Friday 20 September 2013

Pope Francis' interview: A tempest in a teapot

I've just read the Holy Father's recent interview. Nothing extraordinary here. The Pope's concern is to preach a living Gospel, which is not getting through to a de-Christianized world. Certain unstable persons have latched onto his references to sex; my concern is not the secular press' twisting of the Pope's words, but the unhinged extreme elements of the so-called "pro-life" movement, who, truth to tell are sounding more and more like a political wing of the neo-con movement. They are but parroting words of the New York Times et al. in claiming the Catholic world is experiencing "shock waves". In reality, nothing has changed, nothing can. The Pope is only reiterating what Pope John Paul II wrote in "Crossing the Threshold of Hope". Go read it!

Is the Pope wordy? So what (perhaps he has Irish blood, no one's perfect). Can't follow an argument? That is your problem. Don't understand the Pope? Try to.

"A beautiful homily, a genuine sermon must begin with the first proclamation, with the proclamation of salvation. There is nothing more solid, deep and sure than this proclamation. Then you have to do catechesis. Then you can draw even a moral consequence. But the proclamation of the saving love of God comes before moral and religious imperatives. Today sometimes it seems that the opposite order is prevailing. The homily is the touchstone to measure the pastor’s proximity and ability to meet his people, because those who preach must recognize the heart of their community and must be able to see where the desire for God is lively and ardent. The message of the Gospel, therefore, is not to be reduced to some aspects that, although relevant, on their own do not show the heart of the message of Jesus Christ.”


The internet is certainly a blessing. But it is also a curse. It gives every fool, dolt and soi-disant theologian an opportunity to blow considerable wind. 


Recommended: Interview in the original Italian

5 comments:

Vox Cantoris said...

I have concerns about much of what he has said. Terms such as "right-wing" as just one example. This is not how popes should speak. His comments about being too focused on abortion, contraception and so-called, same-sex marriage are unfortunate. He is unwittingly throwing what is left of Catholic culture and those who defend it, under the bus. He is setting them/us up to be the bad guys by a more than willing media.

This is not prudent and it is potentially, scandalous in its truest sense.

This is not magisterial teaching and I have every right to question the rightness of his words and approach.

He is creating a great danger for the Church in lowering papal teaching and church authority to that of a tweet or a hashtag or an interview with favoured journalists of the right Order.

What Order? Is it really Jesuit or is it an Order of something diabolical? We really don't know do we?

He needs to teach from a text at the Audience, the Angelus and by Encyclical.

Yes, it is all about love, but it is also about Truth.

Freyr said...

I think we must recognize that there are certain circles within the church which are not only intensely suspicious of the new evangelization but actually opposed to it. These are the ones who justify their continual anger by pointing to Jesus turning over tables in the temple. They say the most loving thing they can do for someone is to point out their moral failings. They do not want a church but a country club closed off to all but the right people. Of course they do not want new converts for that would be a threat.

Vox Cantoris said...

Nonsense!

I want the whole world to be Catholic and I include in that abortionist, homosexuals and Islamists, Jews, Masons and everyone else. You are making a gross assumption and delivering an insult to with your "country club" reference.

I want this pope to clean up the mess of the homosexual cabal which we both know is in the Church.

I want this pope to get the bishops off their comfortable duffs and evangelise, but that means holding fast to what is true and yes, that means overturning tables.

What the pope is talking about is more of the same wishy washy stuff of the last 50 years!

Enough of this. Yes, tables need to be overturned because lazy catholics and the secular world are in drunken stupour and they have not listened to this wet liberalism and tolerance for the last half century and they won't know. In fact, it will leave them just comfortable where they are.

Your insults to everyone who does not wear your badge is really becoming discrediting to this blog.

TH2 said...

Mr. Jalsevac at LifeSite News has a very good commentary on this matter. Even he is "puzzled".

Link: http://www.lifesitenews.com/blog/pope-francis-certainly-has-a-way-of-stirring-things-up

Carolyn said...

The pope does a good job of walking the knife-edge on which the New Testament is balanced, and which Jesus continually walked--that of speaking the *truth* in the context of *love*. http://crybelovedcountry.com/2013/09/pope-francis-interview/