some Catholics.
Truth is a prelude for justice.
I gave sworn evidence against priests who abused children.
My faith is most private.
I named Catholic priests before a Royal Commission who had abused kids.
Lies, power, unethical lawyers.
Megaphonic screaming and abusive attacks on Congress, Intelligence Services and the truth is American leadership.
Castro in the sixties had more basis for paranoia.
Pompeo says that Trump may be chosen by God to lead Israel to its destiny.
Mike Pence is an astute acolyte of personal selection for salvation.
Hang the losers or electrocute them.
Mentally ill prisoners languish in gaol who self select for suicide, really.
Too many fanatics hold a view that unless you comply the world will end.
Perhaps Francis as reported has a good approach to leadership like other memorable leaders.
Talk quietly and use a stick.
He seems to be seeking counsel from his Church concerning issues of the Amazon.
Providing Catholic sacraments is his prime duty as a priest.
Francis has been vilified in the US as a heretic concerning gays, contraception , abortion and divorce issues.
These issues are in the private domain utterly and should be treated most sensitively.
Many families have endured these storms of life supported by Priests in and out of the confessional.
Francis has my support to make choices which will be based on peer consultation including views of cultures of the Amazon forest.
2
Pope Francis is a phony. To assuage ever mounting complaints against the church's inaction related to pediphilia, Francis set up a Commission chaired by Boston's Cardinal O'Malley. Not only did the Commission not discipline any bishops and cardinals who covered up for and failed to report to police on pedophilia priests, the Commission NEVER HELD one meeting. In 2002 the US BISHOPS pledged complete transparency on all matters related to pedophilia; yet since that pledge the Church has repeatedly fought documents disclosure in almost every case. The movie Spotlight won the Best Picture Academy Award because it portrayed a Boston Globe editor who happened to be Jewish refusing to accept the utterances of bishops, cardinals and popes about priest pedophiles as truthful. Francis has relaxed some rules but he continues to mess up the protection of children from pedophile priests. Mitchell Garabedian the attorney prominently portrayed by Stanley Tucci in Spotlight was asked by Jim Braude on WGBH TV recently if things have improved with the Church relative to pedophilia and Garabedian said- it is much worse. They are labeling each complaint of abuse as non-credible and fighting each claimant no matter how grievous the crime.
2
I wait for the day, and I believe that it will come, when young Roman Catholics will follow the leadership examples set by Greta Thunberg and others and rise up and support Pope Francis' efforts. May they stand up and wrest control from the dusty, dirty clergy of the Vatican's Curia!
10
Soon after Pope Francis became Pope, I became an ardent admirer of him. His interaction with others was exceptionally sincere and affectionate. His natural humility has been striking. To me he is a true Christian, pure, sincere, and loving.
It pained me to learn that he was unnecessarily criticized, even attacked.
Almost daily I pray for him, for his longevity, health and peace of mind. I am an Orthodox Christian. I very much want to see him regain his popularity, and some. I hope he will guide the Catholic church for a full ten years.
I would like the world see him as THE conscience of humanity!
As some commentators have written, I hope to see him declare that birth control pills as well as vasectomy are allowed by the Catholic Church.
Though I do not expect him to declare that homosexual sex between consenting adults is no greater a sin than masturbation, I hope to see him sort of agreeing with such an argument.
4
The fundamental mission of the Church is pastoral and universal. Pastoral: to bring/demonstrate the Good News of Christian faith to the poor, the broken, the "lost" and those seeking to find a way forward. Universal: to do so with communal perspective seeking to embrace all in a culturally, politically, and morally complex world. Fidelity to the mission inevitably will be open to critique. Francis embodies this mission. His critics (left and right) demand pure and absolute answers. They seek once and for all solutions and "fixes". Francis in faith, wades into the fray fearless. He understand the field hospital reality the world. He brings a message of hope, mindful of the Church's many flaws and clerical misdeeds, not with all the answers, nor with simple fixes. "Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1).
18
As noted by many commentators when this Pope chose the name Francis, he is attempting to model humility rather than the arrogance that comes with "clericalism." Like other genuine religious leaders, he identifies with the powerless, in spite of his power. He models a faith that supercedes complex doctrines that can sometimes substitute for belief in the unseen.
