Pope blasts abortion after decrying focus on rules

[totodeinhere]

Source: AP via Yahoo News

Pope Francis offered an olive branch of sorts to the doctrine-minded, conservative wing of the Catholic Church on Friday as he denounced abortions as a symptom of today's "throw-away culture" and encouraged Catholic doctors to refuse to perform them.

Francis issued a strong anti-abortion message and cited Vatican teaching on the need to defend the unborn during an audience with Catholic gynecologists.

It came a day after he was quoted as blasting the church's obsession with "small-minded rules" that are driving the faithful away. In an interview that has sent shockwaves through the church, Francis urged its pastors to focus on being merciful and welcoming rather than insisting only on such divisive, hot-button issues as abortion, gay marriage and contraception.

Even before the interview was published, some conservatives had voiced disappointment that Francis had shied away from restating such church rules. Francis explained his reason for doing so in the interview with the Jesuit journal La Civilta Cattolica, saying church teaching on such issues is well-known, he supports it, but that he doesn't feel it necessary to repeat it constantly.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/pope-blasts-abortion-decrying-focus-rules-131410774.html

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Before we get too excited about this new Pope we need to put this in perspective. He continues to oppose abortion and as this article says he has urged Catholic doctors not to perform them. He also continues to oppose gay marriage. His position is that gay people should remain celibate which in my mind is totally unrealistic and cruel. Yes he is putting a better face on these issues but it might be no more than PR. And by the way he also opposes doing away with the Church's all male clergy.

[The Green Manalishi]

1. Agreed, but

It's one thing to be morally opposed to abortion in the belief that it is killing a human; I don't agree with that view, but I can see how one can hold it.

Making a line in the sand over an issue where a lot of people disagree- who otherwise supportive of a lot of church teachings, and could potentially even be enlisted in doing things that need to be done, such as feeding the poor, helping the sick and homeless, is smart and, arguably, wise.

I have conservative neighbors but we are part of the same neighborhood watch group and plan for emergencies together. I can see why a Catholic doctor would not want to perform an abortion; as long as they are not employed on the taxpayer dime and aren't advocating for it to be illegal then we can all get along. (this does persuppose that an abortion can be had in some manner if needed). I don't agree with the foetus worshippers, but if they are willing to stand there with me and the wife when there is good work to be done....

[totodeinhere]

2. You make some good points, but I guess that given the church's history on issues

like this I remain cynical about the Pope's motives. And I have suspected for some time that the church's conservative hierarchy will lean on the Pope to backtrack such as in the comment that he made today.

[The Green Manalishi]

23. No argument

Obviously he is doing what he thinks will best promulgate the Catholic faith. Different tactics, same goal.

[HockeyMom]

3. Contraception

Unmarried wouldn't need birth control if (?) they were celebate, but what about married couples. Be happly with all the blessings that god gives them? Unfortunately, that is just a receipe for poverty. I have known couples who lived that. All their children learned that lesson very well.

[SheilaT]

4. Blaming abortion on today's "throwaway culture"?

I guess no one ever had an abortion until this "culture" came about.

Sort of like all those who seek to overturn Roe v. Wade because they think that if abortions are outlawed no women ever have one.

[hedgehog]

8. It shows total ignorance of the fact that cheap, available, dependable

contraception would eliminate 75% of abortions!

[Arkana]

5. A brief, shining moment, and then...that.

Really, Francis?

[David__77]

6. Whether we intends to or not, he is underming those premises.

And I don't think he means to. But the fact remains that he is undermining the basis of the hard-line anti-abortion position, which I consider to be a good thing.

[Zater]

7. I like this pope

He cares.

[totodeinhere]

9. At least he wants to make it look like he cares but will he care enough to give

more than lip service to the fundamental changes that the church desperately needs?

[Humanist_Activist]

18. about opposing abortionn, contraception, same sex marriage, yes he does care...

hence why I oppose him.

[Arugula Latte]

20. Yeah, he cares about keeping women second class citizens.

He can go jump on a sharp church spire, as far as I"m concerned.

Also, I see you posted an article giving the NRA viewpoint. How interesting.

[arewenotdemo]

30. Yes, it's actually quite interesting how this new free-thinker of a pope

has put the kibosh on the ordination of women, and reiterated his predecessor's rebuke of those feminist American nuns.

Good thing, too, for all of us ex-Catholics that want to see the Church go the way of the dinosaurs.

