Pope Francis distances himself from ‘very conservative’ bishops
Pope Francis distances himself from ‘very conservative’ bishops
ROME – In an interview released on the opening of the Synod on the Family, Pope Francis distanced himself from “very conservative” bishops, adding however that he enjoys "debating" them as long as they are "intellectually well-formed."
In an interview with the pope, published October 5, reporter Joaquín Morales Solá at Argentina’s La Nacion newspaper asked if he was “worried” about the recent book by five cardinals opposing Kasper’s proposal, titled Remaining in the Truth of Christ: Marriage and Communion in the Catholic Church. Morales Solá said to the pope that the book is “critical of your positions.”
Francis “doesn’t answer” the question directly, according to Morales Solá, but says, “Everyone has something to contribute. I even enjoy debating with the very conservative, but intellectually well-formed bishops.”
(See excerpts below of the La Nacion interview, translated by LifeSiteNews.)
At Wednesday’s press briefing, LifeSiteNews asked Vatican officials for a clarification on the pope’s remarks apparently separating himself from the “very conservative” outlook on the faith of prelates like Cardinal Raymond Burke, a co-author of the book, and Cardinal George Pell, who wrote the foreword to another book criticizing Kasper’s proposal and who has warned it would result in a sociological disaster.
Father Federico Lombardi, director of the Holy See Press Office, replied, “I have no knowledge of this interview; I know absolutely nothing about it. We didn’t publish it, therefore I have nothing to clarify, because, it is hardly known to me.” Father Thomas Rosica, English-language spokesman for the Synod, repeated that prior to LifeSiteNews’ question, the Vatican’s press office had no knowledge of the interview or its contents.
In the interview the pope said that in addition to problem of divorced Catholics, which has been the prominent discussion, he is equally concerned with “the new habits of today’s youth.”
“Young people who are not getting married at all. It is a culture feature of our times,” he said. “So many young people prefer to live together without marrying. What should the Church do? Expel them from its breast? Or, instead, approach them, embrace them and try to bring them the word of God? I'm with the latter position.”
"The world has changed and the Church cannot lock itself into alleged interpretations of dogma,” he continued. “We have to approach social conflicts, new and old, and try to give a hand of comfort, not to stigmatize and not to just impugn.”
Vatican press spokesmen Father Federico Lombardi and Father Thomas Rosica at a press conference Wednesday. John-Henry Westen / LifeSiteNewsMorales Solá’s interview with the pope was interspersed with his own commentary on Pope Francis’ papacy. According to the reporter, Pope Francis has “changed the agenda of the Church” and “very quickly radically changed [its] focus.” The pope’s new agenda, he said, has at times “pitted conservatives against reformers.”
“Cardinals and bishops know that behind the friendly and warm smile is the iron will of the old Jesuit. The power of the Vatican bureaucracy is not discussed in his presence,” he wrote.
The Extraordinary Synod of Bishops, which runs from October 5-19, became a flashpoint of controversy in the months leading up to it as self-styled “reformers” agitated for change in Church practice, and in some cases, outright revision of doctrine. Critics of these “reformers” have met the challenge with vigorous defenses of Catholic teaching on marriage and family.
On Tuesday, the Holy See Press Office told reporters that some Synod participants proposed moving away from strong language in moral discourse, such as the Catechism of the Catholic Church’s description of homosexual behaviour as “intrinsically disordered,” or the common description of cohabitation as “living in sin.”
Pope Francis distances himself from ‘very conservative’ bishops
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