Man does not live on bread alone, but from every word issued to another atheist reporter.
In other words, another week, another papal interview with several “What the flock?” quotes?
Before I start, let me stipulate that just like before, if you turn your head 30 degrees to the left and squint, everything the Pope says can be squared with Catholic teaching, as if that still matters anymore.
Let’s start off with the biggest “Really?!?!” quote.
“The most serious of the evils that afflict the world these days are youth unemployment and the loneliness of the old. The old need care and companionship; the young need work and hope but have neither one nor the other, and the problem is they don’t even look for them any more. “
Really? The most serious evils afflicting the world? Surely Miley Cyrus should have made the list, no? If not Hannah Montana, then, oh I dunno, millions o’ dead babies annually? Maybe them over youth unemployment? I am sure I just failing to understand the context here, again.
It’s a joke I tell him. My friends think it is you want to convert me.He smiles again and replies: “Proselytism is solemn nonsense, it makes no sense. We need to get to know each other, listen to each other and improve our knowledge of the world around us.
To which I tweeted “‘Cause Jesus said “Go therefore and make disciples…listen and improve your knowledge of the world around you!”
The Crescat at Patheos (Both noted for their radical traditionalism, right?) seems to agree when she similarly wrote in response “Ha. Ha. Lulz. You mean this bit of nonsense. — “Go therefore and teach all nations…”
I think there is a real danger of confusing proselytism with evangelization.
CCC The missionary mandate. “Having been divinely sent to the nations that she might be ‘the universal sacrament of salvation,’ the Church, in obedience to the command of her founder and because it is demanded by her own essential universality, strives to preach the Gospel to all men”:339 “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and Lo, I am with you always, until the close of the age.”340
Your Holiness, is there is a single vision of the Good? And who decides what it is?
“Each of us has a vision of good and of evil. We have to encourage people to move towards what they think is Good.”
Again, it can be seen with certain context to be true, but the context is lacking and the takeaway as clear as the truth here is muddied.
Perhaps the Pope’s grand secret vision is that when nobody really knows what the Church teaches anymore and when we stop trying to convert people, suddenly everyone will believe it?
Gotta go now, gotta get on that youth unemployment thing.
October 2, 2013 at 12:53 am
Subvet
Simply, souls are at stake.
October 2, 2013 at 1:13 am
The Pope has certainly created jobs. Many are employed in defending his stream-of-consciousness interviews. It seems they will be busy for the forseeable future.
October 2, 2013 at 1:50 am
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October 2, 2013 at 1:51 am
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October 2, 2013 at 1:52 am
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October 2, 2013 at 1:53 am
Americans are probably unaware of rampant problem of youth unemployment in Southern Europe, where it reaches 30, 40, 50% rates (not 7%). Can you imagine the moral and social destruction that massive youth unemployment (and underemployment) brings?
October 2, 2013 at 2:22 am
HPA, can you imagine how much more damage the loss of thier souls will be? The Church is about Salvation in Christ Jesus, not societal cause-de-jure. Please God, give us Holy, Orthodox Bishops and Priests.
October 2, 2013 at 2:33 am
There's really no more spinning to be done. It's very clear how and what he thinks. We were spoiled with two great minds over the last 35 years and came to be used to that. Now we have something entirely different. I suggest we keep all focus on Christ, the saints, and the Catechism and not so much on Francis's bi weekly interviews.
October 2, 2013 at 2:47 am
I think youth unemployment IS one of the worst problems in the world — remember, he's talking about the whole world. We are lucky here in the USA, but it's huge in parts of Europe and simply immense in many parts of the world. What are young people supposed to do if they can't work? And the loneliness of the elderly IS a terrible problem, one that is goign to get a lot worse for the developed world because it is rapidly aging, with much smaller cohorts below them. It may not seem bad now but wait 20 years… Loneliness is a poverty, and a very terrible one.
October 2, 2013 at 5:50 am
As I've commented before, I think the Pope is interacting with the world in a purely (and obviously) Rogerian way. Look it up.
One of the problems with presenting Catholicism in a Rogerian way (there has to be a problem, Rogerianism is not a philosophy born within or blessed by the Church) is that once Catholicism is passed through the relativist sausage grinder of Rogerianism, what comes out the other side is still difficult, but has no value, and sounds more like a disadvantage.
