Pope Francis says the ‘nones’ can be allies for the church

Fantine

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I saw that article on FB yesterday and posted it quickly. I probably should have said "holier than thou's."

I know lots of people who are "spiritual but not 'traditionally' religious" who are very "holy," and like most people, I know lots of "holier than thou's" who are anything but.

I think that Pope Francis, because he is deeply 'spiritual,' "gets" people who are spiritual but not religious.

Like Thich Nhat Hanh, Thomas Merton, David Steindl-Rast and the Dalai Lama were able to 'meet' on a plane that transcended religious differences, I think that Pope Francis will be able to dialogue with the nones on a different plane.

This is what our world needs.

Pope Francis is what our world needs.
 
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steve_bakr

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yea, I think the critique is of the pharisee type people - not the Pope! :) And the second poster asked "who are the pharisees" - Id argue its all of us - we all have judgmental tendencies. A constant challenge for us.

Yes. I like what the Pope is saying here. It reflects my own understanding of Catholic teaching, so that's good news--i.e. to be in conformity (communion) with the Pope. A good move for Pope Francis on the ecumenical front. We all need to coexist and work together if we are to help make the world better.
 
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steve_bakr

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I saw that article on FB yesterday and posted it quickly. I probably should have said "holier than thou's."

I know lots of people who are "spiritual but not 'traditionally' religious" who are very "holy," and like most people, I know lots of "holier than thou's" who are anything but.

I think that Pope Francis, because he is deeply 'spiritual,' "gets" people who are spiritual but not religious.

Like Thich Nhat Hanh, Thomas Merton, David Steindl-Rast and the Dalai Lama were able to 'meet' on a plane that transcended religious differences, I think that Pope Francis will be able to dialogue with the nones on a different plane.

This is what our world needs.

Pope Francis is what our world needs.

Indeed. Our "yes" or "no" to Jesus Christ is on a deeper level than mere conformity to the outward observances of religious rules.

I think this is the point that Jesus was making about the Pharisees. They were in outward conformance with religion, but they were really saying "no" to God in the manner that they were applying religious rules.

OTOH, the good samaritan--who did not necessarily conform to the religious "rules"--was in reality saying "yes" to God because his actions reflected the true teaching of Jesus.
 
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mg0086

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I must be confused.. I think she was throwing a dig at those she considers "stuffed shirts" in the Church. Not the Pope.
Yeah, I was confused, too. But that doesn't seem the case^^;;
 
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Davidnic

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Pope Francis is what our world needs.

Yep, he is:


“But there is another form of poverty! It is the spiritual poverty of our time, which afflicts the so-called richer countries particularly seriously. It is what my much-loved predecessor, Benedict XVI, called the ‘tyranny of relativism,’ which makes everyone his own criterion and endangers the coexistence of peoples”

-Pope Francis


What he was referring to:


"The dictatorship of relativism is confronting the world. It does not recognize anything as absolute and leaves as the ultimate measure only the measure of each one and his desires. 'Adult' is not a faith that follows the waves in fashion and the latest novelty. "Adult and mature is a faith that gives us the measure to discern between what is true and what is false, between deceit and truth."

Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger,
Excerpts from his homily at the Conclave that elected him Pope

People keep acting like Theologically B16 and Francis are vastly different. I think those who support relativism and modernism will have a fairly large shock as they paint others as holier than thou.
 
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