Pope Says He Won't Judge Gay Priests

philly.com ^ | 7/29/13 | Nicole Winfield

[SoFloFreeper]

Pope Francis reached out to gays on Monday, saying he wouldn't judge priests for their sexual orientation in a remarkably open and wide-ranging news conference as he returned from his first foreign trip...

"If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?" Francis asked.

His predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, signed a document in 2005 that said men with deep-rooted homosexual tendencies should not be priests. Francis was much more conciliatory, saying gay clergymen should be forgiven and their sins forgotten.

Francis' remarks came Monday during a plane journey back to the Vatican from his first foreign trip in Brazil.

He was funny and candid during a news conference that lasted almost an hour and a half. He didn't dodge a single question, even thanking the journalist who raised allegations reported by an Italian newsmagazine that one of his trusted monsignors was involved in a scandalous gay tryst.

[stanne]

I said it in the post, I do not know what you are talking about in any of your posts.

You’re wasting my time

[Elsie]

So maybe the pope (and many us) should take the Lords advice on scripture, eh?

Paul said:

NIV 1 Corinthians 4:6
Now, brothers, I have applied these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, so that you may learn from us the meaning of the saying, "Do not go beyond what is written." Then you will not take pride in one man over against another.

[rusty schucklefurd]

re: “He is, as far as I can see, progressing toward perfection. This is being transformed in Christ. We all have a ways to go.”

Amen. In the case of your friend, from all appearances, he is trying to follow the Lord as best he can. He isn’t promoting a “gay” agenda, he’s just wanting to follow Christ. We both know that the Scriptures teach that the Holy Spirit will help us conform to the image of His Son as we surrender our wills to His leading.

As I mentioned, I have been encouraged by the genuine walk with Christ that I’ve seen in Pope Francis, and that he is completely unpretentious in his position and calling as Pope. I think he has broken down some barriers to the Christian faith by his personal discipline and discipleship. That is why I was concerned about some of these statements, not to attack, but heart-felt concern (and this is from a life-long Baptist) about the witness of a major Christian leader. Just as stories in the media about well-known protestant leaders who say or do things that hurt the Christian faith and our witness to the world in general, I was afraid of this report as well.

Anyway, I appreciate your reply and I’m sure the truth about all of this will be revealed in due time. I do believe that Pope Francis will continue to be a wonderful witness to the world about what real Christianity looks like.

[Elsie]

So maybe the pope (and many us) should take the Lords advice on scripture, eh?

---

NIV Matthew 4:1-11
1. Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil.
2. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.
3. The tempter came to him and said, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread."
4. Jesus answered, "It is written: `Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.' "
5. Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple.
6. "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down. For it is written: "`He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.' "
7. Jesus answered him, "It is also written: `Do not put the Lord your God to the test.' "
8. Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor.
9. "All this I will give you," he said, "if you will bow down and worship me."
10. Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: `Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.' "
11. Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.

NIV Matthew 11:10
This is the one about whom it is written: "`I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.'

NIV Matthew 21:13
"It is written," he said to them, "`My house will be called a house of prayer,' but you are making it a `den of robbers.' "

NIV Matthew 26:24
The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him.

NIV Matthew 26:31
Then Jesus told them, "This very night you will all fall away on account of me, for it is written: "`I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.'

NIV Mark 7:6-7
6. He replied, "Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: "`These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.
7. They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.'

NIV Mark 9:11-13
11. And they asked him, "Why do the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come first?"
12. Jesus replied, "To be sure, Elijah does come first, and restores all things. Why then is it written that the Son of Man must suffer much and be rejected?
13. But I tell you, Elijah has come, and they have done to him everything they wished, just as it is written about him."

NIV Mark 11:17
And as he taught them, he said, "Is it not written: "`My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations' ? But you have made it `a den of robbers.' "

NIV Mark 14:27
"You will all fall away," Jesus told them, "for it is written: "`I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.'

NIV Luke 4:17-19
17. The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:
18. "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed,
19. to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."

NIV Luke 7:27
This is the one about whom it is written: "`I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.'

NIV Luke 10:26
"What is written in the Law?" he replied. "How do you read it?"

NIV Luke 18:31-33
31. Jesus took the Twelve aside and told them, "We are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled.
32. He will be handed over to the Gentiles. They will mock him, insult him, spit on him, flog him and kill him.
33. On the third day he will rise again."

NIV Luke 20:17-18
17. Jesus looked directly at them and asked, "Then what is the meaning of that which is written: "`The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone ' ?
18. Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed."

