Pope warns Church against closing in on itself

[onehandle]

Source: Reuters



VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis warned the Catholic Church to not close in on itself at a Mass to mark Pentecost Sunday attended by more than 200,000 people, urging the faithful to be open and present in a new and changing world.

The Church should ask itself daily whether it is resisting new challenges and remaining "barricaded in transient structures which have lost their capacity for openness to what is new," he said.

"Newness always makes us a bit fearful, because we feel more secure if we have everything under control," Francis said in his homily in front of a packed St. Peter's Square, adding that change can bring fulfillment. The Pentecost Mass marks the day the Church says the Holy Spirit descended on Christ's apostles, or disciples, and is regarded as the birthday of the Church.

Francis warned of the threat of an institution which is "self-referential, closed in on herself," and spoke of the courage to "take to the streets of the world" and reach "the very outskirts of existence".

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/pope-warns-church-against-closing-itself-133121705.html

[AlbertCat]

1. Hmmmmmm.... about 1000 or so years late...

...doncha think?

[Cal33]

21. Yes, but better late than never. Pope Francis is doing what his predecessors should

have done long ago. He wasn't around 1000 years ago. And he is doing it only
2 short months after having become pope. And he sure has a lot more changes
to make -- in fact, he has an ocean of changes facing him. For Pete's sake, give
the man some time!

[Paulie]

25. Shouldn't that be for "St. Pete's sake?"

[AlbertCat]

37. give the man some time!

C'mon! He's way too late. I mean it only took a mere 300 years to pardon Galileo! This revelation shoulda happened in like 1512!

[Cal33]

59. I wonder if in your subconscious mind you're thinking that there's been only one pope. There

Last edited Wed Jun 12, 2013, 05:43 PM - Edit history (1)

have been something like 250 popes over the 2,000 year history of the
Catholic Church. The average life expectancy of popes comes out to be
8 years.

And each pope has to start from scratch. Each pope is different, has
different priorities, and must make his own agenda. Also, over a period of
2,000 years the backlog of things to be done but have not yet been done
has accumulated and grown to a monstrous size. Which are the most
important and should be done first? Take your pick! And each pope has
some difference in ideas as to which are the most important and should be
done first.

[rocktivity]

2. Talk about closing the barn door after the horse has gone out

(if you pardon the smiley)
rocktivity

[lindysalsagal]

12. I pardon you, my son.

Now, go in peace. Can I hear an amen?

[rocktivity]

16. Thanks

but that should be "my DAUGHTER..."


rocktivity

[lindysalsagal]

57. To quote a famous presidential candidate: "Oops."

Us priests don't see that good, you know.

[Cal33]

22. The same statements above applies here. He wasn't around 1000 years

ago, but he is pope now. Give him some time.

[TrogL]

3. That's a huge dog whistle

I'm hearing LGBT and married priests

[MNBrewer]

6. Hard to say

Could mean anything. Or nothing.

[ForgoTheConsequence]

8. You need to get your hearing checked.

.

[SharonAnn]

10. And ordination of women?

[Arugula Latte]

19. No, silly. The church knows we wimmenfolks are second-class citizens and unclean.

Thank goodness they've stomped us into the dirt for centuries, for our own good, you know.

[SharonAnn]

24. They tried it with me but it didn't work. I'm just too "uppity".

I finally decided that the Church can't be changed by women from "within" since we have no role in it. So I left it behind. They'll have to figure it out themselves.

Of course, if they want to invite us back in and let us have a seat at the table, we could give them a lot of help in "fixing" the Church. But I doubt that they want that.

[Hekate]

11. Could well be right, TrogL. Married priests would open the door wide for further change.

Fingers crossed here.

[tavalon]

18. I'm cautiously impressed with this Pope

I despised the other one.

[susanr516]

38. Agreed.

He seems to be saying the right things. Time will tell, but at the moment, I'm cautiously optimistic.

[GTurck]

47. Me too...

I have fallen far away since Leo was made Pope. It seemed the Church was becoming what it was in my 40's-50's childhood or worse more fundamentalist. Every priest is different and each diocese too but they do follow where the Pope points and perhaps Francis will point somewhere more spiritual and modern.

[Cal33]

23. This is my personal opinion: Having married priests is a possibility. But

forget LGBT. It's against the basic doctrines of the church. Sex is
tolerated for married couples only. Anything outside of that is a mortal
sin! I don't think even Pope Francis would want to change that -- at
least, not now. Maybe in another 1000 years???