24
I applaud John Gehring's article on Pope Francis. The Pope is far from perfect. He is a human being. But he is showing the way of Jesus to the world, bit by bit. In our country we are continually bombarded by the outrageous boasts, misstatements and outright lies of our president, a man who does not know how to speak the truth. Many Americans, and people the world over, are yearning to hear the truth. Try listening to Pope Francis. Even better, watch what he does.
30
As a former Catholic for whom the Faith that I no longer believe, nor defend, was the absolute center of my life, I can only say this: Marcel Lefebvre and his followers are of the faith, totally. They believe it, practice it and defend it. Their position is not in vogue these days, but they are the real thing. Francis and his ilk may be sincere, and hold some positions that are admirabe, but they have apostatised. They have lost the faith. It pains me to say it, as I have done the same, but I have no doubt that that is the truth. I have spent 50 years trying to make sense of it, but I think the Catholic religion as it was believed for many, many centuries, is virtually extinct. I loved it, but I no longer believe it myself, so perhaps it is for the best. It still makes me sad.
4
This often happens: People who have left behind a fundamentalist branch of a religion, who still believe that what they left behind was ‘the only real thing’, and that other variants are fake. So why is Lefebre the real thing? Because he follows to the letter what Jesus said about homosexuality? (That is exactly zero.) Because Paul condemned it in a time and place where it meant older married men having sex with young pupils and slaves? Or because he excludes divorced people, because Jesus criticized the law whereby men, and men only could cast away their spouses? That is not what we would nowadays call a ‘divorce’. And so on. It is harder, apparently, to critically examine beliefs than to just leave them behind and never think about them again.
7
@James LeFebvrites were excommunicated and aren't actually Catholics, though. They are a different sect of Christianity.
5
As a devoutly, and not recently, failed catholic it seems to me that most of the problems the church is facing today are a result of the devout conservative catholics. Who else, in the name of the church, would stifle the word of the abused children? The attitude of, the children can take it, so to speak. They did, in the name of the church, and the church cannot be wrong. I worked for a short time in a maximum security prison. Sadly, I must say that I was more comfortable and felt safer in that max than in church. Which of us is better than others?
14
I love Pope Francis even though I'm not Catholic and don't always agree with him. He seeks to imitate Christ in his life and lives his beliefs. I know many people would prefer that he speak out directly on controversial issues. Political confrontation is not his style. I applaud the fact that he chooses to use actions rather than words to express his beliefs and priorities. There are too many angry authoritarian voices. His humility and authenticity are a breath of fresh air.
47
I would like Pope Francis to be fearless and come out in support of family planning that includes birth control such as IUDs and vasectomies and not just the Catholic Church approved rhythm method. If we are going to survive as a species, if we are going to leave future generations an inhabitable planet, if we are going to stop the extinction of other species, then we need to stop over-populating this earth. I would have much respect for the pope if he bucked the "be fruitful and multiply" mentality of the Catholic Church.
154
@the quiet one Yes. The power and brilliance of his Laudato Si, where he tackles the environment, greed, and other issues directly, is close to being undermined by his relegating birth control to a sideline of near-to-no importance. An incredible oversight and unwillingness to tackle this important subject.
20
@the quiet one
A little updating. New demographics analysis suggest world population will be in declined at the end of the century. In Italy this is happening today. In my native town, birth rate is fallen about 50% in tn twenty years. It’s not a good thing as well as overpopulation.
11
Being fearless means having the courage to not only face truths, but to right the wrongs within those truths. If the pope is fearless, it's because he has nothing to fear while living the status quo and making ambiguous proclamations such as, "Who am I to judge?" If he were truly fearless, he'd be doing everything possible to create a vibrant church that reaches out to those in material and spiritual need? Of course, that courage would require more ministers such as married priests, female priests, and tossing out the doctrines regarding contraception. Then there's the pedophilia issue that the pope and the American cardinals and bishops can hardly deal with.
