[NYer]

Ping!

[ClearCase_guy]

I understand this approach. But it should be clear: the pro-Death people will hate the Godly whether the Godly take a judgmental approach or a strictly loving approach. Makes no difference. Actually, if I had to guess, I’d say the pro-Death people will respond with greater hate if approached in a loving manner. But I guess it’s still what we are called to do.

[Huskrrrr]

Pope Francis has not mentioned traditional hot-button Catholic issues like abortion because he prefers to emphasize that Catholics “love people” and are not “mean or old-fashioned,”

Don’t the innocent unborn deserve love, too?

[piusv]

Pope Francis has not mentioned traditional hot-button Catholic issues like abortion because he prefers to emphasize that Catholics “love people” and are not “mean or old-fashioned,” Boston Cardinal Sean O’Malley has said.

OMG. I can't roll my eyes hard enough at this.

[The Unknown Republican]

As a Christian I understand preaching love. However, on abortion, ignoring the issue doesn’t serve to love anyone. You love on young women by giving them real choices and showing them that the “fetus” is actually a human being. How much more love can you show a pregnant young woman than to offer them the hope of human life? If we remain silent, we condemn such women to lives of guilt and regret.

The prevailing attitudes about abortion are changing in this country...not because we have been silent, but because we have spoken up! We’ve shown women the attrocity of the act and people are being convinced.

[detective]

Any Christian who is afraid to speak out against the killing of innocent, unborn children is not a follower of Jesus Christ.

It is as simple as that. Abortion is a brutal, painful procedure that destroys a human being.

Cardinal O’Malley sounds like so many in the American Catholic hierarchy who have no morals or faith and have nothing but contempt for the millions of faithful Catholics who contribute their time, talent and treasure to the Catholic Church.

[Heart-Rest]

Some sinful behaviors and nefarious efforts are just crying out for some form of "tough love", as well as bold declaration of the truth (not political double-talk), including these:

• Atrocities like those committed by the "butchers of abortion".    (How many innocent little babies must die a horrible death before one should talk boldly and with righteous anger about it -- out of love, both tender for the babies, and tough for the perps.)

• Efforts to subvert "marriage" by trying to force societal approval of sinful, perverted behaviors like active homosexuality by falsely and artificially extending "marriage" to homosexuals.

• The efforts of some (including some bishops in the USCCB) to reward the multiple illegal activitities involved in illegal immigration, contrary to Church teaching in the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC 2241).

The Apostles and Early Church Martyrs might have been able to avoid martyrdom if they had made use of more slippery, mealy-mouthed weasel words, rather than boldly proclaiming the truth, but what would that have really achieved for the goal of spreading of the truths of the Gospel?

[steve86]

“We oppose abortion, not because we are mean or old fashioned, but because we love people..."

Don't know about y'all but whether or not I love people has nothing to do with whether I oppose abortion. I oppose abortion because the babies are God's children and He loves people. I'm a hermit myself; never made babies.

In the old days women were taught that one of the reasons not to have an abortion was because she probably would end up in hell for it (absent absolution, Divine forgiveness, etc.) Has the new pope mentioned the inferno even once, directly or indirectly? Or is that too "mean or old fashioned"?

[STJPII]

Did love stop the Nazis from exterminating Jews? Did love stop the KKK from lynching? Did love stop John the Baptist from calling Herrod an adulterer? Complete insanity.

[Greetings_Puny_Humans]

If this Cardinal is a window to the Pope, then I would conclude that Francis is determined to pursue a rebranding of the RCC. I suspect the social-justice language, therefore, is made to make Roman Catholicism appear more acceptable to infidels and commies.

[Alex Murphy]

O’Malley, the only North American Francis asked to serve on a group of eight cardinals advising him on reforming the church, made the comments during a keynote address Tuesday in San Antonio at the annual convention of the Knights of Columbus. “Some people think that the Holy Father should talk more about abortion,” O’Malley told approximately 2,000 attendees, according to a copy of the remarks posted online. “I think he speaks of love and mercy to give people the context for the Church’s teaching on abortion,” he continued. “We oppose abortion, not because we are mean or old fashioned, but because we love people. And that is what we must show the world.”

It's always troubling to me when Person B steps in, and claims to know what Person A meant. I interpret such statements as a form of crowd control, trying to give Person A an out w/o actually speaking for them.

[MEGoody]

Unless the Pope had been directly asked about abortion or makes some statement that is in conflict with the existing church position on abortion (neither of which is true as far as I know), then why would anyone even be concerned? Obviously, the position of the Catholic Church is that life is sacred and abortion is wrong. I would expect that the Pope would hold that same position.

[Dajjal]

“kumbaya” bumpus ad summum

[NKP_Vet]

“I think he speaks of love and mercy to give people the context for the Church’s teaching on abortion,” he continued. “We oppose abortion, not because we are mean or old fashioned, but because we love people. And that is what we must show the world.”

O’Malley’s words, not Pope Francis. But I think what O’Malley was saying is Catholics love the baby who was aborted but also love the girl who had the abortion. His thoughts on abortion are contained in the Cathecism of the Catholic Church. They are the same as all Pope’s before. No abortion is ever acceptable. Give him some time. I’m sure he’ll say more about the evils of abortion. All Pope’s do.

[Fedora]

The lead’s summary of O’Malley’s quote doesn’t match his actual quote a few paragraphs down.

[ebb tide]

“I think he speaks of love and mercy to give people the context for the Church’s teaching on abortion,” he (O’Malley) continued.

It’s no surprise to me that Pope Francis selected Cardinal O’Malley to his “round table”. O’Malley gave a grand funeral, fit for royalty, for Ted Kennedy; one of the most vociferous proponents of abortion to ever occupy the US Senate.