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Pope Francis’ latest comments on paedophilia, same-sex unions, abortion, the EU and more….

Posted on February 19, 2016 at 6:56 AM Comments comments ()

Pope Francis didn't just talk about Donald Trump's value as a Christian and contraception on his latest flight home to Rome.  There is so much more that the mainstream media has failed to cover.  So here it is....the stuff you probably haven't yet heard about:


Pope Francis on paedophilia in the Church and the part played by Pope Benedict XVI to eradicate it:

“First, a bishop who moves a priest to another parish when a case of pedophilia is discovered is a reckless [inconsciente] man and the best thing he can do is to present his resignation. Is that clear?

Cardinal Ratzinger deserves an applause. Yes, an applause for him. He had all of the documentation. He’s a man who as the prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith had everything in his hands. He conducted all the investigations, and went on, went on, went on, until he couldn’t go any further. But, if you remember, 10 days before the death of St. John Paul II, in that Via Crucis of Holy Friday, he said to the whole Church that it needed to clean up the dirt of the Church. And in the Pro-Eligendo Pontefice Mass, despite knowing that he was a candidate, he wasn’t stupid, he didn’t care to “make-up” his answer, he said exactly the same thing. He was the brave one who helped so many open this door. So, I want to remember him because sometimes we forget about this hidden works that were the foundations for “taking the lid off the pot.”

And, the final thing I would like to say that it’s a monstrosity, because a priest is consecrated to lead a child to God, and he eats him in a diabolical sacrifice. He destroys him.”



Pope Francis on same-sex unions and adoption by same-sex couples:

“I think what the Church has always said about this. “

“On people of the same sex, I repeat what I said on the trip to Rio di Janeiro. It’s in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.”



Pope Francis on abortion:

“Abortion is not the lesser of two evils. It is a crime. It is to throw someone out in order to save another. That’s what the Mafia does. It is a crime, an absolute evil.
Abortion is not a theological problem, it is a human problem, it is a medical problem. You kill one person to save another, in the best-case scenario. Or to live comfortably, no?  It’s against the Hippocratic oaths doctors must take. It is an evil in and of itself, but it is not a religious evil in the beginning, no, it’s a human evil. Then obviously, as with every human evil, each killing is condemned.”



Pope Francis on the European Union:

“I like this idea of the re-foundation of the European Union, maybe it can be done, because Europe — I do not say is unique, but it has a force, a culture, a history that cannot be wasted, and we must do everything so that the European Union has the strength and also the inspiration to make it go forward. That’s what I think.”



Pope Francis on the reintegration into the Church of re-married persons:

“Integrating in the Church doesn’t mean receiving Communion. I know married Catholics in a second union who go to church, who go to church once or twice a year and say I want communion, as if joining in Communion were an award. It’s a work towards integration, all doors are open, but we cannot say, “from here on they can have Communion.” This would be an injury also to marriage, to the couple, because it wouldn’t allow them to proceed on this path of integration. And those two were happy. They used a very beautiful expression: we don’t receive Eucharistic Communion, but we receive communion when we visit hospitals and in this and this and this. Their integration is that. If there is something more, the Lord will tell them, but it’s a path, a road.”



On Pope John Paull II’s friendship with Ana Teresa Tymieniecka:

“In my own experience, including when I ask for advice, I would ask a collaborator, a friend, I also like to hear the opinion of a woman because they have such wealth. They look at things in a different way. I like to say that women are those who form life in their wombs — and this is a comparison I make — they have this charism of giving you things you can build with. A friendship with a woman is not a sin. [It’s] a friendship. A romantic relationship with a woman who is not your wife, that is a sin. Understand?

But the Pope is a man. The Pope needs the input of women, too. And the Pope, too, has a heart that can have a healthy, holy friendship with a woman. There are saint-friends — Francis and Clare, Teresa and John of the Cross — don't be frightened. But women are still not considered so well; we have not understood the good that a woman do for the life of a priest and of the church in the sense of counsel, help of a healthy friendship.”



And finally, what did the pope ask for in Guadalupe?

“I asked for the world, for peace, so many things. The poor thing ended up with her head like this (raises arms around head). I asked forgiveness, I asked that the Church grows healthy, I asked for the Mexican people. And another thing I asked a lot for: that priests to be true priests, and sisters true sisters, and bishops true bishops. As the Lord wants. This I asked a lot for, but then, the things a child tells his mother are a bit of a secret.”

Refugee crisis: our own homeless are in need of love and attention too

Posted on September 4, 2015 at 6:57 AM Comments comments ()
 
It’s a fabulous thing that a number of people have decided to commit to helping the thousands of refugees seeking safety and security in the UK.  Some people have even agreed to house some of the refugees until they get themselves on their feet and secure their own accommodation.  It is a truly remarkable gesture and together with David Cameron’s promise to bring thousands more refugees to the UK, heralds a shift in both the perception of refugees and the way we are willing to treat them.
 
