The Pope Francis Thread

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The Pope Francis Thread

Post by Del »

Meh. Pope Francis has made it clear that if he incapacitated by health such that he is unable to express whether or not he wishes to remain in charge, then we should regard this as a sign of his resignation and choose a new pope.
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The Pope Francis Thread

Post by Biff »

Del wrote: 23 Dec 2022, 17:31
Meh. Pope Francis has made it clear that if he incapacitated by health such that he is unable to express whether or not he wishes to remain in charge, then we should regard this as a sign of his resignation and choose a new pope.
You had me at 'Meh'.
Here I stand. I can do no other. :flags-wavegreatbritain: :flags-canada:
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+JMJ+

Peace requires a 'defense of life,' pope tells ambassadors

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Pope Francis greets George Poulides, ambassador of Cyprus to the Holy See and dean of the Vatican diplomatic corps, during his annual meeting with diplomats accredited to the Holy See at the Vatican Jan. 9 2023. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)

"Peace requires before all else the defense of life," which is threatened by the "alleged 'right to abortion,'" Pope Francis told ambassadors accredited to the Holy See.

The defense of life is "jeopardized not only by conflicts, hunger and disease, but all too often even in the mother's womb," the pope told the ambassadors Jan. 9 during his annual meeting with them to mark the start of the new year.

No one, he said, "can claim rights over the life of another human being, especially one who is powerless and thus completely defenseless."

Francis called on political leaders to "safeguard the rights of those are weakest and to combat the throwaway culture that also, tragically, affects the sick, the disabled and the elderly," and insisted governments have a "primary responsibility to ensure that citizens are assisted in every phase of human life until natural death."

The right to life, Francis said, also is put at risk in places where the death penalty is still used. He cited as an example Iran where, as of Jan. 9, four people have been executed in connection to nationwide protests that the pope characterized as "demanding greater respect for the dignity of women."

The death penalty, the pope said, is "always inadmissible, since it attacks the inviolability and the dignity of the person."

"We cannot overlook the fact that, up until his or her very last moment, a person can repent and change," he added.

Francis had entered the long Hall of Blessings above St. Peter's Basilica walking with a cane, a sign that the knee pain that had previously put him in a wheelchair may be improving.

[…]

Throughout his speech, he cited the encyclical Pacem in Terris written by St. John XXIII in 1963 after the Cuban missile crisis, which called for a ban on nuclear weapons.

"Sadly, today, too, the nuclear threat is raised, and the world once more feels fear and anguish," the pope said, referring to the statements of Russian officials in connection with the country's war on Ukraine.

The mere possession of atomic weapons is "immoral," he said, repeating a statement he made during a visit to Hiroshima, Japan, in November 2019, shifting the church's line which previously had only defined as immoral the use of atomic weapons.

"There is a need to change the way of thinking and move toward an integral disarmament, since no peace is possible where instruments of death are proliferating," he told the ambassadors.

In recalling the various ongoing conflicts in the world, Francis condemned the "third world war" fought in pieces around the world, which "involve only certain areas of the planet directly, but in fact involve them all."

The pope specifically discussed the war in Ukraine and called for an "immediate end" to the "senseless conflict."

[…]

The pope also called for greater international cooperation in addressing three areas of public policy: migration, the economy and work, and care of the environment.

While summarizing the Vatican's diplomatic achievements in 2022, Francis recalled that the Holy See and China agreed to extend their provisional agreement regarding the appointment of bishops in the country for another two years. The terms of the deal, which was first signed in 2018, are not public.


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+JMJ+

Health care is a universal right, not a luxury, pope says

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Pope Francis greets Teresa Calandra, president of an Italian federation of health care associations, during an audience with Italian technicians and specialists working in the fields of radiology, rehabilitation and preventative medicine, at the Vatican Jan. 16, 2023. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)

Health care is not a luxury, it is a right that belongs to everyone, Pope Francis told health care workers.

"A world that rejects the sick, that does not assist those who cannot afford care, is a cynical world with no future. Let us always remember this: health care is not a luxury, it is for everyone," the pope said.

The pope was speaking Jan. 16 with members of an Italian federation of professional associations of technicians and specialists working in the fields of radiology, rehabilitation and preventative medicine.

He expressed his deep gratitude for their work, especially during the pandemic.

"Without your commitment and effort many people who were ill would not have been looked after," he said. "Your sense of duty inspired by the power of love enabled you to serve others, even putting your own health at risk."

In a world marked by a throwaway culture, the health professionals promote a culture of care, embodied in the good Samaritan, who does not look the other way, but approaches and helps a person in need with compassion, the pope said.

[…]

Every country must actively seek "strategies and resources in order to guarantee each person's fundamental right to basic and decent health care," he said, quoting this year's message for the World Day of the Sick, to be celebrated Feb. 11.