65
I love this Pope. He has given the hypocritical "Christian conservatives", who have completely abandoned the teachings of Jesus Christ, a much need gut punch. They embody the reason why Thomas Jefferson insisted that a wall must be erected between Church and State. The wave of nationalism currently sweeping through the world is fueled by the ignorance and fear that these hypocrites propagate. I hope Pope Francis is around for a long time to frustrate their dreadful agenda.
151
@Don don't forget that "civil wars that never seem to heal" are usually fueled by the defeated parties that refuse to admit defeat. Sound familiar?
8
The Conservative faction of the Catholic Church in America has no credibility, yet still pretend they have the full majesty of the 19th century Vatican I era Church. I grew up in the 70s and 80s in a Liberation Theology-era church. I have slowly watched Conservative American bishops and priests turn back Vatican II changes in an attempt to return to a Pre-Modern Catholicism. The unfortunate side effect of this has been to alienate all but the most stridently Right Wing of the Gen X and Millennial Catholic. It's very hard to take the bishops seriously when they blame a Gay Agenda for the sex scandal as they say was the case in the Rudy Kos scandal in Dallas, yet any good Catholic with two good eyes can read about how Bernard Law simply covered up or brushed away problematic priests. Yet, they want to criticize us for birth control or divorce. It's very hard to take a man yelling about dust in my eyes, when he's got a two by four in his.
238
@Jack McNally
Well said.
20
Religion is evil, and the Catholic Church is right at the top of the list. Systemic corruption, and tax free real estate.
10
...and what has he done about the paedophiles?
2
I needed to read this excellent article. Besieged by outraged Republicans piously proclaiming ,"There's nothing there!", as The Donald strong-arms the Ukrainian head of state, and for good measure commits the same offense publicly to goad China into helping him smear a rival for the office he has so thoroughly disgraced. About the time when It seems that the world is descending into Dante's Hell, I found a reason to turn my despair, into a sliver of hope. Thank you, Mr. Gehring, for pulling me back from the edge, and God speed.
15
A Christian pope? Like someone who cares about what Jesus Christ said? American "Christians" are appalled. Waterboard him! Ayn Rand is the real Messiah for them.
9
Again, we have a misread of the Papacy. With a corrupt Catholic Church in free fall due to widespread sexual abuse and pedophilia, what better smokescreen than to publicly meet with renegade Priest, Rev. James Martin, obviously a troubled soul. Wanting into the establishment which Church doctrine denies him as much as he publicly denies his own orientation, Rev. Martin is assuaged by a meeting with the recently invisible Pope Francis in the hallowed Pope’s library, “usually reserved for discussions with heads of state and diplomats.”
Earth to John Gehring; with a large percentage of the Priesthood and Catholic hierarchy falling under the L.G.B.T. banner, at some point this is merely Church pragmatism that must come to terms with what is, and heresy and historical Church doctrine be damned. The balloon of Catholic and Vatican hypocrisy has popped.
4
Happy Feast Day of Saint Francis of Assisi, Papa!
18
Defrock the child abusers and turn them over for prosecution, end the ridiculous anachronistic and completely human policies of celibacy and male only priests, then maybe I'd consider thinking about taking the church seriously and forgiving it it's sins.
8
Very good, Pope Francis, we're glad that you're recognizing the human rights of LGBT people. Now if you would please recognize Women's basic human right to owning and controlling our own bodies and our own lives, and to stop over-populating the world with unwanted children because of your perverse desire to keep women pregnant, as many times as possible ~ we might listen to you.
15
Is the Pope interfering in American politics on the side of the leftists? Does he seek to influence voters? Is there some way to involve him in the impeachment?
Currently, the loudest in the Catholic Church in the USA are atavistic mostly white folks who want a patriarchy.
And the core of the Eucharist, the central Mystery of the Church, is a radical embrace of each soul as a child of God, and a preferential option for the poor.
Francis is God's joke on the US Catholics who used to shout "cafeteria Catholics!" and now want only apple pie.
14
God bless this Pope.
14
The Catholic Curch is the biggest business empire the world has ever seen.It rose to unprecedented political and economic power on the backs of literally hundreds of millions of victims and billions of frightened powerless superstitious suckers.The public charm campaign and P.R platitudes continues to brainwash "most people all the time"
Tragic!.
