Thursday, September 19, 2013

Dear Secular Media

Thanks for carrying my water. People who have never considered Jesus or who have rejected the Church outright are now considering, for the first time, what it means to be a Christian.

You're adorable when you think you're stirring the pot.

Love, Papa Francesco.

Dear pro-choice women everywhere, Pope Francis loves you AND your unborn babies. Signed, God.

8 comments:

  1. Sorry, I can't defend his lack of caution when speaking if this is the outcome. Yeah the NARAL ladies are wrong, but how is this a good thing? Why not just preach the truth, clearly and without confusion? This is a complete kick in the teeth, a solid blow to the credibility of all those priests and other Catholics who fight every day for the lives of unborn children.

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    1. I don't know, there has been - and continues to be - a lot of truth preached. And it must continue! God knows it must. But it is the media who have painted the Church into a corner, colored her as a barbaric one or two issue "oppressor" from the dark ages....Francis simply refuses to conform to their stereotypes.

      Besides, I have yet to encounter a single person in real life or online who doesn't know what the Catholic Church teaches on abortion ... But I've met plenty of people who don't know a single other thing about Her.

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  2. I have to agree with Mel, things have gone too far. Have you seen the latest headlines about the Pope rebuking the clergy for being too obsessed with gays and abortion? Jenny, if he's refusing to conform to the media's stereotypes....at the expense of the Church and the truth.....then that reeks of pride, not humility. Something is desperately wrong here. This is not a popularity contest. The Church is 2,000 years old. If she appears to be from the dark ages, it's because she is. The truth doesn't go out of style. This Pope has caused tremendous harm to the Church in the space of a mere few months.

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  3. I love it. His interview is exactly the shocking sort of thing everyone needs- believer and nonbeliever alike. Those who are away from the Church are shocked by what they're hearing- "What's this? The Church is about something more than 'pelvic issues'? Welllll....let me go see for myself."

    The believers are shocked by what they're hearing and (if they are honestly trying to be a disciple of Christ, and not just a member of an organization) will look carefully at his words and realize that what he's saying is simple- When you love Jesus, when you let Him into your life, He does amazing things and heals you. From the deepest, most infected wound, all the way to the papercuts. But He won't force it on you. You have to let Him in. And let's be honest- there is a very vocal portion of the Catholic population that is more interested in making sure everyone knows precisely where the Church stands on pelvic issues and less on sharing the amazing news of Christ's love for us.

    Sexual sins are very real sins. But *we* can't heal them in other people. Only Christ can. And so it makes sense that rather than yelling at someone for getting their arm is cut off and they're bleeding out, we should do everything we can to get them to the doctor.

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  4. I agree, and then I read what people are writing on Facebook, and then I get pissed off. What I'm seeing is pro-choice people and gay marriage supporters saying, "the Pope thinks we're right and conservatives are wrong!! Eat it conservatives!!" But what I don't see is," I'd like to learn more about this Church."

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    1. 'What I'm seeing is pro-choice people and gay marriage supporters saying, "the Pope thinks we're right and conservatives are wrong!! Eat it conservatives!!" But what I don't see is," I'd like to learn more about this Church."'

      Exactly. I'll join the Pope Francis Interview Fan Club when I start seeing people actually look into converting because of his words, and not running away again the moment they find the "old, small rules" which are so very true and important and neither small nor irrelevant today, still hold.

      I read the interview. He says a lot of good things, so yay for that. But he still said enough incautious, poorly-worded things to cause great harm, and those are the only quotes that are getting circulated outside the Catholic media. And now, there's this: http://jezebel.com/coolest-pope-ever-urges-catholics-to-chill-out-about-ab-1349735980@katiejmbaker Um... yeah. I don't for a second think any of "His Bomb-Ass Holiness'" new "fans" would stick around once they were told abortion is still murder, and homosexual acts are still sinful.

      Sorry to be so negative, but I just can't join in the cheering.

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    2. I'm in His Holiness' fan club because I love the Church, and because he is Her physical head on earth. But then, I felt the same way about Pope Benedict too, faults, foibles and all. I would point out that Francis speaks very, very little English, making it oh-so-much-more critical to consider the source. If I gave credence to everything (or anything, really) I read in Jezebel, I would have aged out of this business a loooong time ago.

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  5. So, I am not a crazy blogger person, though I have heard rumors of people who have a problem with the pope using his pulpit to teach what the Church has always taught in a way that is welcoming, charitable, full of mercy and inviting to even the most hardened sinner, I haven't witnessed any faithful Catholic actually have an issue with him. Until now in your comment box. Weird.
    In other news, I shared this on the ol' Facebook, well worded!
    Rock on Pope Francis...keep 'em coming.

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