Pope Francis made some sweeping and one might say presumptuous statements this past Sunday which have caused more traditional Catholics to wonder whether their church will survive the often off-the-cuff remarks of the pontiff.
Following the lead of Cardinal Reinhard Marx, who seemed to be testing the waters for a statement on LGBT relations with the church and beyond, the Pope made the following observations:
“I repeat what the Catechism of the Catholic Church says: that they must not be discriminated against, that they must be respected and accompanied pastorally,” Francis said at a press conference aboard the papal plane returning from Armenia.
“The Church must ask forgiveness for not behaving many times — when I say the Church, I mean Christians! The Church is holy, we are sinners!”
“I believe that the church not only should apologize to the person who is gay whom it has offended,” he added, “but has to apologize to the poor, to exploited women, to children exploited for labor; it has to ask forgiveness for having blessed many weapons.”
Francis first uttered that rhetorical question — Who am I to judge gay people? — in 2013, also during a news conference on the papal plane. His comments were hailed as a breakthrough for a church that has historically condemned homosexuality, often in harsh terms. Francis has not changed church doctrine that calls homosexual acts sinful, but he has shown a more merciful approach to people on the margins, including gays and lesbians.
A leading cardinal of the Catholic Church, one who is part of a council to help advise Pope Francis, preceded the pontiffs remarks at a different venue, saying that the church should apologize to gays and lesbians for the “scandalous and terrible treatment” inflicted on them for many years by the church and its members. Cardinal Reinhard Marx stated that “the history of homosexuals in our societies is very bad because we’ve done a lot to marginalize [them].”
It is worth wondering if the social changes in society and the drifting of membership has caused a new perspective in the church.
Cardinals comments question Church position on gays and lesbians, page 2:
Can a Pope be recalled??? This one needs to be!!!!
I just wonder if he’s so liberal is it because he’s one of “them”? First he won’t condemn priests using little boy’s, and now he’s for other sexual persuasions?
I will say this, and I quote e, “God is the same, YESTERDAY, TODAY and FOREVER.” And the pope wants to change the Bible?
For what ?
Sodem and gamora mean anything to you Mr. Pope
Thank you for that.
BEWARE OF FALSE PROPHETS , BEWARE OF THE SO CALLED POPE FRANCIS . AS HE SHOWS HIS HATE FOR AMERICA AND HIS GAY MUSLIM LOVE… AGAINST AMERICA FREEDOM…https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFqHoUt3MKg
That must have been hard to do.
Yes.
So true.
I agree.