Pope urges Catholic priests to help poor, shun careerism

[onehandle]

Source: Reuters

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Beginning a busy program of Easter events, Pope Francis on Thursday urged Catholic priests to devote themselves to helping the poor and suffering instead of worrying about careers as Church "managers".

Francis' homily at his first Holy Thursday service as Roman Catholic leader was the latest sign since his surprise election two weeks ago of his determination that the 1.2 billion-member Church should be closer to the poor.

"We need to go out, then, in order to experience our own anointing (as priests) ... to the outskirts where there is suffering, bloodshed, blindness that longs for sight, and prisoners in thrall to many evil masters," he said during a Mass in St. Peter's Basilica.

The 76-year-old former Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio of Argentina has inherited a Vatican rocked by a scandal in which documents leaked to the media spoke of alleged corruption in its administration and depicted prelates as fighting among themselves to advance their careers.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/pope-urges-catholic-priests-help-poor-shun-careerism-112315330.html

[Matariki]

1. He's talking the talk

so far.

[n2doc]

2. I am liking what he is saying and doing so far

I hope he keeps it up. And I hope he doesn't have a short reign if he does do so. There's a lot of cleanup to do.

[msongs]

3. he is the ultimate example of "careerism". when is he moving to the slums himself? nt

[The Second Stone]

4. Good point

when is he moving to the official papal apartments and out of the hotel with the other cardinals?

I think that he has to have some security, so he can't just live in any old apartment in Rome, but it would be nice to see him take one or two small rooms.

I think that he might actually do something like that.

[Posteritatis]

9. So far he's said he won't move into the papal apartments. (nt)

[Hekate]

13. Word is he never lived in the elegant Bishop's residence in Argentina

Word is he never lived in the elegant Bishop's residence in Argentina, but rather kept an apartment of a few small rooms with one heater, and cooked his own meals. He never used the chauffeur-driven car that came with the job, either, but was a familiar sight on public transportation.

The man is the real deal, in terms of personal humility and commitment to social justice.

At the moment he is living in the Vatican's guest house rather than the palace, and apparently intends to continue doing so.

Whether he is able to resist the combined will of all the other residents of the Vatican in eschewing ostentation will be a real test of his own strength, imo.

[caseymoz]

5. So far, really good.

If this keeps up, I could love this guy.

However, if this keeps up, his papacy might end as abruptly and John Paul I.

I'm waiting to see.

[JDPriestly]

6. "The most important must be at the service of others"

This gives me hope. Finally, a Pope who at least understands what Jesus was talking about.

This could change a lot of things . . . if it lasts.

There is hope, but we shall see what really happens.

[FreeBC]

7. I'll believe it when his cardinals and priests stop telling their parishioners to vote republican

Anti-abortion tops everything else, at least in the States. US priests would instruct their parishioners to vote for a party that favored eating the poor as long as they were anti-abortion.

[ForgoTheConsequence]

8. What he meant was.

"help the heterosexual Christian poor".

[denem]

10. Does washing the feet of 12 HIV/AIDS patients count?

Read up on the guy if you don't know.

[ForgoTheConsequence]

11. Interesting.

Didn't realize that AIDS/HIV only infected homosexual non-Christians. Do you always associate HIV with gays?

[Malik Agar]

12. Kind of...

An official with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced the CDC's estimate Monday that in the United States AIDS is fifty times more prevalent among men who have sex with men ('MSM') than the rest of the population.

Please don't take this as a gay bashing post.

[ForgoTheConsequence]

14. How should I take it?

There is a reason HIV rates are higher among gay men. That doesn't mean that all people who have HIV are gay. That's plain bigoted and hateful. If you think HIV is a "gay only" disease you're about as dumb as Reagan.