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Ss Peter & Paul Catholic Church, Bath

Pope Francis - Are you really listening to him?

21/9/2013

3 Comments

 
The Holy Father is making headlines again this week and whatever he says there always seems to be a media frenzy afterwards. The internet is full of Pope Francis quotes and people are quick to comment on what he has or hasn't said or even what he should have said... This time it's all about his in depth interview with his fellow Jesuit brother Jesuit Fr Antonio Spadaro SJ which you can read here. 
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Well after the earthquake that that interview struck, and the delight both the secular media and the regular talking heads had in commenting on the Pope's interview to the Jesuit Fr Antonio Spadaro SJ, Pope Francis has said some other things that haven't been featured so prominently in the world press.
 
Pope Francis met with the members of the International Federation of Catholic Medical Associations and Catholic gynaecologists, and spoke of the current paradoxical situation of the medical profession.
 
Listen to the some of the words of the address.
 
"Each one of us is invited to recognize in the fragile human being the face of the Lord, who, in his human flesh, experienced the indifference and loneliness to which we often condemn the poorest, either in the developing nations, or in the developed societies. Each child who is unborn, but is unjustly condemned to be aborted, bears the face of Jesus Christ, bears the face of the Lord, who, even before he was born, and then as soon as he was born, experienced the rejection of the world. And also each old person and - I spoke of the child, let us also speak of the elderly, another point! And each old person, even if infirm or at the end of his days, bears the face of Christ. They cannot be discarded, as the "culture of waste" proposes! They cannot be discarded!"
 
Well do you think the media is going to comment upon him saying this after he supposedly said,
 
"We cannot insist only on issues related to abortion, gay marriage and the use of contraceptive methods".
 
No, because it won't make any by-lines!  How about  asking a few people, who were very outspoken in the initial reaction to the Pope’s interview with Fr Antonio Spadaro SJ of Civilta Cattolica, who networked it to Jesuit newspapers, causing a lot of distress, if they would care to comment upon these other words of the Holy Father above. 
 
Abortion indeed does not have to be mentioned all the time, but when there is the opportunity, one sees no lessening of the Catholic position from the Pope, as we were told by a number of wise pro-abortion people in response to the interview reportage.
 
Let’s not depend on the dinosaur media, (and the experts) to give you information about the affairs of the Catholic Church, and what the Pope says.  There are far better resources such as the Holy See and  Zenit that can help you to have all the facts at your disposal.  
 
As the Australian Cardinal Pell said the other day, 'The apparent love affair between the mass media and Pope Francis, cannot last!'  

As Mother Teresa used to say in the face of opposition and criticism – 
“Do it anyway!”
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Combe Down
Bath BA2 5LS
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