Posted on 10/03/2016 1:58:26 AM PDT by BlessedBeGod
October 3, 2016 (LifeSiteNews) – Despite the Vatican’s assertion that a so-called sex-change surgery does not alter the sex of a person, Pope Francis has nevertheless chosen to refer to a woman who underwent a sex-change operation as a “man,” and also referred to her as having “married” another woman and admitted to receiving them in the Vatican last year.
As with most of his most controversial remarks, the statements came during an in-flight press scrum. On October 2, on his return flight from his papal visit to Georgia and Azerbaijan, the Pope referred to a woman who “felt like a man” but “was physically a young woman.” After a sex-change surgery in her twenties, Pope Francis said, “he got married.”
"He wrote me a letter saying that, for him, it would be a consolation to come [see me] with his wife," the pope said. “I received them and they were very happy," Pope Francis added. Clarifying his use of pronouns, the pope said, "He that was her but is he." (translation by Josh McElwee, the NCR reporter who asked the question)
Pope Francis drew a distinction between his frequent condemnation of teaching ‘gender theory’ to young children in classrooms and welcoming, accompanying, and integrating a person who has “this tendency” and even has “a sex change.”
The meeting of the Pope with the woman with the sex-change surgery and her female partner took place in January 2015 and while it was widely reported in the media with photos, the Vatican refused comment. The woman, now called Diego Neria Lejarraga, said the pope had surprised her by calling her twice out of the blue in December 2014. Neria had written to Francis complaining of rejection from the local parish after she had undergone “gender reassignment.”
Neria said that it was Pope Francis who asked for the meeting, telling her that he would make the arrangement and call her back. Francis welcomed the two into his private suite at Domus Santa Marta to what she said was a “strictly private meeting.”
In her letter to the Pope, Neria had specifically noted that she felt excluded from the Church because of her decision, and that she was now “afraid” to receive Communion. She did not tell the media what the pope said on the matter, only mentioning that he embraced her. However, Pope Francis’ own recollection of the matter deals with Communion.
The Pope spoke of an old retired priest who welcomed Neria and a young new pastor who was harsh. "When the new pastor would see him, he would shout to him from the sidewalk: 'You will go to Hell.'" Francis said. “But when he'd meet his old priest, he would say to him, 'How long has it been since you've confessed? Come on, confess so you can take Communion.'” (translation by the US Bishops’ Catholic News Service)
In 2000, the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith issued confidential guidance to bishops noting that ‘sex-change’ procedures do not alter a person’s gender. The document instructed bishops never to alter the sex listed in parish baptismal records and said Catholics who have undergone "sex-change" procedures are not eligible to marry because in the eyes of the Church they would be marrying someone of the same sex.
A literal translation of the Pope’s full remarks and the question issued by Catholic News Agency follows:
Josh McElwee, National Catholic Reporter: Thank you, Holy Father. In that same speech yesterday in Georgia, you spoke, as in so many other countries about gender theory, saying that it is a great enemy and a threat against marriage. But, I would like to ask you, what would you say to someone who has struggled with their sexuality for years and feels that there is truly a problem of biology, that his aspect doesn't correspond to what he or she feels is their sexual identity. You, as a pastor and minister, how would you accompany these people?
Pope Francis: First of all: in my life as a priest and bishop, even as Pope, I have accompanied people with homosexual tendencies, I have also met homosexual persons, accompanied them, brought them closer to the Lord, as an apostle, and I have never abandoned them. People must be accompanied as Jesus accompanies them, when a person who has this condition arrives before Jesus, Jesus surely doesn't tell them 'go away because you are homosexual.' What I said is that wickedness which today is done in the indoctrination of gender theory...a French father told me that he was speaking with his children at the table, he and his wife were Catholics, 'rosewater Catholics,' but Catholics! And he asked his 10-year-old son: 'What do you want to be when you grow up?'- 'a girl.' The father realized that at school they were teaching him gender theory, and this is against the natural things. One thing is that a person has this tendency, this condition and even changes their sex, but it's another thing to teach this in line in schools in order to change the mentality. This is what I call ideological colonization. Last year I received a letter from a Spaniard who told me his story as a child, a young man, he was a girl, a girl who suffered so much because he felt he felt like a boy, but was physically a girl. He told his mother and the mom…(the girl) was around 22 years old said that she would like to do the surgical intervention and all of those things. And the mother said not to do it while she was still alive. She was elderly and she died soon after. She had the surgery and an employee of a ministry in the city of Spain went to the bishop, who accompanied (this person) a lot. Good bishop. I spent time accompanying this man. Then (the man) got married, he changed his civil identity, got married and wrote me a letter saying that for him it would be a consolation to come with his wife, he who was she, but him! I received them: they were happy and in the neighborhood where he lived there was an elderly priest in his 80s, an elderly pastor who left the parish and helped the sisters in the parish. And there was the new (priest). When the new one he would yell from the sidewalk: 'you'll go to hell!' When he (CNA suggests this refers to the new priest but CNS and NCR suggest it refers to the woman) came across the old one, he would say: 'How long has it been since you confessed? Come, come, let's to so that I can confess you and you can receive communion.' Understood? (emphasis LifeSite)
Life is life and things must be taken as they come. Sin is sin. And tendencies or hormonal imbalances have many problems and we must be careful not to say that everything is the same. Let's go party. No, that no, but in every case I accept it, I accompany it, I study it, I discern it and I integrate it. This is what Jesus would do today! Please don't say: 'the Pope sanctifies transgenders.' Please, eh! Because I see the covers of the papers. Is there any doubt as to what I said? I want to be clear! It's moral problem. It's a human problem and it must be resolved always can be with the mercy of God, with the truth like we spoke about in the case of marriage by reading all of Amoris Laetitia, but always with an open heart. And don't forget that chapter Vézelay, it's very beautiful, eh! Very beautiful.
