No, Pope Francis Did NOT Say It’s Better to Be an Atheist Than a Bad Catholic

[AvilaSurfer]

No, Pope Francis Did NOT Say It's Better to Be an Atheist Than a Bad Catholic | ChurchPOP

"Have you heard the news that Pope Francis preached it was better to be an atheist than a hypocritical Catholic? It’s in the headlines from Reuters, CNN, The Guardian, and many others.

There’s only one problem: that is not what he said. They’re all wrong."

 

[Sword of the Lord]

Didn't know about CNN. Should have known it was fake news right then and there.

 

[Gnarwhal]

No, Pope Francis Did NOT Say It's Better to Be an Atheist Than a Bad Catholic | ChurchPOP

"Have you heard the news that Pope Francis preached it was better to be an atheist than a hypocritical Catholic? It’s in the headlines from Reuters, CNN, The Guardian, and many others.

There’s only one problem: that is not what he said. They’re all wrong."

The media's getting bolder every day, trying to marginalize the Church.

 

[Michie]

Thanks for making a thread on this. I posted the same link in the other thread.

 

[Godlovesmetwo]

fake nooz

 

[paul becke]

Well, surely, it happens to be true. Of course there are bad Catholics and bad Catholics. But it is surely an axiom of our faith that Hitler and the more that is given to us the more will be expected from us.

Hitler and Pinochet were Catholics and Stalin, Orthodox. He'd initially wanted to be a priest. But the deepest pits of hell will surely be primarily reserved for simoniac churchmen - popes, prelates, theologians, scripture scholars, priests and nuns ; driven by a lust for worldly status and in some cases, presumably, money.

And remember :
a) The parable of the two brothers who were asked to do something by their father ; one did, one didn't, but the one who did his Fathers will, had said he wouldn't, while the other, vice versa ;

b) The sheep in Jesus' description of the Last Judgment, who claimed he'd never seen God.

 

[Godlovesmetwo]

There’s only one problem: that is not what he said. They’re all wrong."

Master of the dismissive statement but short on details as usual.

 

[Michie]

Master of the dismissive statement but short on details as usual.

Details? Simply read the OP. Go to the Vatican site. Read for yourself.

 

[Godlovesmetwo]

Well, surely, it happens to be true

Exactly. I see it as in keeping with the Pope's stance on things anyway. He hates hypocrisy. He hates pomp and circumstance. And clericalism. The clergy have a bigger responsibility to be role-models and some of them are not living up to it!

 

[AvilaSurfer]

Master of the dismissive statement but short on details as usual.

Would you like me to read his statement to you?

 

[paul becke]

No, Pope Francis Did NOT Say It's Better to Be an Atheist Than a Bad Catholic | ChurchPOP

"Have you heard the news that Pope Francis preached it was better to be an atheist than a hypocritical Catholic? It’s in the headlines from Reuters, CNN, The Guardian, and many others.

There’s only one problem: that is not what he said. They’re all wrong."

'You see that he is not saying that it’s better to be an atheist than a hypocritical Catholic. Rather, he is saying that this is something other people say when confronted with hypocritical Catholics.'

I wonder why you, and evidently the author of the article, consider that Francis must be implying that Catholics in good faith would not feel scandalised by hypocrisy on the part of others, simply because they too are Catholics ?

We do tend to have a siege mentality, but I'm not at all sure that is the case ; although it is arguable that we tend to be more aware than some Protestant churches that we are a church of sinners, and that the only person completely without hypocrisy would be Christ. Francis was, of course, in the case in point, expressing concern for the harm caused by the hypocritical witness given by a Catholic in terms of the church's duty to evangelise, though for the reason I mentioned above, it can harm the belief of fellow Catholics as well. So, there doesn't seem to be a cast-iron exclusion of victims of scandal who are fellow-congregants, it seems to me.

 

[AvilaSurfer]

It's an answer to an erroneous report.