8
I love the pope but he and the vatican has to come to terms with the fact that they dont recognize gay marriage or the gay lifestyle. Teachers are fired when exposed that they are gay or get married. Yet many of the priests are gay. They have been taught by gay priests in school. Some Seminaries are filled with gay priests. There are some that hide who they really are and some that are very flamboyant about it.
Its a twisted culture that I dont understand. Its like a self-hate.
1
It is an interesting theology to believe that the Pope is "right" only to the extent he agrees with secular leftist values. I think they call that "grocery store Catholicism." You only buy the items you want and leave the rest behind.
And here's rhetorical question: Why is the NYT always insulting "fundamentalist Christian" beliefs as retrograde authoritarianism, yet never in a million years would it denigrate mainstream Muslims for holding the identical beliefs?
4
"The pope insists that the “lives of the poor, those already born, the destitute” are as “equally sacred” as the unborn in the womb."
This is not only a great antidote to hard-right Christianity, including conservative Catholicism, but it really does express the probable response to this "what would Jesus say? " question.
I often don't think many who profess to be the supreme arbiters of faith have ever read the Sermon on the Mount. Because if they had, they wouldn't hold the severe judgmentalism and theological rigidity that Jesus so abhored in the Pharisees' treatment of the man in need, who was only helped by the food, but outcast, Samaritan.
106
I was born and raised in the Catholic Church and like most people indoctrinated at such a early age I have blindly followed and believed its teachings. However, in the last 20 years or so I started realizing that the Church was not a force for good. The last straw for me was the child abuse sex scandal. They have made Pope John Paul II a canonized saint. How can you make a man a saint who did nothing to protect children, who in fact did everything in his power to protect pedophile priests? But since Pope Francis miraculously became pope I have started back to church. He is the only hope for a church that has been ruined by the conservative hypocrites. To survive the church must do 3 things: 1. Allow priests to get married. There is nothing in the bible that prevents this. In fact most of the apostles, including St. Peter, we're married. 2. Allow women to be priests. In fact make women completely equal to men in the church. Again this is biblically based. Jesus's mother is the most honored person in the bible. There are also many important women in Jesus' life in the bible. 3. Allow birth control. How hypocritical can you get when you are so militantly against abortion, and then refuse to allow a husband and wife to plan their families? And again, birth control is not biblically based. In general the church is obsessed with sex. So many stupid rules that make no sense and ruin peoples lives. Stop the obsession with sex including their ridiculous discrimination against gays.
193
I like his Holiness' commitment to (most of) Jesus' teachings. It is more blessed to give than to receive. However, I would like to see this principle in action more fully and more transparently for the sexual abuse victims. I'm still seeing the same old cover-up.
I will tell you Francis fears above all else: Being held accountable for the systematic rape of our children by the Catholic Church, the subsequent cover up, witness intimidation, and lying to civil authorities both in depositions and at trial. Australia and other countries are slowly beginning the process of holding the church accountable. We have not yet started. This is an existential crisis for the Catholic Church, if the world fully realizes how evil they have become, it will be the end of the Catholic Church.
2
I am an atheist but I am deeply inspired by Pope Francis. I think he is the greatest moral leader in the world today and maybe of all time. We should be focused on the plight of immigrants and refugees throughout the world and on denuclearization and climate change. The right are completely corrupt and amoral, and even many on the left seldom talk of the plight of refugees. Shame on humanity. Thank you Pope Francis for your leadership.
24
Despite criticisms of Pope Francis, he is more a man for all seasons than previous Popes.
8
Pope Francis is fearless?
Just what is it that he has to fear?
Not even impeachment.
3
The easy one is equality for women, yet Pope Francis has done little to nothing to alter that inequality in the church. There is a severe lack of priests and women are more than qualified to do the same job, yet this Italian lead church has done nothing. It is still dominated by white cardinals in an increasingly colored Catholic following, that speaks volumes to the balance of power within the church. P.F. is moving at a snail's pace.
2
Saying a few nice things about LBGT people does not make up for decades, and continuing, sexual abuse of children by the church he leads.
This Pope, like the ones before him is a protector and promoter of pedophiles.
The second highest priest in the church now sits in an Australian prison having been convicted and having his appeal rejected. The response from the Pope, well let's wait a little longer and see if yet another appeal may work. This is the person that this Pope made second in command.
