Leave your comfort zone and serve the poor, Pope tells priests

[onehandle]

Source: Reuters

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VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis has told Roman Catholic priests to leave their comfort zone and get out among people on the margins of society or else risk becoming "abstract ideologists".

The Italian Jesuit journal Civilta Cattolica published an exclusive text on Friday of a three-hour, closed-door meeting the Argentinian-born pontiff had in late November with heads of orders of priests from around the world. Francis said priests had to have "real contact with the poor" and the marginalized.

"This is really very important to me: the need to become acquainted with reality by experience, to spend time walking on the periphery in order really to become acquainted with the reality and life-experiences of people," he told them.

"If this does not happen we then run the risk of being abstract ideologists or fundamentalists, which is not healthy."

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/leave-comfort-zone-serve-poor-pope-tells-priests-155328485.html

[Boomerproud]

1. Good going Francis (Jorge Mario)

By his words he's painting himself into a corner that he's going to have to make some substantial changes. I have a gut feeling that married priests will be the first big act.

[onehandle]

4. Married priests would extend the lifespan of the church by immeasurable generations.

At the current rate of loss of clergy, RCC haters should wish that doesn't happen.

[tabasco]

2. I'm not religious

but I appreciate what the Pope is doing. He seems like a good man.

[LiberalLovinLug]

3. He better think twice about refusing the bullet-proof Pope-mobile

He's pissing off both the 1% that have traditionally paid off their guilt for benefit of not being publicly called out....until now, and also the priesthood itself when they start acting like the 1%.

[onwardsand upwards]

5. I agree!

Remember that Martin Luther King was assassinated when he shifted his emphasis towards the poor.

Also Archbishop Oscar Romero, in El Salvador, gunned down by US-backed death squads for his liberation theology.

And, of course, let's not forget Christ himself ...

The 1% has quite a history on this!

[muriel_volestrangler]

6. Kick (nt)