Interview With Pope Francis In America Magazine

[Basilisa Marie]

http://americamagazine.org/pope-interview

 

 

AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[KnightofChrist]

http://americamagazine.org/pope-interview

 

 

AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

So.. does the ah imply good things or bad things? Currently at work so I've not the time to read it in full. I don't know what to think about it since it is in America Magazine, which is rather liberal and at times unfaithful to the Church and the US Bishops. Hopefully La Civiltà Cattolica which actually conducted the interview is far better than America Mag.

Edited September 19, 2013 by KnightofChrist

[Basilisa Marie]

It's excitement.  Here's the forward to the interview: 

 

 

Editor’s Note: This interview with Pope Francis took place over the course of three meetings during August 2013 in Rome. The interview was conducted in person by Antonio Spadaro, S.J., editor in chief of La Civiltà Cattolica, the Italian Jesuit journal. Father Spadaro conducted the interview on behalf of La Civiltà Cattolica,America and several other major Jesuit journals around the world. The editorial teams at each of the journals prepared questions and sent them to Father Spadaro, who then consolidated and organized them. The interview was conducted in Italian. After the Italian text was officially approved, America commissioned a team of five independent experts to translate it into English. America is solely responsible for the accuracy of this translation. This interview is copyrighted by America Press and cannot be used, except for brief quotations, without written permission.

Father Spadaro met the pope at the Vatican in the pope’s apartments in the Casa Santa Marta, where he has chosen to live since his election. Father Spadaro begins his account of the interview with a description of the pope’s living quarters.

 

[Basilisa Marie]

I mean, the Vatican approved the Italian translation, and America had five independent English-language translators work on the interview.  I don't think we have to worry that it's going to contain bad things. 

 

Also, I've read most of it so far, and it's fantastic. It has a lot of insight into who Pope Francis is, his governing style, his thoughts on the Jesuits, church hierarchy, what the Church needs most today, pastoral care...there's just so much in here, and whether or not people "like" Pope Francis, I think it's a great source of insight into how his brain works. 

 

Edit: Hmmm, that being said, I think I should point out that not everyone around here is going to completely agree with everything he says. Obviously he doesn't contradict Church teaching at all, but there are perfectly valid differences of opinion in what the best ways are to go about expressing Church teaching, and I know from experience that not everyone around here will agree with him about what those best ways are. And that's fine.  But again, I think the interview gives us some really good insight into his thought process.  

Edited September 19, 2013 by Basilisa Marie

[AugustineA]

Yeah I was just reading an interview over at another catholic forum. Pope Francis was speaking about moving the church away from the overarching campaigns against abortion and homosexuality. He also made some ..curious comments about the TLM.

 

I don't know what to make of him, lol. Some things I hear and I'm like wow, awesome! Other things I'm like oh wow I see deep water ahead.

[Basilisa Marie]

I don't think he's talking about moving the Church away from the overarching campaigns against abortion and homosexuality.  What he said was: 

 

 

 

We cannot insist only on issues related to abortion, gay marriage and the use of contraceptive methods. This is not possible. I have not spoken much about these things, and I was reprimanded for that. But when we speak about these issues, we have to talk about them in a context. The teaching of the church, for that matter, is clear and I am a son of the church, but it is not necessary to talk about these issues all the time.

The dogmatic and moral teachings of the church are not all equivalent. The church’s pastoral ministry cannot be obsessed with the transmission of a disjointed multitude of doctrines to be imposed insistently. Proclamation in a missionary style focuses on the essentials, on the necessary things: this is also what fascinates and attracts more, what makes the heart burn, as it did for the disciples at Emmaus. We have to find a new balance; otherwise even the moral edifice of the church is likely to fall like a house of cards, losing the freshness and fragrance of the Gospel. The proposal of the Gospel must be more simple, profound, radiant. It is from this proposition that the moral consequences then flow.

I say this also thinking about the preaching and content of our preaching. A beautiful homily, a genuine sermon must begin with the first proclamation, with the proclamation of salvation. There is nothing more solid, deep and sure than this proclamation. Then you have to do catechesis. Then you can draw even a moral consequence. But the proclamation of the saving love of God comes before moral and religious imperatives. Today sometimes it seems that the opposite order is prevailing. The homily is the touchstone to measure the pastor’s proximity and ability to meet his people, because those who preach must recognize the heart of their community and must be able to see where the desire for God is lively and ardent. The message of the Gospel, therefore, is not to be reduced to some aspects that, although relevant, on their own do not show the heart of the message of Jesus Christ.