The Vatican said in a statement Monday that Francis had reaffirmed the doctrinal evaluation and criticism of U.S. nuns made last year by the Holy See under his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI. The assessment accused the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, an organization that represents most U.S. female Catholic orders, of promoting "radical feminist themes" and ignoring the Vatican's hard line on same-sex marriage and abortion.

http://articles.latimes.com/2013/apr/15/world/la-fg-pope-nuns-20130416

[Beacool]

10. It's the Catholic Church, of course they will always oppose abortion.

To almost all Christian denominations abortion is a sin. I'm pro Choice, but I understand that this is one issue where the Church and I will always disagree.

What they need to lift is the ban on the use of birth control. As others have already said, that would eliminate the majority of the abortions.

[Bluenorthwest]

11. He is a duplicitous man who says one thing, then the opposite when it serves him and

his quests which are to distract from the moral rot of his club of child rapists while making that club richer and more powerful.
I am sick of people claiming that he is supporting gay rights when he's actually spreading a message of inequality and contempt for one's neighbors. So thank you very much for posting what you did.

[Arugula Latte]

21. Yes. This "Oh, this pope is so wonderful" bullshit makes me SICK!!!

[joshcryer]

22. +1

I'd swarm the Pope-love-fests with this as I did a few times but it didn't go over well so it's not worth it.

[bullwinkle428]

24. Meet the new Pope, same as the old Pope.

[oberliner]

12. Definitely should get excited about this new Pope

This is seriously a very big deal.

[Mushroom]

13. I never got

excited about this pope. I never lost my perspective. BS is BS is PR. His position of gay people being celibate is not only hypocritical, his position is more of the church's abusive nature.

"Francis explained his reason for doing so in the interview with the Jesuit journal La Civilta Cattolica, saying church teaching on such issues is well-known, he supports it, but that he doesn't feel it necessary to repeat it constantly."

What were people expecting? WTF?

[blkmusclmachine]

14. RCC: Love the fetus, grope the choirboys.

[Nine]

15. I'm not Catholic, but I still like this Pope for the most part.

I think on balance he's improving things. To expect him to be pro-choice or pro- some other things we want is simply not realistic. I think Francis is like Obamacare - not perfect but a lot better than what there was before.

[ninjanurse]

16. Blame Women

Either women are helplessly influenced by the 'throwaway culture' or they are murdering the unborn. Either incapable of making a moral decision or wicked.
Talking about 'the unborn' while disappearing the pregnant woman is how the Church frames the debate.
We need to trust women. Trust women with birth control. Trust women to be the best judge of whether to continue a pregnancy. People make bad decisions all the time, but there is no one more qualified to make this decision than the woman herself.

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

17. Look, I have no problem with people who are against abortion

I respect their position, as long as they realize it is still none of their business.

[Arugula Latte]

19. So don't have an abortion, Francis.

Otherwise why don't you and your fellow creepy old men in the Vatican shut up and mind your own business.

[TheDeputy]

25. Doctrine is doctrine.

The Church will forever oppose abortion. Women will never be ordained to the priesthood.

The Catholic Church doesn't change it's doctrine. It has remained steadfast in its beliefs, and always will, no matter what the opposition.

Anybody who has studied the church would know this.

[Niceguy1]

26. the new Pope

Is still making some welcome changes and deserbea some credit.

[Jefferson23]

27. No wonder he prefers people stay quiet about the most oppressive rules the Vatican continues

to enforce....smart strategy. Where in their doctrine is abortion forbidden, and contraception is
not allowed either, correct?

If he is in fact truly concerned about poverty and he seems sincere, he could at the very
least supply a credible reason why any woman of his faith should feel obligated to have
children she likely will not be able to feed.

If he does not bring about a conversation on some level of an alternative to abortions,
then he is not much better than his predecessors.

Birth control saves lives. Abortion's save the lives of many women and keep the
children they already have from becoming orphans.

Does he ever answer questions like this?

[Pterodactyl]

28. BREAKING NEWS: Pope opposed to abortion!

[bklyncowgirl]

29. I'm shocked! No not really, in fact not at all. I never expected an about face on abortion.

I never thought that even the most liberal of Popes would ever come out and say that abortion is not morally wrong.

As long as he is talking about this being a personal moral decision--and in what he said to the doctors, it does seem he was talking about a personal decision whether or not to perform abortions--I have no problem with it. It's when the Catholic Church goes tooth and claw in a legal and political battle to deny abortion to everyone, Catholic and non-Catholic alike that I draw a line.

I do think this Pope's message of social justice has been very compelling and his softening of the emphasis on sexual issues welcome. I hope he can clean up the scandals within the church especially the official protection of pederest priests and the famously corrupt Vatican Bank. I hope to see abortion become a moral issue, not a political issue and maybe, just maybe, that is what we are seeing here.