Francis lambasts international aid, suggests Catholics should limit children

Pope Francis has obliquely but sharply criticized how financially stable nations lend aid to developing countries, saying they sometimes require concessions that strike echoes of 20th century dictatorships.

The pontiff has also made what appears to be an unprecedented statement that Catholics may have a moral responsibility to limit the number of their children, while reaffirming Pope Paul VI’s ban on artificial means of birth control.

Francis’ statement about development aid was a clarification of an earlier warning against what he called an "ideological colonization" of family life, made during a meeting with families in the Philippines last week. Speaking to media Monday, Francis recounted a story of a public education minister he knew who was offered money to construct new schools for the poor.

To receive the money, said Francis, the minister had to agree to use a course book with students that taught what the pontiff called "gender theory."

"This is the ideological colonization," said the pope. "It colonizes the people with an idea that changes, or wants to change, a mentality or a structure."

"It is not new, this," he continued. "The same was done by the dictators of the last century. They came with their own doctrine -- think of the Balilla [youth groups of Fascist Italy], think of the Hitler Youth."

"They colonized the people," he continued. "How much suffering -- peoples must not lose liberty."

"Every people has its own culture," said Francis. "But when imposed conditions come from the imperial colonizers, they seek to make [peoples] lose their own identity and make an homogeny."

Francis was speaking Monday in a nearly hour-long press conference aboard the papal plane traveling back to Rome from the Philippines. He was answering a question about remarks he made last Friday, in which he warned against such colonization in an apparent reference to efforts to legalize same-sex marriage and to use of contraception.

During the press conference the pope also confirmed details of his upcoming trip to the U.S. in September. For the second time in a week, Francis too reaffirmed Catholic teaching prohibiting the use of birth control.

Francis said Pope Paul VI, whose 1968 encyclical Humanae Vitae outlined the contraceptive ban, was warning against a "Neo-Malthusianism, " a reference to a theories that suggested in the 1960s and ’70s that exponential global population growth would lead to an irreversible world food crisis.

Citing the low rates of birth specifically in Italy and Spain, Francis said such Neo-Malthusianism "seeks to control humanity."

At the same time, however, Francis made a statement that seems without precedent for a pope, suggesting that parents may have a responsibility to limit the number of their children, saying: "This does not signify that the Christian must make children in series."

Telling the story of a woman he met in a parish in Rome several months ago who had given birth to seven children via Cesarean section and was pregnant with an eighth, Francis asked: "Does she want to leave the seven orphans?"

"This is to tempt God," he said, adding later: "That is an irresponsibility." Catholics, the pope said, should speak of "responsible parenthood."

"How do we do this?" Francis asked. "With dialogue. Each person with his pastor seeks how to do that responsible parenthood."

"God gives you methods to be responsible," he continued. "Some think that -- excuse the word -- that in order to be good Catholics we have to be like rabbits. No."

"This is clear and that is why in the church there are marriage groups, there are experts in this matter, there are pastors," Francis said. Using the term for a practice that follows church law, he continued: "I know so many, many licit ways that have helped this."

Francis was speaking about birth control in response to a question from a Filipino journalist. Use of contraception in the Philippines is a contentious issue, as the Philippine government only recently approved contraceptive access against forceful opposition from Catholic bishops.

The pope's responses regarding birth control and ideological colonization were part of a wide-ranging conference that touched on a number of other subjects, including: Corruption in church structures, the place of women in church leadership, and global mistreatment of the poor that the pontiff said could be likened to a new form of "state-sponsored terrorism."

Continuing to clarify his concept of "ideological colonization," Francis said he heard concerns about the matter from African bishops during last fall's Synod, who told him they often face difficult choices when presented with conditions of acceptance on much needed financial aid.

Francis compared such colonization to criticisms he has frequently made about the process of globalization -- saying that the homogenizing of peoples is "the globalization of the sphere -- [where] all the points are equidistant from the center."

"It is important to globalize but not like the sphere -- like the polyhedron," he continued. "Namely, that every people, every part, conserves its own identity without being ideologically colonized."

Francis on Monday also revealed more concrete plans for his trip to the U.S. in September, confirming reports that he is planning to visit Philadelphia, New York, and Washington but saying it is unlikely he will able to travel to the West Coast or to the U.S./Mexico border.

Mentioning his earlier announcement that he will canonize Franciscan Fr. Junipero Serra on the trip, an 18th century missionary in the Western U.S. and Mexico, Francis said: "I would like to go to California for the canonization ... but I think there is the problem of time. It requires two more days [to the trip]."

It is more likely, the pope said, that he will formalize the canonization during a liturgy at Washington's Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. Francis said he might also host some sort of event to mark the occasion at the U.S. Capitol building, which contains a statue of the future saint.

Francis has been invited to address a joint session of Congress during his visit, which he is primarily making to attend the Sept. 22-27 World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia. The pontiff is also likely to address the United Nations in New York.

