Pope Bluntly Faults Church's Focus on Gays and Abortion

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/20/world/europe/pope-bluntly-faults-churchs-focus-on-gays-and-abortion.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

By LAURIE GOODSTEIN
Published: September 19, 2013

Pope Francis, in the first extensive interview of his six-month-old papacy, said that the Roman Catholic Church had grown "obsessed" with preaching about abortion, gay marriage and contraception, and that he has chosen not to speak of those issues despite recriminations from some critics.

In remarkably blunt language, Francis sought to set a new tone for the church, saying it should be a "home for all" and not a "small chapel" focused on doctrine, orthodoxy and a limited agenda of moral teachings.

As someone who walked away from the Church, in large part because opposition to gays and abortion seemed to crowd out more important issues like, say, actually ministering to the poor and oppressed, I must say that I am quite impressed with the new pope. His behavior so far seems far more Christ-like than that of his predecessors. While I don't know if he will be able to save the Church from itself, I do think this is a step in the right direction, and should be welcomed.

US Catholics mixed on pope's words, but was message missed?
http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2013/9/25/us-catholics-mixedonpopeswordsbutwasmessagemissed.html
Author: Sarah Posner Source: Al-Jazeera English

Some celebrate new openness and tolerance, others warn of false hope and say nothing will change on hot-button issues

He [Parish pastor Monsignor Edward Filardi in Bethesda, MD] did say he received many emails from parishioners about the interview. Some were "confused and hurt," but others were "very excited" about "the idea of being more open," he said. On the other hand, "I think some people say, 'Wait a minute, were we closed?'

Even if Francis' remarks don't bring about immediate formal change, some are excited that the conversation appears to be starting.

"This creates a huge opportunity for dialogue, and that in itself is huge, even if we don't have a change in doctrine," said Katharine Gordon, a parishioner at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Washington, D.C., a Jesuit parish. "Those issues shouldn't one way or the other be the center of what it means to be Catholic."

I really think it is all just a political spin by the Roman Empire (Catholic Church).

Pope Francis excommunicates pro-gay marriage priest.

From all of last week's headlines saying that the Pope wants to forget this nonsense about abortion and gays, you'd imagine that Germaine Greer had been elected to run the Catholic Church. Actually what the Pope was saying was that he wants the Church to talk more about what it's for than what it's against. But that doesn't mean it won't still be against those things that contradict its teachings and traditions.

From the The Age

Church dumps rebel priest

Dissident priest Greg Reynolds has been both defrocked and excommunicated over his support for women priests and gays - the first person ever excommunicated in Melbourne, he believes....

Father Reynolds, who resigned as a parish priest in 2011 and last year founded Inclusive Catholics, said he had expected to be laicised (defrocked), but not excommunicated. But it would make no difference to his ministry....

''I've come to this position because I've followed my conscience on women's ordination and gay marriage.''

It appears to me that Mr. Reynolds was excommunicated for "schism" as well as "heresy" - creating a rival church.  Same thing happened to Henry VIII.

http://www.inclusive-catholics.com/

My take on this is that I see that it's a way to appease the hierarchy. The Pope is from the old guard who wants to
maintain control. There is the spectre of pedophile priests which the Catholic Church has glossed over. The misogyny
is still evident.

Quote from: gennee on September 30, 2013, 01:27:25 PM
My take on this is that I see that it's a way to appease the hierarchy. The Pope is from the old guard who wants to
maintain control. There is the spectre of pedophile priests, which the Catholic Church has glossed over, that I bring up whenever the anti-TGLB mantra is shouted . The misogyny
is still evident.