NIV Luke 21:22
For this is the time of punishment in fulfillment of all that has been written.

NIV Luke 22:37
It is written: `And he was numbered with the transgressors' ; and I tell you that this must be fulfilled in me. Yes, what is written about me is reaching its fulfillment."

NIV Luke 24:44-47
44. He said to them, "This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms."
45. Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.
46. He told them, "This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day,
47. and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.

NIV John 2:17
His disciples remembered that it is written: "Zeal for your house will consume me."

 

NIV John 6:31
Our forefathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written: `He gave them bread from heaven to eat.' "

NIV John 6:45
It is written in the Prophets: `They will all be taught by God.' Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me.

NIV John 12:14-16
14. Jesus found a young donkey and sat upon it, as it is written,
15. "Do not be afraid, O Daughter of Zion; see, your king is coming, seated on a donkey's colt."
16. At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and that they had done these things to him.

NIV John 15:25
But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: `They hated me without reason.'

NIV John 20:30-31
30. Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book.
31. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

[Scarlet7]

Oh my God. Next he will say he will not judge those who cheat, steal, lie, drink too much (drunkeness), eat too much (gluttony), have sex outside of marriage (fornication) and on and on and on. He isn’t encouraging us to celebrate sin! He is saying love the sinner but hate the sin. Jesus didn’t die for just homosexuals; He died for all sinners. Me and you too :)

[Elsie]

You are involving yourself inappropriately in an hours old argument

So?

Coming late to the party means I can't drink any punch?

[Elsie]

You are involving yourself inappropriately in an hours old argument

Besides; who are YOU to 'judge' my inappropriateness?

[kaehurowing]

“If the quote they have is accurate, he is correct. It is not for us to judge.”

Actually, the Bible says the exact opposite, as to those who claim to be Christians (such as priests) but are living sexually immoral lives. The Apostle Paul instructs the church at Corinth:

“I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler. Do not even eat with such people.

What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside. ‘Expel the wicked person from among you.’”

(I Cor. 5:9-13)

[Jeff Head]

My guess is that these comments are taken out of context.

For exmaple, if a gay Priest repents and confesses his sins and turns away from them, then you should forgive them and remember the sin no more.

I find it impossible to believe that the Pope is in any way open to a practising, non-repentant gay serving as a priets.

[Mrs. Don-o]

The Pope will:

• - soften the church's stance on abortion (Never)
• - embrace homosexual marriage (Never)
• - endorse the redistribution of wealth (via extending dependency on the State? Never)
• - decry all military action (via denying the natural right of self defense? Never)
• - loudly proclaim ecumenism as the road to world peace. (maybe friendship with YOU --- though perhaps not all would venture so far)

I, for one, hope we can continue this interfaith dialog here --- though I wish it could be better founded on a basis of reason and good will, and our common discipleship in Christ Our Lord.

[Elsie]

Hoop jumping - even on fire!

[headsonpikes]

Just damn...

[Elsie]

I said it in the post, I do not know what you are talking about in any of your posts.

I, for one, would be hesitant to admit this...

[Elsie]

You’re wasting my time

I know.

It's great to have that power!

Watch out, Avengers, here I come!!

[stanne]

Weird

[detective]

“The statement that we should not judge sinners is part of Christian teaching.
Which part?”

Jesus said, “Judge not that you shall not be judged.”

Jesus also said “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.”

There is also the teaching about seeing the speck in someone else’s eye and not the beam in your own eye.

Another way it is phrased is hate the sin not the sinner.

[Elsie]

For exmaple, if a gay Priest repents and confesses his sins and turns away from them, then you should forgive them and remember the sin no more.

I have no problem with this.

But to LEAVE a priest in a position that only tempts him more; is NOT a smart thing to do.

We humans have a poor record fighting continuing temptation.

To 'repent'; is to make a 180° turn and walk AWAY from what has caused us problems in the past.

[Mrs. Don-o]

"Is salvation only possible through the Catholic Church? If you say "no," then you run up against Catholic teaching through the millenia. If you say "yes," then you contradict current teaching."

FWD, You seem to lack some of the basic axioms of Catholic thought --- for instance, that while the Sacraments are binding on us, they are not binding on God.

E.g., one must be born again of water and the Holy Spirit (Baptism)in order to be saved; but God can save anyone He wants to save, e.g. the unbaptized criminal crucified next to Him.

[Elsie]

I find it impossible to believe that the Pope is in any way open to a practising, non-repentant gay serving as a priets.

Some religions will allow an openly confessed 'gay' to be an "executive secretary" to a bishop.

[Elsie]

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