[Tippy]

4. Good News....Pope Francis...Thank You...

[Pterodactyl]

5. Excellent advice.

The church has grown amazingly over the past 2,000 years. Or 2,000, plus approximately four to correct for Christ's birth, minus approximately 33 for Christ's life, death and resurrection. And it does not survive and grow by sitting still!

[Zoeisright]

17. LOL!!!

Uh huh. Hating women, denying birth control, marginalizing the LGBT crowd, the Spanish Inquisition, witch hunts, supporting Nazis - SUUUURREEEE the church has grown. Into a hateful, bigoted bunch of narrow minded little creeps who are sitting on piles of gold.

[Pterodactyl]

33. You're right. We give up. Henceforth, all will be returned to the Roman Empire.

[Arugula Latte]

20. Yeah -- "grown" by plunder, torture and wielding its power against women, gays, kids and

non-believers, or other-believers, all the while using Bronze Age mythology to justify everything.

Think of all the misery its policies have caused. The birth control ban alone has contributed hugely towards poverty and disease in developing nations.

[Pterodactyl]

32. Your concern about birth control in the fourth century Mediterranean is duly noted.

Presumably we'd be better off with Roman or barbarian culture.

[Arugula Latte]

34. Fourth century? What are you talking about?

That institution has supressed access to birth control well into the present day. Look at those assholes from the church (male, of course) who testified in front of Congress LAST YEAR against birth control access.

And, yeah, I wish paganism had kicked Christianity's butt back in the day, but the Church was/is viscious and successful at stomping down other belief systems through fear and mass slaughter (and then co-opting all the ancient pagan holidays, of course). Christ's "resurrection" -- yeah, it's funny how that little myth corresponds with the rebirth of life in spring. Coincidence? Ask Eostre.

[Pterodactyl]

35. Why you gotta be hatin'?

The church has been working on this for 2,000 years and we're going to keep at it. despite the hatred you fling.

[Arugula Latte]

36. Because I'm sick of the Church's hatred of women and gays and others.

I'm not "hatin'" on the Church just for kicks. It has a long and shameful history of oppression, cover-ups, scandals, plunder, misogyny, homophobia, molestation, greed, torture, etc. It's not like the Catholic Church is some benevolent institution that smells like roses. It has caused untold human misery in its existence. Its purpose is to grab and control power for a select group of men, while peddling Bronze Age and Iron Age mythology to the masses. You might as well ask "Why you gotta be hatin' on the Republicans?" The Church and the GOP have similar aims and mindsets.

[Pterodactyl]

44. The Church is not the same as the GOP!

There are MILLIONS of devout Democrats, including Nancy Pelosi and Joe Biden.

[Arugula Latte]

49. So because there a some nice Catholics that negates all the s@#$ the church has done

and continues to do to this day?

[trotsky]

51. So far they're hitting all the standard responses.

Once they've exhausted them all, you will be declared an "anti-Catholic bigot." We aren't allowed to discuss the powerful anti-progressive force their church has been for the last 2000 years - we can only talk about the good parts.

[Arugula Latte]

52. Oh, I already got called that

by the poster whose name rhymes with schmadinschmezinski, of course.

Yes, if you point out that the Church is officially misogynistic and homophobic then you're a bigot.

One reason I continue to speak out is I am so bloody sick of the free pass religion gets in this society. If something is labeled "faith" we're all supposed to fall over ourselves to "respect" it and not say a peep against it. I call b.s. on that attitude! Religion has done untold harm to this country and to this planet. That needs to be said more often.

[Pterodactyl]

53. What! Stuff like the Spanish Inquisition does not continue to this day.

[Arugula Latte]

54. Yet the anti-gay and anti-women policies continue.

Go figure.

[Pterodactyl]

55. What exactly is anti-woman about it?

[Arugula Latte]

56. Lol. You've got to be kidding me.

[Pterodactyl]

58. Ha ha! No. I'm not.

Approximately half the world population of Catholics are female. Not sure why they are members of an organization that hates them. Probably the same reason half the Klan was black.

[Bluenorthwest]

7. Yes, and the GOP is going to reach out to minorities too!

The hypocrisy of this man and his organization, the lack of self inspection, it just gets tiresome.