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Antisemitism / Fascism

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Post by Del »

Wosbald wrote: 27 Jan 2023, 19:37 +JMJ+

Pope Francis @Pontifex | Twitter
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Finally! We get an actual quote from the actual Pope in a just-for-this-Pope thread!


I don't trust anything the contentious media says about Pope Francis (whether left or right). Especially untrustworthy are National Catholic Reporter, America and their ilk (which happen to be wosbald's favorite sources, most unfortunately).
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+JMJ+

In Congo, Pope Francis demands world leaders 'stop choking Africa'

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Pope Francis, left, meets authorities, civil society and diplomatic corps in the garden of the Palais de la Nation with President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo Félix-Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo, Jan. 31 in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo. (AP photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Kicking off a six-day trip to two African nations on Jan. 31, Pope Francis delivered a terse warning to both world leaders and warring ethnic groups to stop exploiting the continent's vast natural resources and depriving its people of a "future of peace and prosperity."

"Hands off the Democratic Republic of the Congo!" Francis declared upon his arrival here in the Congolese capital city of Kinshasa. "Hands off Africa! Stop choking Africa: It is not a mine to be stripped or a terrain to be plundered."

In a rousing speech at the country's presidential palace, the pope chided both outside powers and the country's political leaders to halt the endless cycles of violence that have defined the country's modern history.

"This country, so immense and full of life, this diaphragm of Africa, struck by violence like a blow to the stomach, has seemed for some time to be gasping for breath," he lamented.

The pope, going off script, added that the Democratic Republic of Congo has suffered a "forgotten genocide."

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Pope Francis and Congolese President Félix-Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo attend a welcome ceremony at the Palais de la Nation Jan. 31 in Kinshasa, Congo. (CNS/Paul Haring)

Francis centered his nearly 20-minute remarks around the image of the diamond. It is one of the country's most valued natural resources, but also at the root of widespread exploitation and seemingly endless war — from the time when early European colonizers sought to plunder the land over a century ago, to the various armed rebel groups competing over its resources today.

"Political exploitation gave way to an 'economic colonialism' that was equally enslaving," he said. "As a result, this country, massively plundered, has not benefited adequately from its immense resources: paradoxically, the riches of its land have made it 'foreign' to its very inhabitants."

"The poison of greed," said Francis, "has smeared [the country's] diamonds with blood."

At the end of the 19th century, European explorers began to seize major swaths of land surrounding the Congo River, claiming an estimated eight to ten million local lives during their conquests. In 1960, the former Belgian colony — home today to some 95 million inhabitants — gained independence, with its fragile democracy constantly being tested by ongoing political, social and economic turmoil, particularly following the 1994 genocide in neighboring Rwanda.

"May the world acknowledge the catastrophic things that were done over the centuries to the detriment of the local peoples, and not forget this country and this continent," Francis said, adding that the international community had seemingly resigned itself to what is happening in the country.

"We cannot grow accustomed to the bloodshed that has marked this country for decades, causing millions of deaths that remain mostly unknown elsewhere," implored the pope. "What is happening here needs to be known."

The pope's remarks were met with widespread praise, with the audience interrupting his remarks on over a dozen occasions, often with cheers and shouts of "amen."

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People cheer as they wait for Pope Francis to pass on a road near the international airport Jan. 31 in Kinshasa, Congo. (CNS/Paul Haring)

Francis' much anticipated visit — his fifth to the African continent since becoming pope in 2013 and the first papal visit to Congo since Pope John Paul II visited in 1985 — comes following a postponement in July 2022 due to the pope's ongoing issues with his knee.

[…]

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Pope Francis is welcomed by Prime Minister Sama Lukonde as he arrives at the international airport Jan. 31 in Kinshasa, Congo. (CNS photo/Paul Haring)

[…]

At the presidential palace on Jan. 31, seated next to President Félix-Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo, Francis urged the country's civic leaders to commit to transparency, especially ahead of what is expected to be another divisive presidential election later this year.

"Those holding civil and governmental offices are called to operate with crystalline clarity, experiencing the charge they have received as a means of serving society," said the pope. "Power is meaningful only if it becomes a form of service."

The pope went on to call for "free, transparent and credible elections," that include greater participation of young people, women and other marginalized groups.

With ongoing war among various ethnic groups in the country's east and international superpowers like China, Russia and the United States vying for mining contracts for critical natural resources that are essential to transition to green energy, Francis charged the country's leaders to be good stewards of their land, which he said serves as one of the "great green lungs of the world."

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Pope Francis and Congolese President Félix-Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo attend a welcome ceremony at the Palais de la Nation Jan. 31 in Kinshasa, Congo. (CNS/Paul Haring)

"May no one be manipulated, much less bought, by those who would foment violence in the country, and exploit it in order to make shameful business deals," said the pope.