This Pope supported and sought support from Bishop McCarrick, a long standing and well known sex offender.
It is if the title Pope stands for "Protecting Ordained Pedophiles Everywhere".
There are very few real Christians left in the world. Pope Francis is one of them.
3
He's not perfect (who is?), he's been a disappointment about a lot of things, but for millions of Catholics like me, Francis has been a godsend -- literally. He was kicked to the bottom of the Jesuit ladder and rose up again ... transformed in humility and understanding. He is moving the supertanker of global Catholicism is a different direction, and there won't be any turning back.
3
Unfortunately, in the US the Catholic church is seen to be the ally of Donald Trump. Would the Pope be willing to do reverse that?
6
A Roman Catholic nun I know has just appealed to her friends to donate supplies for a craft fair intended to raise money to support the retired sisters in her order. Meanwhile, the male church heirarchy lives in palaces, waited on by servants and enjoying a half-billion-dollar art collection. Francis, can you fearlessly change that?
16
When will his so-called fearlessness aim criticism at the Catholic Church’s appalling treatment of women? By denying women equal opportunity for church leadership roles, Francis’ progressive messages are sadly diluted. It’s shocking that any women still supports this male-dominated institution.
9
An interesting perspective. I don't think highly of areligion but I do like people like Pope Francis. I just doubt he can make a dent in religious fanaticism.
And yet, the Church still treats women like second class citizens. The Pope said women would "never" be priests. Not even slight wavering. Apparently priests are better than saints because women can attain one but not the other.
16
I find Pope Francis to be extremely indecisive. He hints but never comes out with a clear statement. If he truly opposed poverty, he would have revised Church teaching on contraception. We cannot have a growing population and still maintain life enhancing environment. We are already running out of clear water. Air quality is declining. More people and fewer resources inevitably lead to violent conflict.
12
I have come back to Catholicism because of Pope Francis. Through his writing, example and comments, I see it can be an organization of mercy, support and love, not the one that terrorized my mother (6 children) and aunt (18 children) with guilt.
The church still has a lot to correct, and I don't see them getting all that needs to be fixed done in my lifetime. Defending bad men because they are "representatives of God on earth..." harmed so many.
Pope Francis shows that inclusiveness and kindness can be much more powerful than judgement. I don't agree with many of the rules of the Catholic Church, so I'm going with being a "imperfect" member rather than not a member at all.
32
@Di Arn Thank you, I came to the Catholic Church as an adult agnostic. Yes, the church is moving in the right direction of being more inclusive of LGBT persons, refugees, and sex abuse by priests. And I agree they cannot do it all quickly b/c of so many years of resistance to change. Priests should be allowed to marry; women should be permitted to join the priesthood. It's time.
7
As an Episcopalian who taught at two Jesuit Universities, and who has gone through the Ignatian exercises, I'm a huge fan of Pope Francis. My understanding of the Christian message squares completely with his. RIght now our small Episcopal congregation is going through a series on creation care, inspired by the Catholic church.
36
I was raised as a Protestant but lived in Latin America for many years. I see Papa Francisco, or if you like, Pope Frances as a very hopeful sign and force. I was eventually baptized in Catholicism in Central America and consider myself a liberation theologian for those who understand what it is and represents. As it says in Wikipedia, "Liberation theology proposes to fight poverty by addressing its alleged source, the sin of greed," and that is as good a brief description as any. Francisco still offers something of this perspective and it is not surprising that he has his detractors.
43
I did not know liberation theology was opposition to greed.
Thanks.
I will look into it.
3
If only Rev. James Martin would work as forcefully to challenge the church hierarchy to recognize the full humanity of women. Until women are no longer viewed as “the strawberry on top of the cake”, embraced as fully equal to men and permitted to use all of our gifts (including our intellect and ability to make decisions about what is best for our bodies and families), Pope Francis’ commitments to alleviate poverty and address climate change are doomed to fail.
24
Pope Francis is an inspiration. Not since John XXIII have I seen a pope who inspires me.
