Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Pope Francis Roundup

News

  • Top 10 Images From Pope Francis' Journey to the Philippines Aleteia. 01/20/15.
  • Full Text of Pope’s In-Flight Interview from Manila to Rome National Catholic Register 01/19/15. Pope Francis discussed a wide range of topics, including his upcoming trip to the U.S.; how one can be a responsible parent without resorting to birth control; the colonization of gender ideology; and the possibility of a papal trip to Africa.
  • Pope says Catholics must practice 'responsible parenthood' Catholic News Service. 01/19/15:
    Pope Francis reaffirmed his rejection of population-control programs as an example of ideological colonization and his praise of Blessed Paul VI for defending Catholic teaching against contraception.

    But "this does not mean a Christian must make children one after another," the pope said, citing the case of a woman who became pregnant an eighth time after giving birth to seven children via cesarean section.

    "Does she want to leave seven orphans?" he said. "This is tempting God."

    "Some people think -- excuse me for saying this -- that to be good Catholics we have to be like rabbits," Pope Francis said, yet church teaching provides for "many licit ways" to limit reproduction.

  • Pope Francis criticizes gay marriage, backs ban on contraception, by John Allen Jr. Crux. 01/16/15:
    In points he’s made before in other settings, Pope Francis on Friday criticized what he called the “ideological colonization of the family,” language that many took as a reference to gay marriage, and also defended a previous pope who upheld the Church’s ban on contraception.

    “The family is threatened by growing efforts on the part of some to redefine the very institution of marriage, by relativism, by the culture of the ephemeral, by a lack of openness to life,” Francis said.

    A Vatican spokesman confirmed Friday evening that, at least in part, the pope had gay marriage in mind.

  • Pope Francis makes surprise visit to Buddhist temple, by John Allen Jr. Crux. 01/14/15:
    ... Wednesday’s surprise drop-in at the temple was especially meaningful, given the Buddhist reaction the last time a pope visited Sri Lanka, which came with John Paul’s 1995 visit.

    It came shortly after John Paul II had angered Buddhists by calling their faith “in large measure an atheistic system” in an interview with an Italian journalist. Some Buddhist leaders boycotted an inter-religious meeting during that trip in protest.

  • Pope condemns abominable attack on Charlie Hebdo: Everyone must stand against hatred La Stampa "Vatican Insider" 01/07/15. "Murderous violence can never be justified, the life and dignity of all must be guaranteed and protected with determination, any instigation of hatred must be rejected and respect for others must be fostered."
  • Pope names 15 new cardinal electors, most from global South Catholic News Service. 01/05/15. Underscoring the geographical diversity of his selections, Pope Francis named 15 cardinal electors "from 14 nations of every continent, showing the inseparable link between the church of Rome and the particular churches present in the world."
  • Pope to Curia: 15 "Spiritual Ailments" to Avoid Sent to the world's English-speaking media by Father Thomas Rosica, CSB, English-language assistant to Father Federico Lombardi, SJ. 12/22/14:
    “The Curia is always required to better itself and to grow in communion, sanctity and wisdom to fully accomplish its mission. However, like any body, it is exposed to sickness, malfunction and infirmity. …I would like to mention some of these illnesses that we encounter most frequently in our life in the Curia. They are illnesses and temptations that weaken our service to the Lord” ...
  • Pope Francis credited for urging U.S., Cuba to normalize relations Catholic News Service 12/14/14. Pope Francis personally appealed to President Barack Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro this year to encourage both leaders to normalize diplomatic relations, a senior Obama administration official said.
  • Francis listens to critics, clarifies the issues, and stays his course, by Dr. Jeff Mirus. CatholicCulture.com. 12/10/14:
    Pope Francis has made a strong effort to take into account the criticisms of “conservative” Catholics which boiled over during the October Synod of Bishops. For example, he has deliberately appointed “conservative” Churchmen to important posts recently, he has explained his handling of Cardinal Burke’s change of duties, he has reiterated that the Church’s teaching on marriage cannot change, and he has emphasized how Catholics (and the world) should understand synodal controversy. ...
  • The Pope and the Hugging Guru, by Francis X. Clooney, SJ. America 12/02/14.

Francis' remark that "It is true we cannot react violently, but if Dr Gasbarri here, a great friend, were to say something insulting against my mother, a punch awaits him" cemented his street cred as an Original Gangsta.

Commentary

  • Addressing antinomianism requires recognizing it, by Dr. Ed Peters. In the Light of the Law on Pope Francis' decision to appoint "5 more papal electors than the law authorizes":
    Let me be clear: it does not make a fig’s worth of difference whether 120 or 125 cardinals vote in the next papal conclave, but it does make a fig’s worth of difference, I suggest, if yet another ecclesiastical rule, set out in a major legislative document using terminology indistinguishable from that which conveys many other considerably more important rules, is ignored because this leader or that doesn’t feel like abiding by it. We have processes to reform law in the Church; looking the other way isn’t one of them—at the very least, it’s a very dangerous way to change laws.
  • The Pope said what?!? More stunners from Francis, by Daniel Burke. CNN Religion Editor. 01/19/15:
    In politics, they call it going "off message." In acting, they call it going "off script." In the Catholic Church under Pope Francis, it has become business as usual. Put the 77-year-old pontiff in front of a microphone, and he will make news.
  • Pope Francis' Ecological Encyclical - Rooted in Benedict's Pontificate? The Benedict Blog 01/15/15. "Perhaps it may be of benefit to point out that Pope Francis, in writing this encyclical, might even be taking SOME queues in this regard from his predecessor, who didn't earn the nickname "The Green Pope" for nothing."
  • Francis and Political Illusion, by Maureen Mullarkey. First Things 01/05/15:
    Francis is not a fool. He is an ideologue and a meddlesome egoist. His clumsy intrusion into the Middle East and covert collusion with Obama over Cuba makes that clear. Megalomania sends him galloping into geopolitical—and now meteorological—thickets, sacralizing politics and bending theology to premature, intemperate policy endorsements. ...
  • Pope Francis the Economist, by Michael Severance. Catholic World Report 012/23/14. "The Pope is not interested in validating the right or left on any specific policy, but rather reminding us of more transcendent principles."
  • A Study in Contrasts: Francis, Benedict, Augustine, by by Peter Kwasniewski. Rorate Caeli 12/22/14.