Pope Francis, Catholics, and Christians in the news & Bible verses

I don't read this as a story about Francis, so much as about the failings of the USCCB and John Paul II.  It spotlights yet another instance of the UC Bishops' conference failing to provide anything remotely like moral leadership regarding sexual abuse by clergy, and should also raise questions about the speed with which JP II's canonization was promoted. 


Looks like Fulton Sheen isn't the only guy in hell who will never be a "real saint".

NYT: Sainted Too Soon? A tarnished legacy in dealing with the church’s sex abuse scandals


Klinker said:

Looks like Fulton Sheen isn't the only guy in hell who will never be a "real saint".

NYT: Sainted Too Soon? A tarnished legacy in dealing with the church’s sex abuse scandals

 He (JP II) created 480 saints. And many more that he didn't have time before his death that his sucessor followed up on.  

Who would have known? So many saints in the waiting room.

He produced more than 480 saints, and put enough into the pipeline that Benedict XVI was able to canonize scores more.

I'm sure $$$ had nothing to do with it.  smile  Even though each new saint is millions in additional revenue, shrine visitations, trinkets, special events and masses, etc.


Pope Francis: A Crisis Reveals What Is in Our Hearts

"Yet some groups protested, refusing to keep their distance, marching against travel restrictions — as if measures that governments must impose for the good of their people constitute some kind of political assault on autonomy or personal freedom! Looking to the common good is much more than the sum of what is good for individuals. It means having a regard for all citizens and seeking to respond effectively to the needs of the least fortunate."

"It is all too easy for some to take an idea — in this case, for example, personal freedom — and turn it into an ideology, creating a prism through which they judge everything."

"Look at us now: We put on face masks to protect ourselves and others from a virus we can’t see. But what about all those other unseen viruses we need to protect ourselves from? How will we deal with the hidden pandemics of this world, the pandemics of hunger and violence and climate change?"

"We cannot return to the false securities of the political and economic systems we had before the crisis. We need economies that give to all access to the fruits of creation, to the basic needs of life: to land, lodging and labor. We need a politics that can integrate and dialogue with the poor, the excluded and the vulnerable, that gives people a say in the decisions that affect their lives. We need to slow down, take stock and design better ways of living together on this earth."

"What ties us to one another is what we commonly call solidarity. Solidarity is more than acts of generosity, important as they are; it is the call to embrace the reality that we are bound by bonds of reciprocity."


mtierney said:

Today’s Times has Pope Francis speaking to us all...

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/26/opinion/pope-francis-covid.html

 Which is precisely what nohero posted right before your post. But thanks, Francis's words are worth repeating. 



No hero’s post was part of Pope Francis’ lengthy excerpt from a new book, but I was more moved by the Pope’s very personal revelations during this pandemic.

“In this past year of change, my mind and heart have overflowed with people. People I think of and pray for, and sometimes cry with, people with names and faces, people who died without saying goodbye to those they loved, families in difficulty, even going hungry, because there’s no work.

“Sometimes, when you think globally, you can be paralyzed: There are so many places of apparently ceaseless conflict; there’s so much suffering and need. I find it helps to focus on concrete situations: You see faces looking for life and love in the reality of each person, of each people. You see hope written in the story of every nation, glorious because it’s a story of daily struggle, of lives broken in self-sacrifice. So rather than overwhelm you, it invites you to ponder and to respond with hope.

“These are moments in life that can be ripe for change and conversion. Each of us has had our own “stoppage,” or if we haven’t yet, we will someday: illness, the failure of a marriage or a business, some great disappointment or betrayal. As in the Covid-19 lockdown, those moments generate a tension, a crisis that reveals what is in our hearts.

“In every personal “Covid,” so to speak, in every “stoppage,” what is revealed is what needs to change: our lack of internal freedom, the idols we have been serving, the ideologies we have tried to live by, the relationships we have neglected.

“When I got really sick at the age of 21, I had my first experience of limit, of pain and loneliness. It changed the way I saw life. For months, I didn’t know who I was or whether I would live or die. The doctors had no idea whether I’d make it either. I remember hugging my mother and saying, “Just tell me if I’m going to die.” I was in the second year of training for the priesthood in the diocesan seminary of Buenos Aires.

