Freaking awesome: Even Pope Francis says "Enough with the gays and abortions already!"

[adaher]

It’s amazing how many people misunderstand comments when they aren’t absolutist support or condemnation of something.

Abortion and homosexuality will always be sins, all the Pope was trying to do was get people to think about this sins in proper context, rather than blowing them up into crisis proportions.

[usedtobe]

@adaher

It is a change in policy, sort of. Right now, Christians are all up in arms about fornication between two men, while seeing fornication between a man and a woman as a relatively minor offense. I think his point is that they are exactly the same sin, and that Christians should stop being selectively outraged about sin. Especially other peoples’ sin rather than their own.

Normally, I’d let this slide, but, for you, adher:

I"m guessing you are using “Christian” is this context to mean specifically Roman Catholics?

Are Protestants still Heretics?

(this was the official doctrine of the RCC until the Second Vatican Council, 1962 - 1965)

[adaher]

I’m not going to get into inter-Christian disputes about who has the “true” faith or not. I used the term “christians” because Francis’ message would apply to all Christians. And Jews and Muslims too.

[usedtobe]

[Quote=
Originally Posted by DigitalC ]

I just don’t see this as a step towards making the church more accepting of gays, i see it as a step towards making the public more accepting of the church by not talking about their unpopular views.
[/quote]

@Qadgop_the_Mercotan

Bingo.

I’ll Bingo that Bingo.

[usedtobe]

@adaher

I’m not going to get into inter-Christian disputes about who has the “true” faith or not. I used the term “christians” because Francis’ message would apply to all Christians. And Jews and Muslims too.

Too late, you already used the capitalized “Christian” where most would have used “Catholic”.

Wrong again, **adaher[/bold]

This is 5 Popes out of date (although that last one probably would agree with you).

[monavis]

@Shakes

This guy just keeps get’n cooler every day. He almost makes me wish I weren’t an Atheist.

You tell’em Pope! Link

It seems that the Pope has watered down his first pronouncement. But I think he was trying to get Catholics to do more living their faith than being like the Pharisees, acting religious, and not living the letter of the law. also that RC’s should start caring for the already born and better to be an example than a critic of other’s sins.

[monavis]

@lavenderviolet

It does seem like his approach is based on love and acceptance. As a pro-lifer, I was very impressed with the story of how he personally called an unwed mother who had resisted pressure to abort with an offer to baptize the baby if she could not find anyone else who would do it. That kind of thing is a very pro-life statement. I think he is doing wonderful things.

To be truly Pro-life must also be pro-the already born. If one is pro-life then they can also be pro-choice. They value an already born person as much or a least as much as a fertile egg.

[Inner_Stickler]

@Maeglin

Does Francis want to relax misplaced ecclesiastical discipline or just change the church’s messaging and PR?

If I had to guess, it’s the latter.

[Qadgop_the_Mercotan]

@Inner_Stickler

If I had to guess, it’s the latter.

Meet the new boss. Same as the old boss.

[Miller]

I, for one, am absolutely shocked.

[Grrr]

@Inner_Stickler

If I had to guess, it’s the latter.

The priest in question resigned his commission in 2011. What was the RCC supposed to do? Keep him on anyway?

Inclusive Catholics

[Inner_Stickler]

The RCC can do whatever it wants. If they think what he preaches is so vile it deserves the strongest possible response, aka, excommunication, then they should excommunicate him.

[want2befree]

Being homosexual is a sin? Talk about being born a sinner…

[adaher]

That’s kinda the point. We’re all sinners. Born that way. Heck, science proves it. Do you have to teach your kids how to lie or be selfish? No, they are born knowing how to do that. It’s honesty and altruism that they have to be taught.

[wonky]

@Inner_Stickler

The RCC can do whatever it wants. If they think what he preaches is so vile it deserves the strongest possible response, aka, excommunication, then they should excommunicate him.

Yep, and then we should judge the hell out of them. And I just did!

[Inner_Stickler]

Sometimes I think I should change my username to Judgey J. Judgerson.

[wonky]

@Inner_Stickler

Sometimes I think I should change my username to Judgey J. Judgerson.

If it helps, I think of you as Chief Justice Judgerpants.

[want2befree]

@adaher

That’s kinda the point. We’re all sinners. Born that way. Heck, science proves it. Do you have to teach your kids how to lie or be selfish? No, they are born knowing how to do that. It’s honesty and altruism that they have to be taught.

I don’t know if I agree with all that. I would have to say all those attributes are learned. If a kid lies, he probably picked it up from watching someone else. Same with prejudice, stealing, etc.

[adaher]

But even if true, learned readily and easily, whereas a good upbringing takes work. I think the whole man in the sky thing is a bunch of hokum, but I also think Christians have human nature pegged better than any other religious philosophy.

[BrainGlutton]

Update: Pope Francis apparently bewilders Sarah Palin – no big deal there . . .

But, this Pope is also making the Mob nervous.

Pope Francis’s crusade against corruption has made him a target for Italy’s all-powerful mafia clans, a leading anti-mob prosecutor has warned.

Nicola Gratteri, who has battled Calabria’s shadowy ‘Ndrangheta mafia, said on Wednesday that Francis’s attempt to bring transparency to the Vatican was making the white collar mobsters who do business with corrupt prelates “nervous and agitated”.

He told the Italian daily Il Fatto Quotidiano: “Pope Francis is dismantling centres of economic power in the Vatican.

Francis, who has called for “a poor church”, has backed reform at the Vatican’s bank, which has been suspected for years of being a channel for the laundering of mob profits. This week police impounded a luxury hotel on Rome’s Janiculum hill – formerly a monastery – which the ‘Ndrangheta allegedly purchased from a religious order.

In a fiery sermon on Monday, Francis railed against corruption and quoted the bible’s advice that practitioners be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around their neck.

[roll The Godfather Part III]