During the seven-hour flight from Rome, the 86-year-old pontiff — making one of his most closely watched and physically demanding international voyages of his 10-year papacy — remained seated as he greeted journalists.

As the papal plane crossed over Algeria, the pope paused in silent prayer for the thousands of migrants who have died attempting to cross the Sahara Desert in search of what he called "a bit of freedom."

On Wednesday, Feb. 1, during his first full day in Congo, Francis will turn his attention to the country's rapidly growing Catholic population — the largest on the African continent — where he will celebrate Mass for a crowd expected to reach over a million participants.


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Post by Del »

Quit with the National Catholic Fishwrap. Let's hear straight from Pope Francis himself, please.
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+JMJ+

Pope: We must listen to Indigenous Peoples to address climate crisis

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Pope Francis blesses a participant from the International Fund for Agricultural Development's Indigenous Peoples' Forum during an audience at the Vatican Feb. 10, 2023. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)

Meeting a group of Indigenous delegates attending the 6th Global Meeting of the Indigenous Peoples Forum, Pope Francis calls for the protection of their rights and highlights the crucial role of indigenous peoples in the fight against climate change.

Pope Francis has urged governments and the international community to respect the cultures, dignity and rights of Indigenous Peoples, acknowledging their crucial role in helping address the current global environmental crisis.

The appeal came on Friday as he addressed a group of 40 Indigenous delegates attending the 6th Global Meeting of the Indigenous Peoples Forum, taking place this week in Rome in conjunction with the Governing Council of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).

The Forum was established in 2011 as a platform for consultation and dialogue where Indigenous Peoples’ representatives convey their concerns, requests and recommendations to improve their ongoing partnership with IFAD to eradicate world poverty and hunger.

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Pope Francis gives his blessing to participants from the International Fund for Agricultural Development's Indigenous Peoples' Forum during an audience at the Vatican Feb. 10, 2023. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)

Indigenous Peoples’ Climate Leadership

This year’s meeting, running until 13 February, is focused on Indigenous Peoples’ Climate Leadership: Community-based Solutions to Enhance Resilience and Biodiversity.

In his address in the Consistory Hall, Pope Francis remarked that the theme offers an opportunity to recognize the critical role indigenous peoples play in protecting the environment and to “highlight their wisdom to find global solutions to the immense challenges that climate change poses to humanity on a daily basis”.
We should listen more to indigenous peoples and learn from their way of life to properly understand that we cannot continue to greedily devour natural resources, because “the Earth was entrusted to us in order that it be mother for us, capable of giving to each one what is necessary to live”. Therefore, the contribution of indigenous peoples is essential in the fight against climate change.
Reconverting Western models to address the climate crisis

The Pope insisted on the urgent need for “joint actions” and dialogue to reconvert “the consolidated power structures that govern Western societies and, at the same time, “transform the historical relations marked by colonialism, exclusion and discrimination”, because, he said, “the environmental challenge we are experiencing and its human roots have an impact on each of one of us”.

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Pope Francis greets a participant from the International Fund for Agricultural Development's Indigenous Peoples' Forum during an audience at the Vatican Feb. 10, 2023. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)

Valuing Indigenous People’s cultural heritage

He therefore called upon governments to recognize the indigenous peoples “with their cultures, languages, traditions and spiritualities”, and to respect their dignity and rights, remarking that “Ignoring the original communities in the safeguarding of the Earth is a serious mistake, not to say a great injustice”.
Valuing Indigenous People’s cultural heritage and their ancestral techniques will help to embark on paths for better environmental management.
[…]

Harmony with creation key for a good life

Continuing off the cuff, the Pope encouraged Indigenous peoples to persevere in pursuing harmony with creation and in their communities as a key for a "good life", and expressed his support for their fight against the current extractivist policies which are destroying the Earth. Indeed he said, the good life “is not doing nothing, ‘la dolce vita’”, it’s harmony with our environment which is more than an equilibrium, because “it’s not functional” to something.
When people don’t respect the good of the environment, (…) our common good, they become inhuman, because they lose contact with our Mother earth, not in a superstitious sense, but in the sense that culture gives us harmony.
Indigenous peoples know this too well. This is why, the Pope insisted, “Aboriginal cultures must not be converted to a modern culture”, but “need to be respected”, and allowed to follow their own path to development, and their wisdom should be listened to.


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Post by Del »

Well, by golly! Thank you, Wozzie, for introducing us all to a reliable source of Francis-related Catholic news.

I am saddened to learn that Francis believes the leftist line about a climate "crisis." That sort of panic-talk works against our Christian duties to be good stewards of our resources and promote human flourishing.
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