 
But I think it is also important not to lose sight of the impoverished of our own country as we seek to help those from overseas.  As well as helping them we might also consider what more we can do for the countless homeless living on the dirty streets of our towns and cities. Can we make more space in both our hearts and homes for them?

Refugee Crisis: We Have the Power and the Resources, Now All we need is the Will

Posted on September 3, 2015 at 6:34 AM Comments comments ()
A migrant crawls along a Spanish beach in front of holidaymakers
 
The most senior Catholic in England and Wales has urged the UK to be more “generous” in the way it deals with the current refugee crisis in Europe. Cardinal Vincent Nichols, speaking to ITV News said that the British public had told him “it was a disgrace that we were letting people die and seeing bodies on the beaches when together Europe is such a wealthy place.” 
 
 
The Cardinal continued: "It's people who are desperate for the sake of their families, their elderly, their youngsters, their children, and the more we see that the more the opportunity for a political response that's a bit more generous is growing.  What is screaming out is the human tragedy of this problem."
 
 
The Cardinal’s comments are most welcome and I completely agree with him that our response to this must be more generous.  We are, in many respects, a wealthy country, and we are blessed by not having to cope with the fear of wars and widespread violence. 
 
 
Our parish was blessed recently with the presence of a Nigerian priest who covered our parish while our own priest was on pilgrimage and on holiday.  I recall that in one of his homilies he spoke about the great joy he and his people would feel when they woke up in the morning, simply because they were still alive. Their country is beset by violent clashes and the threat of Boko Haram is an ongoing fear for all, especially Christians.
 
 
In Syria and in North Africa there is the threat of ISIS who are persecuting Christians and driving people from their homes.  And now, in Europe, we are starting to see the sad consequences of these wars as people arrive on our shores desperate for safety and to give their children a chance. And this, I feel, is the nub of it. Can we really deny people a place of safety?  Can we really deny little children a chance to live?
 
The horrific reality of this crisis
 
Our own resources are finite and we must try to ensure our country remains financially stable.  We get this.  But greater than this, much greater than this, is our call to love our neighbour. Our brothers and sisters are in dire need of our comfort and love.  They beg us to give them a place of safety.  They are on their knees, in the frozen waters of our shores, desperately pleading to each and every one of us to give them even just a little of what we have.
 
 
I sincerely hope the words of Cardinal Nichols will be heard and taken seriously by our governors (both in the UK and across all of Europe) and indeed by each one of us.  I hope we all find it in our hearts to be more generous and to give more people a chance. We have the power and we have the resources.  Now all we need is the will.
 
 
Here are four ways we can help:
 
Please email your MP about this, encouraging our governors to be more ‘generous’ to those in need. You can find your MPs details by clicking this link and entering your postcode: http://www.parliament.uk/get-involved/contact-your-mp/contacting-your-mp/
 
 
Donate to Refugee Action and give a refugee an emergency care parcel, click here: http://www.refugee-action.org.uk/support_us/give
 
And of course, pray. Please pray for all refugees, perhaps by saying one Hail Mary and asking Our Blessed Mother to intercede with the Father on their behalf.
 

German MEP urges 'Christian based' Europe to do more to help asylum seekers

Posted on May 12, 2015 at 8:57 AM Comments comments ()
Manfred Weber
 
Manfred Weber, a German MEP and Chairman of the European People's Party, has stated that Europe needs to do more to welcome asylum seekers to its shores; and he cites the continent's Christian roots as being a critical element.
 
 
Mr Weber, a Roman Catholic from Bavaria, said: "Europe must be open...nobody can say close the borders, don't accept them".  He then went on to say that "we have to be helpful as a Christian based continent".
 
 
Mr Weber's words should resonate with most people, but especially with Christians across Europe.  This call is entirely in keeping with Christ's call to brotherly love.  As we have said often enough on this site, Jesus offers no exceptions to his call to love one another.  It applies to everyone, including those seeking asylum.
 
 
Mr Weber is no stranger to speaking up for Christian values as evidenced by comments he made when Pope Francis visited the European Parliament last year.  Mr Weber said: "Pope Francis reminded us that European values are rooted in Christianity - it's our global responsibility to keep these values alive and make sure they're respected." 
 
 
Let us pray for all people seeking asylum that they will find the peace and justice that they, as sons and daughters of God, deserve.  And let us pray for our governors, that they will come to the aid of those most in need and provide for them a place of safety for their families.

First new church in a century to be built in Turkey

Posted on January 5, 2015 at 7:25 AM Comments comments ()
A new Syriac Orthodox Church is to be built on the outskirts of Istanbul.  It is the first new Christian church to be built in Turkey for a century.
 