So, according to some here...in God’s eyes there are some who have sinned so badly that they are beyond Salvation. That to minister to those people and bring God’s love to them is in itself a sin.
I wonder who those people are worshipping...Jesus Christ made it clear that ALL are welcome to join Him. So many who like to think of themse,vessels as Christian seem lost when it comes to Christianity. Jesus Christ welcomes and commands us to love each individual...even our enemies. Haven’t read that part of the Bible where we are to exclude, oppress, or marginalize certain individuals.
Clams?
Pope is a dope.
he’s also an A-Hole
This ‘pope’ is the worst.
He praises and glorifies sin while condemning the faithful. What is the point of being Catholic?
Barack Obama Idiocy
Now available in White!
Pope Francis is to Catholicism as Obama is to America.
Pretender would be more accurate. These folks will be nothing more than pretenders.
Jesus surely doesn’t tell them ‘go away because you are homosexual.’”
She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more
He then joked: “Please don’t write that the pope will sanctify transsexuals. I can see the front pages of papers now. But no, it is a moral question. It is a human question, and it must be resolved as best as possible, always with the mercy of God, the truth ... always with an open heart.”
Source: http://www.westfargopioneer.com/sports/4127852-pope-says-jesus-wont-kick-gays-out-heaven
I’m betting that once again, when the entire presser is read in context it becomes clear that he’s taken out of context and that it’s also clear His Holiness should not be giving impromptu press conferences.
I’m personally tired of reminding adults that the secular media has an agenda, and that Pope Francis seems blissfully unaware of this fact, two factors combining together often to cause a perfect firestorm among this who hate him and all the Church is about today, from both the right and the left. Religiously and politically.
A final message to all Catholics: criticize him justly for his apparent lack of media acumen, but try and remember he’s the Pope. And should be accorded the respect he’s thus due.
Looks like the gay mafia the previous pope fought and got the boot over is having its way with this guy.
I’m afraid he’s tipping his hand on where the Church is headed.
They are desperate to re-engage Millenials. I’m afraid they’re about to take a sharp left turn in an attempt to do this.
In days long gone the Cardinals would take matters into their own hands.
I’ve been going to services at a Reformed Presbyterian church recently. It’s such a pleasant contrast with the ridiculous progressive church I grew up in.
Tagging every poster on this thread who I propose didn’t read the entire article and what the Pope actually said. From your responses, you read the headline, the bolded text, and then went forth and posted your comment without looking into what he actually said.
As FourtySeven rightly pointed out slightly above this post, Jesus did not come to call the righteous to Heaven, but sinners. The Pope should, and is, ministering to the poor in spirit, aka sinners. There is nothing in his words that says he is condoning, in fact he called out gender theory as wicked. He rightly says that this is a “human problem”, not of God, and that only God’s mercy will change them.
If you are unwilling to accept a sinner into your midst, you are not following the tenet of Christianity and might as well be a Jew from Jesus’ time. How fitting Luke 10:25-37 is the Gospel reading for today, are you the Priest or the Levite? How about being the Samaritan?
He said nothing of the sort, your logic is one of the worst posts on this thread.
Trying to change the sinner is not standing up to “secular winds”?? I suppose you want to be like the young priest he admonished and screams from across the street “You will go to hell”.
Yea, that’s the way to convert them, with hate... /sarcasm
And crazy
You do realize there was no old priest nor young priest. This parable was a false dichotomy typical of Jesuits. A straw man in parable form.
One can be both compassionate and devoted to Truth.
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