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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsPope Francis warns Catholic Church must change on abortion and gays or 'fall like a house of cards'
VATICAN CITY (AP) Pope Francis has warned that the Catholic Church's moral structure might "fall like a house of cards" if it doesn't balance its divisive rules about abortion, gays and contraception with the greater need to make it a merciful, more welcoming place for all.
Six months into his papacy, Francis set out his vision for the church and his priorities as pope in a lengthy and remarkably blunt interview with La Civilta Cattolica, the Italian Jesuit magazine. It was published simultaneously Thursday in Jesuit journals in 16 countries, including America magazine in the U.S.
In the 12,000-word article, Francis expands on his ground-breaking comments over the summer about gays and acknowledges some of his own faults. He sheds light on his favorite composers, artists, authors and films (Mozart, Caravaggio, Dostoevsky and Fellini's "La Strada" and says he prays even while at the dentist's office.
But his vision of what the church should be stands out, primarily because it contrasts so sharply with many of the priorities of his immediate predecessors, John Paul II and Benedict XVI. They were both intellectuals for whom doctrine was paramount, an orientation that guided the selection of a generation of bishops and cardinals around the globe.
http://bigstory.ap.org/article/pope-warns-church-must-find-new-balance-or-fail
hlthe2b
(102,234 posts)I still hope he comes around, but this is hopeful.
el_bryanto
(11,804 posts)I suspect there will be some prominent conservative Catholics that are going to be up in arms.
Bryant
cap
(7,170 posts)He's not going to back down on abortion or gays but just not go about it so vociferously. He will talk about other things like poverty but he won't do anything about it.
Rhetoric will change but not actions and church interference in public policy.
stevenleser
(32,886 posts)I have some hope that this Pope will make some big changes regarding the Catholic approach to the LGBT community.
LuvNewcastle
(16,844 posts)If he actually makes any doctrinal changes, then I'll be impressed.
HockeyMom
(14,337 posts)Something that has been ignored for decades. Maybe the Pope needs to tell that to Cardinal Dolan??????
egold2604
(369 posts)get the red out
(13,462 posts)How refreshing!
sufrommich
(22,871 posts)and drink tester.
starroute
(12,977 posts)Those haven't always been virtues -- but in this case, I think they are. The Jesuits may be the only force within the Catholic Church that can tell the Church it needs to get its house in order and make that stick.
Francis isn't a weak, isolated figure the way John Paul I was. He's dealing from a position of strength and he's got a lot of trump cards in his hand.
Arugula Latte
(50,566 posts)What a good riddance that would be.
ChairmanAgnostic
(28,017 posts)cthulu2016
(10,960 posts)The pope did not saying anything whatsoever to suggest that the church alter its view of abortion.
The Straight Story
(48,121 posts)WCPO @WCPO 2h
Pope Francis warns Catholic Church must change on abortion and gays or 'fall like a house of cards' http://ow.ly/p1J1y
http://www.wcpo.com/lifestyle/religion/pope-francis-warns-catholic-church-must-change-on-abortion-gays-or-fall
I merely linked to the source they used (the AP) since both came across twitter at the same time.
The very first sentence says:
VATICAN CITY (AP) Pope Francis has warned that the Catholic Church's moral structure might "fall like a house of cards" if it doesn't balance its divisive rules about abortion, gays and contraception with the greater need to make it a merciful, more welcoming place for all.
CTyankee
(63,909 posts)aren't really IN the discussion. AND after he said very clearly that "the door is shut" on the whole idea of women priests...ta ta...
Tommy_Carcetti
(43,181 posts)What he appears to be saying is that too many on the church are obsessing over those small handful of issues when there is a lot more in the world to be discussed.
So for people expecting a radical change in position by the Church on those issues, it's not going to happen.
(Although the Church really does need to re-consider its position at the least on the contraception issue, IMHO).
Rather, it was a rebuke of people who think Catholics should only talk about those things.
And that definitely needed to be said.
I like this Pope. I really do.
hedgehog
(36,286 posts)I expect a huge backlash as people's expectations are raised and then dashed when teachings regarding same sex marriage, contraception, women priests etc. are not changed. There may be some actual movement regarding married priests.
Rex
(65,616 posts)nt.
hedgehog
(36,286 posts)bloggers twist themselves into pretzels proving that Pope Francis didn't really say this or that, or he was taken out of context, etc. Occasionally one really loses it and more or less asks, Is the Pope Catholic?