Posted on 12/26/2023 6:06:38 PM PST by SeekAndFind
Pope Francis urged Vatican officials to avoid "rigid ideological positions" in a speech days after his recent approval of blessings for same-sex couples.
Addressing the Holy See hierarchy in his annual Christmas greeting last Thursday, Francis emphasized the importance of evolving to serve the Catholic Church effectively.
"In our service here in the Curia too, it is important to keep faring forward, to keep searching and growing in our understanding of the truth, overcoming the temptation to stand still and never leave the 'labyrinth' of our fears," the bishop of Rome said. "Fear, rigidity and monotony make for an immobility that has the apparent advantage of not creating problems ... but lead us to wander aimlessly within our labyrinths, to the detriment of the service we are called to offer the Church and the whole world."
Francis warned against the fear-driven adherence to rules, which he said could hinder the Vatican Curia's service.
"Let us remain vigilant against rigid ideological positions that often, under the guise of good intentions, separate us from reality and prevent us from moving forward," the pontiff added.
Referring to the division between the conservatives and progressives, the pontiff said, "[t]he real, central difference is between lovers and those who have lost that initial passion. That is the difference. Only those who love can fare forward."
The pope also spoke against the "illusion of omniscience" and the danger of rigidly applying rules.
Quoting Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini, Francis highlighted the distinction between discernment and legalistic exactitude, emphasizing the need for pastoral adaptability.
Earlier in the week, the Vatican's Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith issued a declaration titled "Fiducia Supplicans," which provided "a broadening and enrichment of the classical understanding of blessings, which is closely linked to a liturgical perspective."
While the Catholic Church still holds that marriage is a union reserved for one man and one woman, the declaration distinguishes between sacramental blessings and pastoral blessings, which can be given to persons who desire God's grace, according to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
"It is precisely in this context that one can understand the possibility of blessing couples in irregular situations and same-sex couples without officially validating their status or changing in any way the Church's perennial teaching on marriage," stated the Catholic Church leadership.
"This Declaration is also intended as a tribute to the faithful People of God, who worship the Lord with so many gestures of deep trust in his mercy and who, with this confidence, constantly come to seek a blessing from Mother Church."
The declaration warned that "one should neither provide for nor promote a ritual for the blessings of couples in an irregular situation."
"At the same time, one should not prevent or prohibit the Church's closeness to people in every situation in which they might seek God's help through a simple blessing," the Vatican document added.
The declaration has elicited mixed reactions. Progressives and LGBT advocates welcomed it as a gesture of inclusion, while conservatives criticized it as contrary to biblical teachings on homosexuality.
In his Christmas greeting, Francis did not directly mention this declaration but urged listening and discernment, moving beyond the binary of progressives and conservatives.
A Catholic archbishop in Kazakhstan reportedly issued a formal repudiation of the Vatican doctrinal office's guidance, accusing the Catholic Church of propagating "gender ideology."
Tomash Peta, who has served as metropolitan archbishop of the Archdiocese of Saint Mary in Astana since 2003, prohibited any form of blessing for same-sex couples and also publicly admonished Pope Francis, asking him to revoke the guidance, according to The Catholic Herald.
The guidance also prompted responses from some U.S. bishops, with many reaffirming the Catholic Church's teaching that marriage is between one man and one woman while noting that the guidance does not change official teaching on the subject.
The Ten Suggestions.....
Scathing rebuke, New Epistle, Letter of Francis to St. Paul, St. Peter and the Holy Spirit?
N-O-T the Pope. Not even Catholic. Wolf in sheep’s clothing.
Those rules are in the way, eh.
Turning it into the all poofter, all the time, club.
And yet he expects everyone to rigidly adhere to the precept of papal authority. I for one am increasingly willingly to lighten up on that one… in a big way
I don’t keep up with Catholic stuff but where the heck did they find this guy and why did he get put in charge??
There is no “Pope”. There is only one Holy Father and he’s not in Rome.
pope tells Vatican officials to ignore God’s word- Way to go pope- The Evil One is smiling
He is the choice selected by the Holy Spirit. But, in this case, he is presented as a chastisement on the Church and the world.
The Bible says God called it an abomination. And says thou shalt not....
That’s clear. Plainly put.
Now, there are more and more wanting to live this way and want it to be accepted as okay.
So the head of the catholic church has decided we’re going to accept it..
It shoud be accepting the person and delivering the persom from homosexuality
Seem like Bergoglio loves the sins of sodomy and adultery , and those who commit them, more than he loves God.
15 If you love me, keep my commandments. John Chapter 14.
And it's outright evil and deceptive, that Tucho and Jorge, refer only to "irregular situations", rather than the truthful, "sinful situations".
With someone as cynical and malevolent as Bergoglio it’s hard to know if the words coming out his mouth are his actual beliefs or just more subterfuge or trolling. But if this expressed attitude of “those rigid people who want sinners to change their ways are haters” is really his thinking, then one must conclude that the man is an atheist. What he is saying is that if you truly love someone, you should just encourage and enable them in their preferred vices. I mean, seriously, this is akin to saying that “if you truly love the drug addict, don’t try to help him get off drugs. The progressive way to show him love is to buy him more crack and fentanyl.”
Next up is installing statues of Baal in the churches....
The Pope is a strange man. I continue to pray for his conversion of heart: God make him the man and the leader You want him to be. But the guy keeps not cooperating with God on this.
When he says rigid ideological positions he is referring to scripture.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
