ONCE described as a medieval institution, the Catholic Church (under the leadership of Pope Francis I) is no longer sitting on its laurels.
The high prelate is encouraging the Church, along with its followers, to evolve and adapt to the changing world.
“The church sometimes has locked itself up in small things, in small-minded rules. The most important thing is the first proclamation: Jesus Christ has saved you. And the ministers of the church must be ministers of mercy above all,” Pope Francis told the Italian Jesuit Magazine.
Six months into his papacy, Pope Francis laid out his vision for the Church and his priorities as its leader, in his interview with the Jesuit publication.
He warned that the Catholic Church might fail its purpose if it does not balance its divisive rules on hot-button issues, such as abortion and homosexuality.
“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.”
Pope Francis reiterated the stand of the church on this issue. He encouraged his fellow clergies to be ministers of Gospel, who can warm the hearts of people.
“We cannot insist only on issues related to abortion, gay marriage and the use of contraceptive methods…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 Pope said.
Furthermore, Pope Francis also said that the Church needs to be a more merciful place for all.
“The Catholic Church must be like a field hospital after battle, healing the wounds of its faithful and going out to find those who have been hurt, excluded or have fallen away,” he said.
Over the weekend, the Associated Press reported that Pope Francis’ recent remarks were well-received by Catholics around the world.
In the Philippines, Asia’s largest predominantly Catholic nation, devotees acknowledged Pope Francis fresh outlook on Church leadership.
“At Masses over the weekend, the faithful reflected on how they believe Francis’ comments would impact the Catholic Church. The pope said that pastors should focus less on divisive social issues and should emphasize compassion over condemnation,” AP reported.
And while Pope Francis’ comments signal a major shift in Vatican leadership compared to his predecessors, The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) said that the Pope’s recent teachings are not breaking traditional doctrine.
CBCP President Jose Palma saw it as a challenge for the global Church to bear more witness to love.
“There is no contradiction. He is not opposing any doctrine. He is only reminding us that perhaps what the world needs is our witnessing to charity,” he said in a CBCP statement.
CBCP Vice President Socrates Villegas agreed with Palma’s statement but said that the Philippine Catholic sector will remain firm on its stand against the controversial Reproductive Health (RH) Law.
For centuries, the Church has set stern and unrealistic moral expectations. Pope Francis raised salient points to help the leaders of the Church on their roles in these modern times.
Pope Francis said the Church should be a more welcoming and tolerant home to its devotees. He said that Catholic priests should not be cold, dogmatic bureaucrats. That they should be more open-minded, malleable and mindful of today’s challenges.
2 Timothy 4:1-2 says: “I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.”
(AJPress)
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