Pope Francis condemned the “very strong, organised, reactionary attitude” in the US church and said Catholic doctrine allows for change over time.

Pope Francis has blasted the “backwardness” of some conservatives in the US Catholic Church, saying they have replaced faith with ideology and that a correct understanding of Catholic doctrine allows for change over time.

Francis’ comments were an acknowledgment of the divisions in the US Catholic Church, which has been split between progressives and conservatives who long found support in the doctrinaire papacies of St John Paul II and Benedict XVI, particularly on issues of abortion and same-sex marriage.

  • Wahots@pawb.social
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    1 year ago

    The pope ain’t perfect. But goddamn do I love him stripping corrupt officials of their position, being much more chill towards my queer brothers and sisters worldwide, and telling the US arm to remove the giant sticks from their ass over abortion and divorce.

    I hope he lives till 130 and keeps being a stabilizing force for good. It’s a rarity to see religious officials who are not only reasonable, but actively trying to make the world a slightly better place.

    • Son_of_dad@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      You’re just buying into and regurgitating his PR. The Pope talks and acts in opposition to his bullshit platitudes. It’s business as usual against the lgbt community in every Catholic Church across most of the world, including the Vatican. He himself was a known homophobe long before he was pope. He continues to ignore and refuses to meet with the victims of priest sexual abuse. He is a bullshiter and I can’t believe anyone on the left buys into any of it

    • kamenoko@sh.itjust.works
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      1 year ago

      I don’t think a octogenarian virgin who believes in imaginary friends is the authority I’d nominate to lecture me on abortion and divorce.

    • eestileib@sh.itjust.works
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      1 year ago

      He said allowing people to transition was as dangerous as nuclear weapons.

      Yeah, wow, such love and support.

    • Syrc@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      I’ve been pissed at him since the Charlie Hebdo situation, and even if I might agree with some of the things he says, fuck him.

      • AA5B@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        I never heard of that so had to look it up. A bunch of Muslim fundamentalists in France got angry and killed people at a satirical magazine. Not sure how that’s the Pope’s fault.

          • Honytawk@lemmy.zip
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            1 year ago

            He said that religions shouldn’t be mocked.

            And as one of the biggest persons in one religion, it is important to say that about other religions. They are kind of the same, so it would be like mocking himself.

            While I don’t agree with the statement that ideas shouldn’t be mocked, I get it.

            • Syrc@lemmy.world
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              1 year ago

              Putting aside the fact that it’s basically victim blaming, he went further:

              “If [a close friend] says a swear word against my mother, he’s going to get a punch in the nose”

              What happened to “turning the other cheek”? Does that not count when someone makes the horrible crime that is satire on religion? Hypocrisy at its finest, no better way to describe it.

            • The religious should be mocked relentlessly wherever they go. Bringing up religion in polite company should be treated the same as exposing your genitalia. Social shame is the best tool to put this bronze age scourge to rest.

    • kroy@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      except he did this as a reaction to Catholics leaving in a manner that is basically HEMORRHAGING numbers.

      This is adapt or die reaction, not adapt because it’s the right thing to do. Let them die.

      • PersnickityPenguin@lemm.ee
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        1 year ago

        You’re wrong. Pope Francis is the most liberal pope who’s ever existed and has pushed for human rights and decriminalization of the LGBTQ community.

        • kroy@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          Have you been listening???

          In Slovakia, gay adoption AND marriage was on a referendum, and weirdly enough, Francis threw his support because against it. To “preserve the family”

          1. “Let’s think of the nuclear arms, of the possibility to annihilate in a few instants a very high number of human beings. Let’s think also of genetic manipulation, of the manipulation of life, or of the gender theory, that does not recognize the order of creation.”

          So “kill a few million people with nukes” is the same as “gender theory”

          1. “The family is threatened by growing efforts on the part of some to redefine the very institution of marriage, by relativism, by the culture of the ephemeral, by a lack of openness to life.”

          God loves you but you ain’t equal. Homosexuality is a sin, but not a crime. You are welcome in the Church, but you are also immoral and going to hell.

          Sheesh, I was worrying a bit there. At least I’m not violating the laws of man.

          • ApexHunter@lemmy.ml
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            1 year ago

            The Church’s position in general is that everyone is immoral and going to hell without the Church’s help. (See original sin, the sacrament of confession, etc)

            He isn’t saying “gay is now ok.” The pope is saying that the sin of homosexuality shouldn’t be treated any different than the sin of lying, greed, stealing, envy, cheating, murder, child molestation, etc.

            I think the quote from him below expresses his viewpoint with more nuance than I could:

            “The door is open to everyone, everyone has their own space in the church. How will each person live it? We help people live so that they can occupy that place with maturity, and this applies to all kinds of people.”

            “What I don’t like at all, in general, is that we look at the so-called ‘sin of the flesh’ with a magnifying glass. If you exploited workers, if you lied or cheated, it didn’t matter, and instead relevant were the sins below the waist.”

            “We must not be superficial and naive, forcing people into things and behaviors for which they are not yet mature, or are not capable. To accompany people spiritually and pastorally takes a lot of sensitivity and creativity.”

            “Everyone, everyone, everyone, are called to live in the church. Never forget that.”

            • kroy@lemmy.world
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              1 year ago

              Great. Just let me know when all those homosexuals the Church is so accepting of are allowed to receive any sacraments.

          • SCB@lemmy.world
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            1 year ago

            You’re telling me the Pope is Catholic? That’s fuckin insane man. How weird!

          • AA5B@lemmy.world
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            1 year ago

            Not familiar with the situation, but looking it up, I see same sex marriage banned by the constitution, and an attempt at a referendum failed with low turnout. That doesn’t track with a religious figure riling up the conservatives.

            I only have English speaking sources to go on, but the only Christian organizational involvement is see is against gender change surgery. Im not going to argue that, but it is also a lot narrower than your claim

            • kroy@lemmy.world
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              “I greet the pilgrims from Slovakia and, through them, I wish to express my appreciation to the entire Slovak Church, encouraging everyone to continue their efforts in defense of the family, the vital cell of society,”

              Seems pretty straightforward…

        • AA5B@lemmy.world
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          It’s not just that he’s the most progressive pope ever, but supposedly he was elected for exactly that reason. There’s a lot of inertia to change, like anywhere else, but enough of the leadership recognized where they wanted to go, enough to elect him