Pope Francis on Families & Children

	Pope Francis on Families & Children

Gay marriage is not ordered to the Creator's plan

Pope Francis signed off this week on a Vatican decree barring Catholic priests from blessing same-sex weddings, delivering a blow to LGBTQ Catholics who had cheered Francis' recent endorsement of same-sex civil unions. The decree states that gay marriage is "illicit" and "not ordered to the Creator's plan," adding that God "cannot bless sin." Vatican watchers believe the decree was prompted by an ongoing bishops' conference in Germany, where local church officials are trying to reform Catholic practice to make it more inclusive of women and more welcoming to the LGBTQ community. Francis "has extended a warmer welcome than any of his predecessors have done," said a professor of theology. "But today's statement shows that his hospitality has limits." Source: The Week newsmagazine, "The World at a Glance" , Mar 26, 2021

Not ready for married priests, nor female deacons

Pope Francis has sidestepped a request for married men to be ordained as priests and women to be ordained as deacons, saying the Roman Catholic Church should find other ways to address a dire shortage of clergy in South America's Amazon region.

The proposals came out of a special Synod of Bishops last October. Deacons are allowed to oversee weddings and baptisms but are not permitted to consecrate the Communion wafer and wine. A critical shortage of priests has hobbled Catholics' ability to celebrate sacraments in the Amazon. Pope Francis [released] a document titled Querida Amazonia--or "Dear Amazon."

"Priests are necessary, but this does not mean that permanent deacons (of whom there should be many more in the Amazon region), religious women and lay persons cannot regularly assume important responsibilities for the growth of communities," Francis wrote. The pope added that women "should have access to positions, including ecclesial services, that do not entail Holy Orders."

Source: Bill Chappell, "Men As Priests", on National Public Radio , Feb 12, 2020

Consider allowing older married men to become priests

The meeting raised the question of whether some respected married elder men could be ordained to help overcome a shortage of priests in the region. The proposal, which is pending approval by Francis, would be a historic change to the church's centuries-old tradition of unmarried priests, but critics fear that if approved, such a move could leader to a wider dissolution of the discipline of celibacy around the world. The proposal applies only to some churches in the Amazon region. Source: CNN.com, "Ex-Pope Benedict" , Jan 13, 2020

Church cannot remain indifferent to abuse of minors

I am fully aware of the position of the Catholic Church. I happen to be Roman Catholic. A wise man said, "the abuse of minors is an offense so brutal, the church cannot remain indifferent to this, and the church must punish such priests, and that includes to support the legal action. There is no other way out of this because it's a crime. No worse, it's leaving them alive, but destroyed." That statement was made by Pope Francis and I say we stand with Pope Francis & we pass the Child Victims Act. Source: Gov. Cuomo 2019 State of the State address to NY legislature , Jan 15, 2019

No ideological colonization of contraception & abortion

Speaking about the family and how it's contributed to keeping cultures alive, Pope Francis said that today there are "ideological forms of colonialism, disguised as progress." "Ideological colonization" is a papal shorthand for attempts by Western governments and NGOs to compel impoverished nations to accept measures such as contraception & abortion as a condition of development assistance. Francis also spoke of the need to "raise our voices" against pressure in favor of the sterilization of women, which, he said, at times happens without their knowledge.

That's a highly sensitive issue in Peru, since former President Alberto Fujimori launched a family planning program in 1996 that involved the sterilization of thousands of women. Justified at the time by a desire to reduce poverty, the program stirred controversy when many women, mostly members of the country's Amazonian indigenous groups, reported that they had been sterilized without their consent.

Source: CruxNow.com, "Pope in Amazon," by Inés San Martín , Jan 19, 2018

The Future You: life is shaped by interaction

Pope Francis made a surprise appearance at the TED 2017 conference as he spoke about power, interaction and the future. His talk, titled "The Future You," was filmed in Vatican City and debuted at the conference in Vancouver. The future--like life--is shaped by interaction, the pontiff said.

"Please, allow me to say it loud and clear: the more powerful you are, the more your actions will have an impact on people, the more responsible you are to act humbly," he said.

"I very much like its title --'The Future You'--because, while looking at tomorrow, it invites us to open a dialogue today: the future is made of encounters, because life flows through our relations with others. Everyone's existence is deeply tied to that of others: life is not time merely passing by, life is about interactions." Pope Francis ended his talk saying, "The future of humankind isn't exclusively in the hands of politicians, of great leaders, of big companies."

Source: Time Magazine, "Pope's Surprise TED Talk," by L.M.Segarra , Apr 26, 2017

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Page last updated: Oct 28, 2021