Francis also said on Monday he would have preferred to make a visit to the southern border of the U.S., but joked that he could not do so without visiting the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City.

"To enter the United States from the border of Mexico would be a beautiful thing, as a sign of brotherhood and of help to the immigrants," he said. "But you know that going to Mexico without going to visit the Madonna is a drama. A war could break out!"

"I think there will only be those three cities," he continued. "Later, there will be time to go to Mexico."

Speaking briefly of the role of women in the church, Francis said Monday that women bring new perspectives to church communities.

"When I say it is important that women be held in higher consideration in the church, it’s not just to give them a function as the secretary of a dicastery," he said, referring to the general name for second-in-command positions of the different Vatican offices before adding: "But this can be OK."

"No, it’s so that they may tell us how they feel and view reality," he continued. "Because women view things from a different richness, a larger one."

Addressing a question about corruption in the church, Francis recalled a time as a auxiliary bishop in Argentina when he was offered about $400,000 for use towards ministry for the poor -- under the condition that he accept the money under the table and allow the benefactors to keep half the sum.

With rather colorful language, the pontiff said: "In that moment I thought about what I would do: Either I insult them and give them a kick where the sun doesn’t shine or I play the fool."

Emphasizing that he thinks of the church as a community of sinners, the pope continued: "Let’s remember this: Sinners, yes; the corrupt, no; the corrupt, never."

"We must ask pardon for those Catholics, those Christians who scandalize with their corruption," said Francis. "It’s a wound in the church, but there are so many saints, so many saints -- and sinner saints, but not corrupt [ones]."

Later in the press conference, Francis also rebutted news reports that he had refused to meet with the Dalai Lama while the Buddhist leader was in Rome late last year because the pope did not wish to harm relations between the Vatican and China.

While formal ties between the Holy See and the Asian country have been severed since 1951, Francis has said several times he would like to repair the relationship and would be willing to travel to China.

"I saw that some newspapers said I didn’t receive him out of fear of China," said the pope. "That’s not true."

The refusal to meet, said Francis, was due to a protocol of the Vatican's Secretariat of State that the pope does not meet "people at that level" when they are in Rome for conferences.

"The motive was not a refusal of a person, or fear of China," he said, mentioning that he also had not met with officials of the UN's Food and Agricultural Organization when they met in Rome last year.

Francis also tentatively confirmed Monday that he is planning to visit three Latin American countries later this year -- Ecuador, Bolivia and Paraguay -- and two African countries: The Central African Republic and Uganda.

Saying he was speaking "hypothetically," the pope said he and organizers have to determine when would be best to go to Africa because of hot weather in the region during the summer and the continuing Ebola epidemic.

Francis also added that in 2016 he would like to travel to Chile, Argentina and Uruguay but said as yet no firm plans have been made for those visits. He added that he also wanted to visit Peru, but said he and organizers "don't know where to put it" in his schedule.

Announcement of all the trips led Jesuit Fr. Federico Lombardi, who was moderating the press conference, to interject with "everything is provisional" before joking: "We already have quite a precise and ample program of the travels of the next years."

Francis was visiting the Philippines Thursday-Sunday as the second trip in a two-part Asian voyage that saw him first visit Sri Lanka.

Speaking of his time in the Philippines, Francis said Monday that he was profoundly moved by an outdoor Mass he celebrated in Tacloban, an area of the country that was severely devastated by 2013's Typhoon Haiyan.

Francis celebrated the Mass amidst a tropical storm in the area, which was pouring rain on a crowd of some 300,000 and buffeting the area with 60 mile-an-hour winds.

To see the people there despite in those conditions, said the pontiff, "I felt as though I was annihilated. I almost couldn’t speak."

Francis also said he was struck by how many in the crowds -- which grew to an estimated record-breaking 6 million for an outdoor Mass with the pope in Manila on Sunday -- were holding up children above their heads to receive a papal blessing.

It was a gesture, said the pope, that "this is my treasure, this is my future, this is my love, for this one it’s worth working, for this one it’s worth suffering."

"It’s the way they did this that struck me," he said. "The gesture of motherhood, of fatherhood, of enthusiasm, of joy."

"To enter the United States from the border of Mexico would be a beautiful thing, as a sign of brotherhood and of help to the immigrants," he said.

So would about 50 plus million Protestants walking into Catholic Churches and saying we're going to use your building and preach sermons. The Charismatics speaking in tongues will use it Mondays, the Holly Rollers on Tuesday, The Baptist on Wednesday, The Methodist on Thursday, The Assembly of GOD/Church of GOD/Church of Christ will use your building on Fridays and serve hamburgers to the others. Your church of course can pay the bill. We have no intentions of joining your church nor complying with your Dogma but you owe us use of your building.

That is the best analogy I can use to drive home the point we are a nation with laws and have a generous lawful immigration program immigrants should respect and so should The RCC Pope. The USA is also the most generous in foreign aid.