48
If Pope Francis is to be fearless, he would rescind the church's opposition to birth control. We are facing an ever-increasing climate crisis, which Francis acknowledges. If we are to address this climate crisis, we need to reign in our population. We are doing damage to ecosystems and other species. We need to pull back, and fast.
46
@the quiet one ...agess...another over 176,000 humans so far today. see:
https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/
1
Thank you to Mr. Gehring for his thoughtful essay. It may also help us to see the innovation of Pope Francis to remember he is a Latin American and was the principal architect of the document produced by the Bishops of Latin America and the Caribbean in Aparecida, Brazil in 2013. I translate here from their prescient warning,
"…we note with worry the accelerated advancement of diverse forms of regressive authoritarianism through democratic paths which, on certain occasions, develop into neopopulist regimes.
This indicates that it is not enough to have democracy in form, founded on the integrity of electoral processes, rather what is needed is participatory democracy based on the promotion and respect of human rights. A democracy lacking values, …easily becomes a dictatorship and ends up betraying the people" (74). May the God who is love continue to protect Pope Francis and all people of good will as they do the very hard work of continuing the work of Christ.
64
@Dr.C It would be great that he acknowledge and repeat the same warning regarding his birth country...
3
It's almost as though he follows the teachings of Jesus. Ironic.
203
@Ghost Dansing
Maybe even irenic.
5
If Pope Francis was truly fearless he would have dealt with the sexual abuse of children and others in the Catholic Church. He has hesitated like all the others.
32
The Pope, Fr. Martin, Mr. Gehring make it possible to be a strong Catholic in this turbulent era when it might be easier to reject our faith than stand up to the right wing of our Church (as holy as she certainly is). I pray that they will continue to lead. Many are depending on them.
37
@jdp ..rejecting any church organization with decades of abuse is not rejection ones faith.
1
That Pope Francis was chosen as successor to Benedict and John Paul is the closest thing to a miracle I have witnessed in my life. As a Catholic, I stayed with the Church even as Pope Francis' predecessors took the Church into dead end moral alleyways, shedding Jesus' unending Mercy all along the way. That a conclave of Cardinals almost all selected by Benedict over his papacy and that of John Paul selected Francis, a priest who embodies Mercy and inclusion, has to be evidence of God intervening on Earth.
115
@Tom ...i agree Francis is a miracle ....the catholic church negotiated real world options:
a Pope Francis' “miracle”
or
an immediate external investigation including arrests into abuse coverups and international banking corruption by sitting hierarchy.
And the 40% turnover is fearless. Wish the gOP had an ounce of Francis' integrity.
11
Pope Francis Is Fearless
His papacy has been a consistent rebuke to American culture-war Christianity in politics..."
Then current pope, like ALL the popes of my lifetime, (John-23 to present!), has ignored the emergent issues besetting this...'faith'!
I'm celebrating my 50th year as a pagan; my reaffiliation from (ancestral) Catholicism was necessitated by continuing criminality / cover-ups, re the Vatican's pedo, money laundering scandals, etc.!
Then...there is the inherent sexism / homophobia, etc. encompassed by the ban on female and ('out-of-closet'), gay / lesbian clerics, and the cover-ups!
Otherwise...
Blessed, Be Kept!!
6
The lives of the unborn and born are "equally sacred," but they are not equally threatened. Even if we accept Gehring's tired claim about the GOP being disinterested in post-natal life, one is still better off living poorly than not living at all. Gehring and those who prefer Democratic politics first, Catholic identity second, continue to obfuscate that distinction, waiting like Godot for the "pro-life Catholic Democrat" who is about as commonplace in that party as the passenger pigeon.
8
@JOHN you are missing the point. As an American surgeon general, Joycelyn Elders, said, “We really need to get over this love affair with the fetus and start worrying about children".
13
@JOHN
This is how we got evangelical style culture war Catholicism in the first place, making anti-abortion efforts the be all and end all of the faith and allying with reactionary, anti-intellectual, anti-poor, anti-immigrant evangelicals.
It’s a bad bargain, Supreme Court justices notwithstanding.
10
You say “democrat first, Catholic second.” But you’re not the pope, and probably not so skilled at exegesis. You have no standing to define “real” Catholicism, only an overwhelming arrogance to presume to do so.