To be blunt, what we objected to "back in the day" about nuns and priests using Rogerian methods was that it resulted in a theology in which it was a disadvantage to be a Catholic. Everyone else got a pass, the opportunity to follow their own conscience without mortal sin, except Catholics.
Pope Francis, being a Rogerian, is doing the same. Nothing is said about any advantage of being in the Church. Nothing about sacramental graces. Instead, it seems a dicey proposition at best. Anybody can find God in the world by just being friendly and feeling the brotherhood of man, except Roman Catholics. Especially American Roman Catholics. Especially especially Traditional American Roman Catholics.
The nuns and priests, using Rogerian methods, who used to teach us their version of theology pretty much thought everyone was saved except Catholics, because only Catholics were in danger of judgementalism. I'm getting the exact same vibe from Francis.
October 2, 2013 at 5:57 am
JB said:
""There's really no more spinning to be done.""
Someone, a genius, posted on another blog right after the election of Francis, "For sale, one set of 'brick by brick' coffee mugs, barely used." That man is smarter than all of us. He knew.
October 2, 2013 at 6:14 am
The joy of squinting.
"They are no where near Baghdad! This is silly!" hahahaha
-Mohammed Said al-Sahhaf. (Iraqi Information Minister)
"Convert you? Proselytism is solemn nonsense. You have to meet people and listen to them." hahahaha
Pope Awesome the 1st
"I dare say that the Church has never been in such good health as it is today." hahahaha
Pope Awesome the 1st
October 2, 2013 at 10:46 am
Capt. Morgan: that's what I'm talking about. Youth unemployment can ruin lives and can easily lead to losing one's soul. If you are 25, have no job nor prospects of finding one with 40% youth unemployment rates (and 15-20% general unemployment rates), what do you do? It's very very difficult to keep one's spiritual (and mental) health in such a trial.
Should the Church keep silent and pretend the problem doesn't exist? I don't think so. Perhaps some people here object to "Rerum Novarum" or to "Quadragesimo Anno".
October 2, 2013 at 11:57 am
conservative catholics have pushed millions of catholics out of the church – pushed people to turn away from God..Souls that are destined to damnation. Conservatives never take responsibility for "killing" souls with their righteousness .Pope Francis has had it with the bullies in the sandbox. There is a new sheriff in town,,
October 2, 2013 at 12:49 pm
Stephen, you're gossiping! Didn't you just read Francis's vicious condemnations of gossiping and detraction?? Shame on you. Besides which, your comment is inane.
October 2, 2013 at 1:23 pm
Massive youth unemployment. Massive lonely old people.
Massive murder of unborn children.
Hmmmm…..
October 2, 2013 at 1:36 pm
Our Pope is Our Cross
October 2, 2013 at 1:59 pm
to gretchen.. what of the mass "murder" of souls who are damned.. Damned because of "obsessive" people turning the Catholic faith into a one trick pony.
Did it ever occur to you that we need to bring people back to the church first in order to change the culture. This idea is lost on so many people. Thank God Pope Francis gets it.
October 2, 2013 at 2:55 pm
Are you for real? You are saying "conservative" Catholics are responsible for the mass "murder of souls"? What is the "one trick pony"? Opposition to abortion? Even if that were true, and it's patently false, how would equate to the "mass murder of souls."?
If this is the kind of defense Bergoglio is going to generate it's going to be a very long silly season again.
October 2, 2013 at 3:03 pm
Stephen, if there are any 'obsessive' people turning the Catholic faith into a one trick pony, it is the LOVE crowd. They say all you need is love because they are unlike every other generation, and they refuse to invest in their children. Parents used to determine what farmland, what assets, etc- would go to a new couple so that they could engage in productive labor and raise a family. Now we have dowries of debt, and we also have the Eucharistic Minister circus, which actually takes longer than the old way, and it is ridiculous. At what point can the young righteously claim that they don't know what you gave them, but you didn't give them the Church? Already I can't bear to pledge allegiance to or even see a flag, because I know the nation is dead. It is akin to hearing a family member go on and on about how grandmother is still alive. The Church ain't doing to good either. I hope the Pope knows what he is doing, but I suspect real change is local. The best he can do is decentralize, really.