I'm very excited about the possibilities. Being a Jesuit he has taken a vow of poverty and is dedicated to education, I'm really digging that. It's a great start. He took the name of Saint Francis of Assisi whose peaceful association with nature and charity I greatly admire. He seems to be doing some things that show he is going to be a reformer with common sense and lead by service.
There are just three things that concern me. He is old; and he is against birth control and gay marriage.
Clearly birth control is the right thing to do in a world of over 7 billion people and not seeing that is troubling.
The problem I have with his discrediting of gay marriage is not really about gay marriage itself. I can certainly see where there is a very long and well established tradition of heterosexual marriage. I am personally not opposed to gay marriage, but I wonder if someone who is against it doesn't see homosexuality as a sin. That I have a problem with, and I think it would be detrimental to bringing the church into the modern age.
Clearly you and I were not elected Pope yesterday (unless Pope Francis is reading this and in that case I am very honored indeed Your Eminence) so my poll is somewhat moot now. No body has voted on it anyway.
Clearly there is going to be an emphasis on where I think religion should be, charity, community responsibility and service. There will be a de-emphasis on hierarchy.
On my poll I'm guessing we can forget about any moves to make homosexuality not a sin, I doubt priests will be allowed to get married, birth control will continue to be a sin, and fertilized human egg cells will probably still be considered humans (Pope Francis is against abortion).
Any moves to reunite the churches and ordain women is to be seen, but I doubt they are likely. On the other hand, I'm sure there will be a zero tolerance on sex crimes.
You can still vote on what you think the new Pope should work on, and I encourage you to in the most extreme way.
Whether you are Catholic or not, this is an important and historical event. When 1.2 billion people have a new leader there will be changes in the world that will likely impact almost everyone in some way.
3 comments:
"I am personally not opposed to gay marriage, but I wonder if someone who is against it doesn't see homosexuality as a sin. That I have a problem with, and I think it would be detrimental to bringing the church into the modern age."
Cafeteria Catholicism?
Aren't the rules ("the law that Moses gave" and Christ's teachings) laid out already? What was 'unlawful' (per Moses) should now be embraced by the Church?
Actually I consider myself a Secular Catholic.
I read that 90% of US Catholics use birth control at some point and that 88% do NOT consider it a sin (CNN's website).
You can complain about Cafeteria Catholics if you want, but I think that is missing the point. I don't think it's an apt analogy.
The RC eventually acknowledged that the heavens do move, the Earth is not the center of the universe and is even willing to let evolution slide. I don't see why they can't admit that homosexuality is not a sin.
Sometimes, I think the religious don't spend any time in the real world; or else they would know homosexuals are born as homosexuals; they don't choose to be homosexuals. This is only one example; but it is the reason why things won't change in the catholic religion. Love, Auntie Char xoxoxoxo ;-p
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