 

Pope Francis calls on European Parliament to recognise the centrality of God and the human person

Posted on November 25, 2014 at 9:43 AM Comments comments ()
Picture: Reuters
 
Pope Francis has warned the European Parliament in Strasbourg that all of Europe needs to work together to build a Europe which revolves 'not around the economy, but around the sacredness of the human person, around inalienable values.' 
 
The Pope, in a clear criticism of euthanasia and abortion, said that 'men and women risk being reduced to mere cogs in a machine that treats them as items of consumption to be exploited, with the result that - as is so tragically apparent - whenever a human life no longer proves useful for that machine, it is discarded with few qualms, as in the case of the terminally ill, the elderly who are abandoned and uncared for, and children who are killed in the womb.'
 
The Pope also stressed the importance of God in our world suggesting that we all need to be open to the transcendent.  He said: 'A Europe which is no longer open to the transcendent dimension of life is a Europe which risks slowly losing its own soul and that "humanistic spirit" which it still loves and defends.'
 
Click this link to read the full address of Pope Francis to the European Parliament: http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-address-to-european-parliament
 
 
 
 

The EU 'Democracy' Scandal That Just Won't Go Away

Posted on August 6, 2014 at 7:37 AM Comments comments ()
 
If you regularly follow Scots Catholic you will know that the EU Commission recently used its power of veto over a pro-life petition to protect life from conception.  The petition had gathered the requisite 1 million signatories (it actually amassed a total of 2 million signatures) from at least seven member countries to guarantee a legislative debate on the matter, or at least that's what they thought.
 
The European Commission has a rather undemocratic power of veto over such matters and decided that no legislative debate on the protection of life would take place.  What is interesting about this is that there has only ever been one other occasion where this supposedly democratic process has been used (a water rights petition which, strangely enough, was not vetoed) and that petition only managed to gather in just over 1 million signatories.
 
For some reason the European Commission did not want to listen to the voice of two million of its citizens.  Further and more worrying is that it didn't want to abide by its own democratic process. 
 
The scandal of this should not be lost on anyone.  Whether you are pro-life or not this shocking behaviour by European governors should stick in the throat.  It is dictatorial and shows that the EU is not the democratic organisation it so vociferously claims to be.  Thankfully the One of Us campaign is not letting this go and neither it should; an appeal has been lodged and we will keep you updated on progress.
 
To read more on this, click here to read an excellent article from National Review: http://www.nationalreview.com/article/384292/democracy-deficit-eu-josh-craddock

Pro-Life Campaign Appeals to the EU Court after EU Commission’s ‘Undemocratic’ Veto

Posted on July 28, 2014 at 9:21 AM Comments comments ()
 
The One of Us campaign has appealed to the EU Court after its petition - backed by a record 2 million EU citizens – was vetoed by the European Commission in May.
 
The petition, calling for an end to European funding of research that destroys human embryos, became the largest petition in European history and easily met the minimum EU criteria of 1 million signatures to allow it to be considered by the Commission.  However, the Commission rejected the petition by utilising its veto, something it had never before done with a petition of such magnitude.
The Court will now consider the One of Us appeal and may decide to annul the Commission decision to veto, should it agree with the appellant.
 
Let us hope the European Court sticks to the principle of democracy, a principle it has relied on for so many years as the bedrock of its constitution and the bedrock of the constitution of each of its members.  If it doesn’t then democracy in Europe is dead.
 
 

Human Rights Court affirms marriage as between a man and a woman

Posted on July 18, 2014 at 7:21 AM Comments comments ()
 
The European Human Rights Court has affirmed the concept of traditional marriage, explaining that the European Convention on Human Rights “enshrines the traditional concept of marriage as between a man and a woman.”
 
Click here to read the full story at Catholic News Agency:
 

Don't make our mistake: A top dutch regulator and former supporter of euthanasia has warned the Westminster Parliament that assisted suicide leads to mass killing

Posted on July 10, 2014 at 9:09 AM Comments comments ()
Theo Boer
 
Dutchman Theo Boer, a European regulator of assisted suicide, has warned the UK not to go down the road of introducing it into law. 
 
Boer told MPs that assisted suicide is a slippery slope towards mass killing of the sick and he urged the UK not to do it, saying that 'once the genie is out of the bottle, it is not likely to ever go back in again.'
 
A bill, introduced by Labour peer Lord Falconer, is currently making its way through the UK Parliament and is scheduled to come back before the House of Lords next week.  If passed it will allow doctors to prescribe poison to terminally ill and mentally ill alert people who wish to kill themselves.
 
Mr Boer spoke about his experiences in the Netherlands where the number of assisted deaths has doubled in just six years and there are real fears that the law is being abused.
 
Mr Boer, a supporter of euthanasia in the past admitted that he was 'wrong - terribly wrong, in fact' to have believed regulated euthanasia would work.  He also said, 'I used to be a supporter of the Dutch law.  But now, with 12 years of experience, I take a very different view.'
 
 
Click here to read the full article at Mail Online:

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