“I remember the date: Aug. 13, 1957. I got taken to a hospital by a prefect who realized mine was not the kind of flu you treat with aspirin. Straightaway they took a liter and a half of water out of my lungs, and I remained there fighting for my life. The following November they operated to take out the upper right lobe of one of the lungs. I have some sense of how people with Covid-19 feel as they struggle to breathe on a ventilator.

    “I remember especially two nurses from this time. One was the senior ward matron, a Dominican sister who had been a teacher in Athens before being sent to Buenos Aires. I learned later that following the first examination by the doctor, after he left she told the nurses to double the dose of medication he had prescribed — basically penicillin and streptomycin — because she knew from experience I was dying. Sister Cornelia Caraglio saved my life. Because of her regular contact with sick people, she understood better than the doctor what they needed, and she had the courage to act on her knowledge.

    “Another nurse, Micaela, did the same when I was in intense pain, secretly prescribing me extra doses of painkillers outside my due times. Cornelia and Micaela are in heaven now, but I’ll always owe them so much. They fought for me to the end, until my eventual recovery. They taught me what it is to use science but also to know when to go beyond it to meet particular needs. And the serious illness I lived through taught me to depend on the goodness and wisdom of others.

    “This theme of helping others has stayed with me these past months. In lockdown I’ve often gone in prayer to those who sought all means to save the lives of others. So many of the nurses, doctors and caregivers paid that price of love, together with priests, and religious and ordinary people whose vocations were service. We return their love by grieving for them and honoring them.”




    Pope Francis is a socialist...see how powerful religion is? 


    This is the excerpt I liked: 

    This is a moment to dream big, to rethink our priorities — what we value, what we want, what we seek — and to commit to act in our daily life on what we have dreamed of.

    God asks us to dare to create something new. We cannot return to the false securities of the political and economic systems we had before the crisis. We need economies that give to all access to the fruits of creation, to the basic needs of life: to land, lodging and labor. We need a politics that can integrate and dialogue with the poor, the excluded and the vulnerable, that gives people a say in the decisions that affect their lives. We need to slow down, take stock and design better ways of living together on this earth.

    The pandemic has exposed the paradox that while we are more connected, we are also more divided. Feverish consumerism breaks the bonds of belonging. It causes us to focus on our self-preservation and makes us anxious. Our fears are exacerbated and exploited by a certain kind of populist politics that seeks power over society. It is hard to build a culture of encounter, in which we meet as people with a shared dignity, within a throwaway culture that regards the well-being of the elderly, the unemployed, the disabled and the unborn as peripheral to our own well-being.

    To come out of this crisis better, we have to recover the knowledge that as a people we have a shared destination. The pandemic has reminded us that no one is saved alone. What ties us to one another is what we commonly call solidarity. Solidarity is more than acts of generosity, important as they are; it is the call to embrace the reality that we are bound by bonds of reciprocity. On this solid foundation we can build a better, different, human future.


    Pope Francis is the head of the Catholic Church and the bishop of Rome. This essay has been adapted from his new book “Let Us Dream: The Path to a Better Future,” written with Austen Ivereigh.

    https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/26/opinion/pope-francis-covid.html


    Would anyone be shocked to hear that every single Pope is burning in Hell?  



    Red_Barchetta
    said:

    Would anyone be shocked to hear that every single Pope is burning in Hell?

    I had my doubts about Francis at the beginning but I've come to think he is a mensch. There have probably been a couple other decent ones over the millennia.

     Lucifer's definitely got a spot reserved on the barbie for Pope Ratzinger though (if you believe in heaven and hell, which I don't).


    This sounds like a very positive initiative on the Pope's behalf, with significant backing from some companies in the US business establishment:

    NBC News: Big business gets its wings as leaders from major U.S. companies partner with Pope Francis.
    https://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/big-business-gets-its-wings-leaders-major-u-s-companies-n1250473

    "The Pope means business. Capitalism met Catholicism on Tuesday, as some of the world’s biggest business leaders announced a new partnership with Pope Francis. The alliance, known as the Council for Inclusive Capitalism with the Vatican, aims to create a more inclusive, fair and sustainable economic landscape by taking pledges toward sustainable development goals focused on areas such as climate action, peace and justice, quality education and gender equality. “An economic system that is fair, trustworthy, and capable of addressing the most profound challenges facing humanity and our planet is urgently needed,” Pope Francis said in a statement. The Council comprises 27 core members known as the Guardians of Inclusive Capitalism, who represent companies with over $2.1 trillion in market capitalization and 200 million workers.  Members include Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan, Johnson & Johnson CEO Alex Gorsky, Salesforce CEO and founder Marc Benioff and Mastercard CEO Ajay Banga. The Guardians will meet annually with Pope Francis and Cardinal Peter Turkson, leader of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development at the Vatican, to pursue their vision and values."


