Posted on 08/09/2013 8:09:04 PM PDT by Coleus
(SAN ANTONIO) – Pope Francis praised the charitable works of the Knights of Columbus and encouraged the organization to defend the sanctity of marriage, the dignity of life, the beauty and truth of human sexuality, and the rights of believers.
The pope’s sentiments are contained in a letter of greeting to the Knights’ 131st annual convention, now taking place in San Antonio.
The letter, which was sent by Vatican Secretary of State Tarcisio Cardinal Bertone on behalf of Pope Francis, expressed the Pope’s “esteem for the ideals of faith and fraternity embodied by your Order, its commitment to the Church’s mission, and the many works of charity and evangelical witness undertaken by the Knights in their local Councils, parishes and communities.”
The letter also encourages Knights to continue their witness, saying, “Conscious of the specific responsibility which the lay faithful have for the Church’s mission, [Pope Francis] invites each Knight, and every Council, to bear witness to the authentic nature of marriage and the family, the sanctity and inviolable dignity of human life, and the beauty and truth of human sexuality.”
“In this time of rapid social and cultural changes,” the letter continues, “the protection of God’s gifts cannot fail to include the affirmation and defense of the great patrimony of moral truths taught by the Gospel and confirmed by right reason, which serve as the bedrock of a just and well-ordered society.”
On religious liberty, the letter conveys the pope’s “appreciation of the clear public witness offered by the Knights of Columbus in protecting the right and duty of believers to participate responsibly, on the basis of their deepest convictions, in the life of society.”
The letter, which underlines the specific responsibility which the lay faithful have as part of the Church’s mission, was directed to more than 2,000 attendees consisting of Knights and their families from dozens of countries gathered in San Antonio from Aug. 6-8 for prayer, business planning, recognition and fellowship. More than 100 members of the Catholic hierarchy, including 11 cardinals, are also attending this year’s convention.
The convention’s theme, “Be Protectors of God’s Gifts,” is drawn from Pope Francis’ inaugural homily delivered in March.
“At the close of a year in which we set new records for charitable contributions and worked very closely with the Church, the Knights of Columbus is grateful for the support of our Holy Father,” said Supreme Knight Carl Anderson. “And we look forward to continuing to serve our Holy Father, the Church and those most in need.”
Pope Francis knows who the good guys are!
Catholic Ping!
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 America demands Justice for the Fallen of Benghazi! |
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So much for the “who am I to judge” out of context reporting that gave so much glee to the homos.
Well, bottom line, if this is rooted in Christ it will be blessed. Jesus is not an Orthodox Christ, not a Roman Catholic Christ, not a Protestant Christ. He is just Christ. It’s people who are making the distinctions. Christ just goes on a-truckin’.
Well, Francis made a minor slip there. But that’s a warning to Christendom, don’t hang tighter to the word of a man than you do to the words of God. A man can be a wonderful witness. He can’t ever displace God.
Amen.
Er, no. The Knights (as you know) are organized in the United States, Mexico, the Philippines, Canada, and Poland. Members working outside their home countries might be found in "dozens of countries," but they would not be attendees at the national meeting.
Somehow I never knew there was a KofC ping list. Add me please.
From the Knights website:
What countries have Knights of Columbus councils?A majority of the members of the Knights of Columbus live in the United States, but there are more than 200,000 Knights in both Canada and the Philippines, and smaller numbers in Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Panama, the Virgin Islands, Cuba, Guatemala, Guam, Saipan and the Bahamas. The newest K of C jurisdiction is in Poland, where there are now nearly 2,000 Knights.
I think the writer of this piece just hadn’t thought it through!
But I thought everyone already knows the Church's teachings on these things. This man continues to confuse me.
Do as I say—not as I do. He had a tremendous opportunity in Brazil to speak out against both—but not a peep from the Pope. It was not the PR thing to do. One week later, Brazil President Rouseff (sp?) signed a bill legalizing abortion in the largest Catholic nation in the world.
He had a tremendous opportunity in Brazil to speak out against both (abortion and gay marriage).
Exactly.
To be fair, as others have pointed out to me, this is Cardinal O’Malley’s interpretation. Although I’m not crazy about what he infers in his comments, the Pope said in an interview on the way back from WYD that the reason why he didn’t mention abortion was because the youth KNOW the Church teaching.
Yes, abortion was to be signed into law in days and the Pope said nothing about it.
Sorry, lame excuse.
Wow, the Knights have had more donations than ever! In this economy? That just shows what a great organization it is and has always been. They do so much good.
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