[circlecity]

“Don't expect a decision next week … This is only the initial push.”

I imagine a lot of trial balloons are going to be floated to see what kind of push back they get.

[Alex Murphy]

This recent article in The Tablet pretty much confirms, if there were still any doubt, that Pope Francis does not consider himself a "conservative" within the Church....

....Francis claimed he had no objection the publication of a book by five cardinals, including Cardinal Raymond Burke, head of the Apostolic Signatura, setting out their position against revising the prohibition on divorced and remarried Catholics receiving Communion. He said: “Everyone has something to contribute. It gives me pleasure to have debates with conservative bishops when the arguments are intellectually well-formed.”

Is Burke present at the synod?

[vladimir998]

He’s just a pope. They all die and are replaced. I wish people would remember that.

[ScottinVA]

I’m surprised bishops would even deign to debate His Infallibility.

[ScottinVA]

Pope Francis has stated that the Church “must not withdraw into dogma” and should recognise that “the world has changed”.

Aren't the ways of "the world" the problem here? Maybe I'm missing something...

[boycott]

The worldly pope.

[Deo volente]

“The world has changed and the Church can not withdraw into supposed interpretations of dogma. We have to approach these social difficulties, both new and old, by extending a hand to give comfort, not by stigmatising and criticising people.”

That's the saddest thing I've read in years. Throw Catholic doctrine out the window so sinners can feel better. Very interesting times we live in.

[Slyfox]

The Tablet used to be reliably Catholic. I went to a university library looking for an article that I was told was written in the early 1960s. It was very good back then. The person who owns it now has changed it so it is more like the Catholic Reporter.

[NKP_Vet]

It would be nice if the Synod ended with this heretic pope being thrown out on his liberal rear end. He’s trying his best to turn the Catholic Church into a larger version of the anti-God Anglican Church of England. He’ll go down in history as the worst pope of the last 500 years. I used to have hope for him, no more. He’s the Barack Obama of the Catholic Church. But let’s also not forget that the Church has survived bad popes before and it will survive this character, who I have gave up on.

[Fred Hayek]

While I do disagree with some Catholic doctrines, such disagreements are matters of theology. This latest direction does not bode well for the Catholic Church. This is heading in the direction of complete abandonment of Scripture, where there would be no difference versus the so called Mainline Protestants. Return of “liberation theology” (regurgitated Marxism), anyone? Amongst Catholics, wasn’t there a prophecy that this Pope would be a doozy? We all need to pray, and I mean ALL Christians.

[Capt. Tom]

He told an Argentinian newspaper: “The world has changed and the Church can not withdraw into supposed interpretations of dogma. We have to approach these social difficulties, both new and old, by extending a hand to give comfort, not by stigmatising and criticising people.”

Sounds to me like he is a Protestant at heart.

I said early on in FR, that I think this new pope will be to the Catholic Church what Obama is too our country.(A disaster) -Tom

[pgkdan]

Pope Francis has stated that the Church “must not withdraw into dogma” and should recognise that “the world has changed”.

Of course the world has changed. But Truth has not! It's not the Church's job to adapt to the world!

This man is not fit to occupy Peter's chair.

[Arthur McGowan]

What an idiotic thing to say!

The Pope has just labeled himself a liberal.

[NKP_Vet]

“It gives me pleasure to have debates with conservative bishops”

Can you imagine Pope Benedict saying something that stupid?
Would be nice is Francis started acting like the leader of the world’s biggest Christian denomination and not just another liberal community organizer.

Anyone miss JP2 or B16 yet? How long can this man make a mockery of the Catholic Church?