Posted on 11/30/2015 3:52:51 PM PST by ebb tide
On the plane returning from his journey to Africa today Pope Francis made his clearest remarks in condemnation of ‘fundamentalist’ Catholics.
"Fundamentalism is a sickness that is in all religions," Francis said, as reported by the National Catholic Reporter’s Vatican correspondent, Joshua McElwee, and similarly by other journalists on the plane. "We Catholics have some -- and not some, many -- who believe in the absolute truth and go ahead dirtying the other with calumny, with disinformation, and doing evil."
"They do evil," said the pope. "I say this because it is my church."
"We have to combat it," he said. "Religious fundamentalism is not religious, because it lacks God. It is idolatry, like the idolatry of money."
Turning to Islam, the pope spoke of his friendship with a Muslim, adding, “You cannot cancel out a religion because there are some groups, or many groups in a certain point of history, of fundamentalists.â€
"Like everything, there are religious people with values and those without," he said. "But how many wars … have Christians made? The sacking of Rome was not done by Muslims, eh?"
On the same flight a journalist asked about the use of condoms in the fight against AIDS and if it was time for the Church to change its position.
The pope acknowledged that condoms are one method of prevention, saying that the Church was faced with a perplexity of whether to follow the fifth commandment (Thou shalt not kill) “or that sexual relations are open to life.â€
He dismissed this however as ‘not the problem’ and said it reminded him of the question asked Jesus, “Tell me, teacher, is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath? Is it obligatory to heal?’
Catholic News Agency carries the fullest rendition of the pope’s quotes on the matter, relating his words thus:
“Let’s not talk about if one can use this type of patch or that for a small wound, the serious wound is social injustice, environmental injustice,†Pope Francis continued. “I don’t like to go down to reflections on such case studies when people die due to a lack of water, hunger, environment...when all are cured, when there aren’t these illnesses, tragedies, that man makes, whether for social injustice or to earn more money – I think of the trafficking of arms – when these problems are no longer there, I think we can ask the question ‘Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?’â€
“Because, if the trafficking of arms continues, wars are the biggest cause of mortality...I would say not to think about whether it’s lawful or not to heal on the Sabbath, I would say to humanity: ‘make justice,’ and when all are cured, when there is no more injustice, we can talk about the Sabbath.†While in Africa the pope used very strong language to promote the climate change agreement at the Paris climate summit that started today. He said it would be a “catastrophe†if it did not achieve acceptance in Paris in the coming days and added that the decision came down to the choice “either to improve or to destroy the environment.â€
Speaking at the United Nations center in Nairobi on November 26, Pope Francis said, “In a few days an important meeting on climate change will be held in Paris, where the international community as such will once again confront these issues. It would be sad, and I dare say even catastrophic, were particular interests to prevail over the common good and lead to manipulating information in order to protect their own plans and projects.â€
How can Francis claim to preach the Gospel when he doesn't even believe in "the absolute truth"?
It's no wonder he mocks the The Ten Commandments with his support for unrepentant adulterers.
You really have to appreciate just how far left this guy is....
And the Second Amendment is just an alibi for mass shootings, which never take place in countries with gun control, except where it's caused by global warming. Oh, and homophobia. Thanks ebb tide.
How very progressive of him.......
This Pope needs to keep his mouth shut ....
This guy is a manifest heretic. Anyone with eyes can see it.
Jesus Christ was fundamentalist. He took on sinners. So were the apostles.
Has the pope forgotten how wicked Roman society was!!
> This Pope needs to keep his mouth shut ....
I’ll go one better.
He needs to retire and live large in his native Argentina. He’d probably be ok with a few concubines, a yacht, a wine cellar, and maybe a few young boys.
There is no “condom ban.” Just as the Catholic Church does not have a “ban” on contraception, or a “ban” on wife-beating.
What the Church should have a ban on is incoherent, shallow, inarticulate, spiteful, senile Popes.
Pure religion is, in essence, fundamental.
This idiot has no idea what he’s talking about.
And his unprecedented installation was well orchestrated.
Yes it was...
Similar to a political non-violent coup.
Depends upon what your definition is. He definitively went against orthodoxy as defined by the Jewish elders of the time, including doing ‘works’ on the Sabbath and in rejecting the importance of Kosher-type dietary restrictions (”What goes into a man�€™s mouth does not make him ‘unclean,’ but what comes out of his mouth, that is what makes him ‘unclean�€™.”).
Dear Pope. There are many types of fundamentalists. Please let me know which one your subscription is based in.
Still waiting...
Francis was presented with a spiritual bouquet of rosaries that had been prayed for him.
He mocked the presenters as “rosary-counters”.
Jesus Christ fulfilled prophecy. He didn’t reject judaism. He did condemn sin. To me that’s fundamentalism.
“How can Francis claim to preach the Gospel when he doesn’t even believe in “the absolute truth”?”
That was my first thought.
I’d bet Pope Benedict XVI believes in absolute truth.
Really? Because the rosaries didn’t have a hammer and sickle on them?
He indulged in the old moral equivalency stuff about Christians fundies being just as bad as muslims? I don’t get the equivalency of Emperor Charles V sacking Rome back in 1527 to the very evil plans and intentions of IS boasting about sacking it now
I’m sorry to say that the Pope seems to be to the Catholic Church what Obama is to the United States—attacking those who are most loyal to the ideals and traditions which had helped both to flourish over the years.
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