[MADem]

9. I think this guy's gonna be trouble.

In a good way, mind you.

I don't expect him to be the guy who makes the Big Changes, but I think he's the one who will till the fields to make the soil receptive to a new crop of ideas.

He's smart to cook his own meals. He should probably do his own shopping, just to be on the safe side. He'd do well to invite one of those well-larded Cardinals to dinner each and every night! That'll keep him healthy!

[Hekate]

13. He's still cooking for himself?!

I never thought of that, but you could be right that this is a good idea both spiritually and corporeally. Long life and good health to him, and may this Francis lead his broken church back to health.

Hekate

[MADem]

15. So "they" say...

I don't know if he's doing it exclusively, but it wouldn't surprise me.

Apparently he's not above ordering a pizza for dinner, either.

He's within an easy stroll of some nice ristorantes, trattorias and osterias, and not all of them are expensive, either. There are a few little old "hole in the wall" places off side streets of side streets where it's possible to get a good meal for not much money. He might want to "dress down" and go out to eat on occasion--it would do him good.

[Posteritatis]

29. He always had before, pretty sure he still is

He might still be living in the hotel too, but I'm not sure about that. (He's said several times he's really uncomfortable with the official papal apartments.)

[lindysalsagal]

14. Shattering myth no. 1: The church doesn't change. It's perfect. Back away slowly.

Religions change with societies. Always did. Always will. Religion is man-made, as are their deities.

[defacto7]

26. Smoke and mirrors.

[ZRT2209]

27. Amen.

[Vietnameravet]

28. Lets not be so negative

It's a step in the right direction and if we are smart we will be the first to welcome this change and work with the Pope and others of like mind.;otherwise the right wing will jump aboard and turn this against us..
Religion is a powerful force and we should work with the religious crowd where we can,...and not make another enemy and create another opportunity for the right with our negativity..

[Bluenorthwest]

30. Welcome what change? A few muttered words from a guilty old homophobic protector of child

abusers? Where is the change? Did he turn the guilty into authorities? Did he apologize for his hateful words about good people? Has he announced a plan to make penance for the harm he has done to innocents for the sake of his own power and enrichment?

[Arugula Latte]

31. "otherwise the right wing will jump aboard and turn this against us"

Oooooh! I'm a-skeered now!

[Vietnameravet]

41. Hey my man..we should make every alliance we can..leave no stone unturned..

have you forgotten how everyone said the GOP was dead after Obama was elected the first time and what happened two years later?

I say "Crush them" meaning Republican radicals and turn every single group against them,. hell if we could ally ourselves with Stalin against Hitler we can certainly reach out to the millions of Catholics who comprise one of the largest voting blocks in the counry.. ( now watch someone say I am comparing the Pope to Stalin..)

[Phillip McCleod]

39. this is latest breaking news? really?!?

this is like covering pat robertson and treating him like he's welton gaddy.

when will liberal believers get it?

this man is a conservative. *very* conservative. he's an international *rick santorum* and you ask us to respect him at the very real risk of respecting you.

[Crow73]

40. A Speech of Bravery Embracing........... what?

What is the issue or group of people the church will now stop being ignorant buffoons in apposing acceptance?
A) Women
B) Contraception
C) Abortion
D) Homosexuals
E) Big Foot

----------------------------------
I am going to go with Big Foot.
Because honestly they really are that stupid.

[Vietnameravet]

42. None of those but

he has said some good things about social justice which we can build on.

Eventually the church will change its views in spite of their insistence they dont...not today and not tomorrow but eventually..

Meantime at the very least we should not come off as hostile to Catholics and people of religion..

FYI I was raised a Catholic and now I do not believe any religion but I am still willing to try to form bonds with people of religion for a common goal where I can..

[madrchsod]

43. speeches are nice but action is far more important

clean all the molesters from the house and give the sisters the power equal to the priests.

[cap]

45. Agreed..

Pope Francis is making a number of happy noises but when you look and see what he is actually doing.... Not so much

Read NCR at www.ncronline.org about the investigation of the sisters and you will have a lot less to cheer about

[snooper2]

46. Yeah, like that time you guys fought the whole "Earth around Sun" thing

[Arugula Latte]

48. Yeah, but they took prompt action and apologized to Galileo

350 years after his death.

[freshwest]

50. Definitely a thinker. Wonder what's next.