What you don’t grasp is that your version of “Catholicism” is not agreed upon, airtight, nuanced, particularly principled or thoughtful, or, especially, theologically justified.
It’s most noticeable in your vacuous claim that “living poorly is better than not living,” which is a meaningless, false dichotomy that goes to the heart of your attempt to wish away the reality of life’s complexities into a simple-minded black and white moral universe. It’s a way of making abortion the only question. And it’s a huge failure of vision and faith. It references fear, inflexibility, and a failure of empathy and compassion.
Belligerent conservative Catholics are the reason I can hardly stand to set foot in a Catholic Church. They’ve been busy alienating other Catholics for years with their cruelty, sexism, homophobia and cheap moralism. I think Francis is right to push back against these bullies.
21
He is an inspiration for an American lapsed Catholic.
46
Never been a fan of the Roman church in general, Bishops of Rome in particular, or Jesuits most especially, but in Francis we seem to have an actual servant of God. May the God he serves so faithfully bless him and his ministry for many years to come!
79
What happens post-Francis? We've seen the sequence Pius (XII), John (XXXIII), Paul (VI). John-Paul (I and II), Benedict (XVI) and now Francis (the one and only). Continuity? I'm getting whiplash.
5
You should lump John Paul with Benedict. He only seemed compassionate because he was virulently anti-Communist and helped the impoverished. However, he served Benedict to be his enforcer, so...
2
“It’s an honor that Americans are attacking me,”
-Pope Francis
“…They are unanimous in their hate for me—and I welcome their hatred…”
-President Roosevelt
Sounds similar. President Roosevelt was peaking about big banks, the monopolists, and super wealthy. Pope Francis was in effect speaking to that same group through the far right clergy of the Catholic church.
I just hope Pope Francis remains with us long enough to make the changes that are truly needed in the church, But, he too is running against some very strong headwinds.
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It is no coincidence that the Pope does not sleep in the sumptuous apartment of the Apostolic Palace, but in a small, simple residence (Domus Sanctae Marthae). It is a very strong symbolic choice. But to change the Vatican - which is perhaps the main mission of Pope Francis - is really very, very difficult. For example, the IOR (the Vatican bank) continues to have enormous power.
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What a lovely and courageous man. I keep hoping that someday he and the Dalai Lama will go on tour together. Those two would really rock the house. :)
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@Daniel Smith ~ Nice idea, except for their two huge differences: Pope Francis wants to control women's bodies and make us have as many babies as possible, by denying us the right to birth control and abortion. The Dalai Lama knows that we own our own bodies, and that subservience to males is not healthy, and never has been, in any way for humanity.
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@Lolostar It is a never ending downward spiral to make the good the enemy of the perfect.
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@Daniel Smith
No, Daniel. A female God Incarnate would really rock the house. Maybe already has.
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I still find it a miracle that Pope Francis came to be elected and am grateful every day for his papacy. The conservative right-wing of the American Catholic Church, with its one-issue focus, is the antithesis of Christ's message. Thanks for the article!
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Francis is the real deal. The spiritual leader for our time.
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@BQ Absolutely. He is a true inspiration. The most impressive thing about him is his humility, so rare in this age.
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@MaryC I vote for his breathtaking kindness.
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The main focus of the Catholic Church hierarchy is to protect the Catholic Church hierarchy. To his credit I don't think Pope Francis cares much about that. There isn't a lot in the bible about establishing a church with a lot of Cardinals and Bishop with their personal fiefdoms.
As I go to church and listen to the readings, most of the message from the Gospel is about being a good person and showing kindness to others. Last Sunday's gospel directly said that the wealthy will be "the first sent into exile"- kind of an anti prosperity gospel message.
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I'm not Catholic, but I have a deep respect for Pope Francis and what he's trying to do. At its best, the church can be a place for marginalized people to come and feel welcomed in a world where they rarely are. I don't know if the Catholic Church will change its position on LGBT issues, but I know that many of my gay friends attend an Episcopal church because they feel welcomed there.
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your anecdotal experiences aside, the church has resolutely stood against equality for LGBTQ and women. It’s patriarchal foundation is obsolete, and downright obscene in our modern age.
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