One good thing about this: I don’t have to live by it.

Any pronunciation or direction as to how other governments distribute their wealth as charity is not in any way morally binding on me or a government.

Seeing that regulating birth is in accord with Catholic teaching through NFP or the old rhythm method; I don’t have to have some celibate man, Pope or not, tell me how many children I should or shouldn’t have.

Like too many of the episcopate (including this bishop of Rome), they can easily step out of bounds on issues they have no authority. And oft times make an ass of themselves.

I ask myself that question every day, because every day he says something dumber than the day before. On the flight where he insulted Catholics and compared them to breeding rabbits, he goes on to tell a reporter about him kicking someone in the ass because they said something he didn’t like. Just blabbing on trying to be funny. Remember when the pope actually conducted himself with grace and dignity? Seems like a lifetime ago.

What you said. : (

However, IMHO, there is still a problem with the Pope's words as reported. Specifically, his use of the disparaging phrase "like rabbits" as well as his off-hand, derisory reference to the pregnant lady with seven children. Sadly, +Francis' words reinforce the popular pejorative stereotype of Catholics who heroically follow Church teaching and do not use artificial contraception. He could have made the point in a far more charitable, concise and less bombastic manner. However, as is by now routine, whenever a microphone is placed in front of him and a captive audience beckons, the sound of his own voice appears to be self-intoxicating.

There's what I've seen time and time again. He makes a 'compassionate' statement, followed by a completely uncharitable blast on Catholics who devoutly follow Church teaching. It's maddening.

I really do appreciate your reply, but I feel it is somewhat misguided in that, I was not attempting to be theological but strategic. If I applied all of my independent, fundamental Baptist attitude to all of my consciousness and language ... I'd be in a pulpit.

I understand. I just couldn't help but point out that the "war" is not winnable by men no matter how many we breed into a church. God has spoken and no strategy will countermand His Word. While I can't help spouting any more than many here, I also believe that we waste far too much time and effort resisting the Evil that Jesus told us not to resist - we can't stop it except in our own personal lives when we resist temptation to join in - all we can do is carry the Word and we get so distracted by trying to stop evil, and point out all that's bad, that we often for to carry the message of His Love. I believe we are all succumbing to Satan's trickery when we do this and he is getting obese from all the popcorn.

Yeah, that infallibility thing. Well this is from a Catholic site explaining it to us heathen.

Infallibility belongs in a special way to the pope as head of the bishops (Matt. 16:17–19; John 21:15–17). As Vatican II remarked, it is a charism the pope “enjoys in virtue of his office, when, as the supreme shepherd and teacher of all the faithful, who confirms his brethren in their faith (Luke 22:32), he proclaims by a definitive act some doctrine of faith or morals. Therefore his definitions, of themselves, and not from the consent of the Church, are justly held irreformable, for they are pronounced with the assistance of the Holy Spirit, an assistance promised to him in blessed Peter.”

I think you're confused. This thread is about the Pope's interview on the airplane which came after his prepared speech in Manila. The airplane interview is quite different than the Manila speech.

Here is a complete transcript of the airplane interview. Read it and weep.

Full Transcript of Pope's Press Conference on Flight from Manilak

Some excerpts:

I rebuked a woman some months ago in a parish who was pregnant eight times, with seven C-sections (cesareans). “But do you want to leave seven orphans? That is to tempt God!

That is an irresponsibility (That woman might say) 'no but I trust in god' But God gives you methods to be responsible. Some think that, excuse me if i use that word, that in order to be good Catholics we have to be like rabbits.

I think the number of 3 (children) per family that you mentioned, it is the one experts say is important to keep the population going,. three per couple. When it goes below this, the other extreme happens, like what is happing in Italy.

(Sum Pro Vita: I pinged you to this post because Francis seems to discount your just "trust in God" mantra.)

Oh I missed this gem! So he's quoting the population "experts" is he?

He makes me sick.

I think the number of 3 (children) per family that you mentioned, it is the one experts say is important to keep the population going,. three per couple.

Appalling comment. Sounds like he's trying to maintain credibility with his liberal cohorts, the "global warming" crowd, in advance of his upcoming encyclical on the environment (which he apparently considers to be one of the most critical spiritual issues of our time).

The remarks on the airplane were in reference to the homily/speech he gave.

I’m just posted what he actually said and not what the airplane media interpreted it to be.

All the headlines were not in what he said the day before.....he may have been more casual on the plane, I really wish he would not grant those interviews since they seem to get so misconstrued.

Correction:

You posted what he said in Manila.

I posted what he said on the plane.

Apples and Oranges.

So we can now add "Rabbits"! to his "Little Book of Insults".

It's a double insult because rabbits "pass two distinct types of feces: hard droppings and soft black viscous pellets, the latter of which are known as caecotrophs and are immediately eaten (a behaviour known as coprophagy [a word not unfamiliar to Francis])".

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