Athiests - What Pope Francis really said

[BarbTherese]

: Commentary on how the media interpreted

Vatican Radio - Text of what Pope Francis actually said

 

[Era Might]

The Gospel context is important, I think. He's speaking of the Gospel passage where the Apostles want to rebuke someone for doing miracles apart from the Apostles. I think this is an instance where the Apostles are already institutionalizing themselves as special people, like the Pharisees before them. Another instance is where Peter tries to dissuade Jesus from going to Jerusalem to die. He does this right after Jesus had given him the keys to the kingdom. Already Peter was setting himself up as an earthly power and trying to dissuade Jesus from giving up this earthly life. And Jesus calls him Satan, get behind me, because if you think I gave you the keys to be some kind of king, you are mistaken as Satan was. Jesus revealed humanity to itself...he didn't reveal a religion or a new group of religious aristocrats, he revealed humanity to itself. So when the Apostles say, look, this man is doing good apart from us, Jesus rebukes them, and says, I'm not here to glorify you, I'm here to reveal humanity to itself, in the depths of every heart, not because they are with you, but because they are human, as I am human.

Edited May 19, 2016 by Era Might