    Jasmo said:

    "... Capitalism met Catholicism on Tuesday, ..."

     Not exactly breaking news, but okay.

    Jasmo said:

    "... The Council comprises 27 core members known as the Guardians of Inclusive Capitalism, ..."

    Bet the uniforms are cool. 


    I was being facetious about the wording.  Actually, it sounds like the worst nightmare for MAGA Catholics, who despise Pope Francis: "The Council for Inclusive Capitalism is a movement of the world’s business and public sector leaders who are working to build a more inclusive, sustainable, and trusted economic system that addresses the needs of our people and the planet. Capitalism has lifted billions of people out of poverty, but many in society have been left behind and the planet has paid a price. There is a moral imperative to address this challenge, and we are taking action."

    Council for Inclusive Capitalism with the Vatican


    No problem.  I actually think it's an excellent initiative as I said earlier, and was being facetious about the insignia in response to your comment about the uniforms.  

    nohero said:

    I was being facetious about the wording.  Actually, it sounds like the worst nightmare for MAGA Catholics, who despise Pope Francis: "The Council for Inclusive Capitalism is a movement of the world’s business and public sector leaders who are working to build a more inclusive, sustainable, and trusted economic system that addresses the needs of our people and the planet. Capitalism has lifted billions of people out of poverty, but many in society have been left behind and the planet has paid a price. There is a moral imperative to address this challenge, and we are taking action."

    Council for Inclusive Capitalism with the Vatican

     


    finnegan said:

    And now on to Catholics supporting federal executions (so much for that pro-life thing...): 

    https://www.ncronline.org/news/justice/catholics-involvement-death-penalty-killing-spree-scandalous?fbclid=IwAR2dGHcHYPw3gN9ErbhkvJfnaE-sYKQNLcZWcUjbrO3q9PBZCdiCX_cHBb8

     Maybe Scalia's Ghost can appear to Roberts, Thomas, Alito, and Kavanaugh on Christmas Eve, shake his chains, and say, "I was wrong".


    Christmas Eve is hope..


    There’s been some interesting news in faith circles in recent days. Not wishing to stir the pot, I thought to share this heartwarming article - several of my friends and former program participants are doing similar ‘world tours’, visiting Greek communities for their special days, or dropping in on far-flung Jewish groups for Shabbat prayers. 
    It builds lovely personal links in these stressful times.

    https://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-northern-ireland-55577866


    joanne said:

    There’s been some interesting news in faith circles in recent days. Not wishing to stir the pot, I thought to share this heartwarming article - several of my friends and former program participants are doing similar ‘world tours’, visiting Greek communities for their special days, or dropping in on far-flung Jewish groups for Shabbat prayers. 
    It builds lovely personal links in these stressful times.

    https://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-northern-ireland-55577866

     Lovely story, thanks Joanne!


    America has its second Catholic President!

    (and Fulton Sheen still is not a saint)

    Good news all around.


    "From this place, where faith was born, from the land of our father Abraham, let us affirm that God is merciful and that the greatest blasphemy is to profane his name by hating our brothers and sisters."

    Apostolic Journey to the Republic of Iraq: Interreligious meeting at the Plain of Ur (6 March 2021) | Francis (vatican.va)


    Pope Francis is a flawed being (like all beings) but his bravery and empathy and should be an inspiration to people of all faiths.  It certainly is to this agnostic.


    I think the Pope is wonderfully inspirational , but am somewhat concerned about the risks of the super spreader covid events that were created as a side effect of this inspiring trip across religions and cultures at this particular moment.  

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/pope-francis-iraq-coronavirus/2021/03/08/a261b4b6-7aab-11eb-8c5e-32e47b42b51b_story.html


    And today Italy has just announced a national Lockdown through Easter, as an exponential  surge in covid with the English variant creates a situation veering on loss of control. 

    https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/13/europe/italy-coronavirus-national-lockdown-intl/index.html


    Fallout from the pandemic — from my local parish... Not a bad idea, actually.


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