 

(I quoted so much because I really don't want to take him out of context)

What I gather from this is that he's not saying that we're moving away from standing against abortion and gay marriage and such. What I hear him say is that we need to remember to not make those things more important than the Gospel, and to remember that those aren't the "only" issues. Moral consequences come from catechesis, which comes from the Gospel.  I think he's talking about remembering the right ordering of things. 

I haven't gotten to the part about the EF yet. :) 

[Basilisa Marie]

Is this what you're talking about with the EF?

 

 

 

“Vatican II was a re-reading of the Gospel in light of contemporary culture,” says the pope. “Vatican II produced a renewal movement that simply comes from the same Gospel. Its fruits are enormous. Just recall the liturgy. The work of liturgical reform has been a service to the people as a re-reading of the Gospel from a concrete historical situation. Yes, there are hermeneutics of continuity and discontinuity, but one thing is clear: the dynamic of reading the Gospel, actualizing its message for today—which was typical of Vatican II—is absolutely irreversible. Then there are particular issues, like the liturgy according to the Vetus Ordo. I think the decision of Pope Benedict [his decision of July 7, 2007, to allow a wider use of the Tridentine Mass] was prudent and motivated by the desire to help people who have this sensitivity. What is worrying, though, is the risk of the ideologization of the Vetus Ordo, its exploitation.”

 

[Basilisa Marie]

Pope Francis on his preferred ways to pray: 

 

 

“I pray the breviary every morning. I like to pray with the psalms. Then, later, I celebrate Mass. I pray the Rosary. What I really prefer is adoration in the evening, even when I get distracted and think of other things, or even fall asleep praying. In the evening then, between seven and eight o’clock, I stay in front of the Blessed Sacrament for an hour in adoration. But I pray mentally even when I am waiting at the dentist or at other times of the day.
 

“Prayer for me is always a prayer full of memory, of recollection, even the memory of my own history or what the Lord has done in his church or in a particular parish. For me it is the memory of which St. Ignatius speaks in the First Week of the Exercises in the encounter with the merciful Christ crucified. And I ask myself: ‘What have I done for Christ? What am I doing for Christ? What should I do for Christ?’ It is the memory of which Ignatius speaks in the ‘Contemplation for Experiencing Divine Love,’ when he asks us to recall the gifts we have received. But above all, I also know that the Lord remembers me. I can forget about him, but I know that he never, ever forgets me. Memory has a fundamental role for the heart of a Jesuit: memory of grace, the memory mentioned in Deuteronomy, the memory of God’s works that are the basis of the covenant between God and the people. It is this memory that makes me his son and that makes me a father, too.”

 

[blazeingstar]

As selfish as it sounds, I'm disappointed on his words about co-habitating couples.  I haven't seen them dissuaded away from any chuch and it seems that 99% of the couples in pre-cana are co-habitating and attend mass sporatically.  I'm sorry, but most can't possibly understand what it's like to obey the church rules, and I don't want to deal with them while in pre-cana.  I am all out of loving, teddybears and rainbows.

 

They need pastoral help, but it's always at the cost of people who are following the rules, just like with baptism classes and first Communion and confirmation.  I'm PC'd and understanding to death.  I don't want to take the time to understand why Johnny and Sally are living together, or when they have a kid only show up to the baptism, or let their kid recieve first communion but sit outside for Mass to finish to go to CCD.

 

I think that the leadership has focused too much on issues and not enough educating people why what the church teaches is actually good for them...and actually supporting the people who DO follow church rules.  I feel the lonliest place to be as a young adult preparing for marriage is within the Catholic church.  None of my peers understand why I'm not co-habiting and according to the census there about 50  people in my parish of 3,500 between 18 and 35. I have no one to look up to, no one to relate to, and my FI and I are basically left alone to navigate the pre-marital world while we get told that the church dosn't have the right to tell you what to do in the bedroom, that NFP is a joke, missing mass this day in age is understandable and that living together is completely normal.

[Basilisa Marie]

As selfish as it sounds, I'm disappointed on his words about co-habitating couples.  I haven't seen them dissuaded away from any chuch and it seems that 99% of the couples in pre-cana are co-habitating and attend mass sporatically.  I'm sorry, but most can't possibly understand what it's like to obey the church rules, and I don't want to deal with them while in pre-cana.  I am all out of loving, teddybears and rainbows.

 

They need pastoral help, but it's always at the cost of people who are following the rules, just like with baptism classes and first Communion and confirmation.  I'm PC'd and understanding to death.  I don't want to take the time to understand why Johnny and Sally are living together, or when they have a kid only show up to the baptism, or let their kid recieve first communion but sit outside for Mass to finish to go to CCD.

 

I think that the leadership has focused too much on issues and not enough educating people why what the church teaches is actually good for them...and actually supporting the people who DO follow church rules.  I feel the lonliest place to be as a young adult preparing for marriage is within the Catholic church.  None of my peers understand why I'm not co-habiting and according to the census there about 50  people in my parish of 3,500 between 18 and 35. I have no one to look up to, no one to relate to, and my FI and I are basically left alone to navigate the pre-marital world while we get told that the church dosn't have the right to tell you what to do in the bedroom, that NFP is a joke, missing mass this day in age is understandable and that living together is completely normal.

 

What exactly were you disappointed with? I don't remember remarks about co-habitating couples.  

 

You sound a lot like the older brother from last Sunday's Gospel.  I don't say that to be mean - I say that because I often feel the exact same way. I get frustrated, too, when it seems like I'm the only one following the rules but don't get any benefits from it. Something like 98% of Catholic couples use some form of birth control, next to no one remains a virgin until marriage, etc.  But it's our job to try and invite Johnny and Sally back to church, to make the effort to be understanding if they're living together for financial reasons but not having sex, and to do our best to explain to them that having your infant baptized means that you're taking on a serious responsibility to actively raise your child in the faith. 

I do agree with you when you say the leadership has spent too much time on issues and not enough time educating people about Church teaching and ESPECIALLY why Church teaching is great for them. I really wish some of our bishops and priests would spend just as much time and effort supporting married couples as they do denouncing gay marriage. The fact that the divorce rate among Catholics is equal to the national average (50%) is appalling to me. Supporting and encouraging holy married couples would be an incredibly powerful statement of the wonderful goodness and truth of the Church's teaching on marriage.  Maybe people would take us seriously on sexual ethics if we actually had more people walking the talk. 

But the thing is, I think all of that is in line with what the Pope said in the rest of the interview.  He talks about placing the Gospel first, then catechesis flowing through that, and moral teachings flowing through catechesis.  He cautions against making "issues" bigger than the Gospel, and I take that to mean acting like gay marriage is the only marriage issue, for example.  He says that "issues" aren't the whole picture, that there's more to it.  But at the same time, offering support for people who ARE doing things the right way doesn't necessarily mean we stop reaching out to Johnny and Sally.  
 

[AugustineA]

I don't think he's talking about moving the Church away from the overarching campaigns against abortion and homosexuality.  What he said was: 

 

 

(I quoted so much because I really don't want to take him out of context)

What I gather from this is that he's not saying that we're moving away from standing against abortion and gay marriage and such. What I hear him say is that we need to remember to not make those things more important than the Gospel, and to remember that those aren't the "only" issues. Moral consequences come from catechesis, which comes from the Gospel.  I think he's talking about remembering the right ordering of things. 

I haven't gotten to the part about the EF yet. :)

 

I totally received that from the message. My language may have been too harsh, too presumptuous. I do not mean to say he is abandoning these campaigns. He says as a son of the church he stands with these efforts.

 

It is mostly my own personal worry interfering here. I see that many lay people are very luke warm on the issue of homosexuality and sometimes abortion. Then there was a bishop in Australia who abandoned the 40 days for life in his diocese.

 

I may be projecting my own fears on Father Francis. These are such big issues, and I just want to be stalwart. I understand he wants things to be rightly ordered. The Gospel is the most important message.

Edited September 19, 2013 by AugustineA

[arfink]

The problem Pope Francis seems to be seeing is that if you start evangelizing by telling people about the Church's stance on sexual ethics, you won't effectively evangelize. The Gospel must come first. If we do not know how God loves us, how can we model His love for other people in a right understanding of sex?

[Apotheoun]

The more interviews Pope Francis gives, the more concerned I become. I left Protestantism for Catholicism for dogmatic and moral reasons, if these things are going to be de-emphasized, I will have to re-evaluate my own spiritual life and journey.

[arfink]

The more interviews Pope Francis gives, the more concerned I become. I left Protestantism for Catholicism for dogmatic and moral reasons, if these things are going to be de-emphasized, I will have to re-evaluate my own spiritual life and journey.

 

Well, I think Pope Francis would rightly tell you not to violate your conscience in these matters.

[Apotheoun]

The problem Pope Francis seems to be seeing is that if you start evangelizing by telling people about the Church's stance on sexual ethics, you won't effectively evangelize. The Gospel must come first. If we do not know how God loves us, how can we model His love for other people in a right understanding of sex?

That does seem to be what he is saying, but the Gospel is holistic, that is, it includes the preaching of Christ as sacrificed and risen from the dead, but it also includes - and not as a mere afterthought - the way of light (i.e., the moral way of living). Christ frees us from death and sin. Christian morality is inherent to the Gospel message (see 1 Cor. 6).