I have a thing or two about the Holy Father's off the cuff comments.
Anywho.
You better read the excellent Monk's Hobbit's post about how twisted the Philippine media is.
Expectedly, they twist the comments of the Pope about abortion, contraception.
Visit the Monk's Hobbit and spike up his stats will yah?
Thanks!
PART 1
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PRAISED BE JESUS CHRIST!
PRAISE TO HIM, FOREVER!
Those whose only agenda is to bring down the Church will use just about anything to bring down the Church, especially the pronouncement that comes from its chief Shepherd. This didn't happen once, it this will not be the last. Are we not reminded of the war waged by Satan against the Church as described in the Apocalypse chapter 12:14-17?
“14But the woman was given the two wings of the great eagle, so that she could fly to her place in the desert, where, far from the serpent, she was taken care of for a year, two years, and a half-year. 15The serpent, however, spewed a torrent of water out of his mouth after the woman to sweep her away with the current. 16But the earth helped the woman and opened its mouth and swallowed the flood that the dragon spewed out of its mouth. 17Then the dragon became angry with the woman and went off to wage war against the rest of her offspring, those who keep God’s commandments and bear witness to Jesus.”
To this day, the dragon is still spewing venomous postings and twisted write-ups about the Church, not to mention the bloody persecution happening in Muslim countries at this age and time.
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In 12 September 2006, Pope Benedict XVI gave a wonderful lecture on the relationship of FAITH and REASON, which in toto was a strong criticism against the view of flushing out God from reason. He used the example of the Byzantine Emperor Emmanuel Paleologos II discussing intelligently with an educated Persian Muslim: "Show me just what Muhammad brought that was new and there you will find things only bad and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." It is quite clear from the text of the speech that he made it clear that those were NOT his words. Most of all, Benedict XVI made it clear that this was about the dichotomy of Reason and Believing. In toto, it was not really against Islam or Muslims per se, but the tendency of some faiths to force their Faith into others without reason and free will which is contrary to God's nature.
Sadly, so many papers and media outlets quoted him out of this context and quoted only his quote on the Byzantine Emperor, and the violent reaction in the Muslim world simply confirmed what he was pointing out. Thank God, he's got the ball to say this. Weeks later he apologized [if he offended anyone] but never turned back on what he said.
PART 2
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In another instance Benedict XVI was interviewed by the German journalist Peter Seewald in his book" Light of the World". Yet, so many journalist already feasted on Benedict's off-the-cuff remarks to imply that the Pope already sanctioned condom and contraceptives. If anyone reads the passage, the Pope was merely pointing out that the male prostitute's "responsible" attitude to use a condom...but he did NOT say it was good or morally correct. In fact in the next sentence (which was conveniently omitted), the Pope categorically stated that it is NOT the way to deal with the evil of HIV. Here's the text.
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BENEDICT:
There may be a basis in the case of some individuals, as perhaps when a male prostitute uses a condom, where this can be a first step in the direction of a moralization, a first assumption of responsibility, on the way toward recovering an awareness that not everything is allowed and that one cannot do whatever one wants. But it is not really the way to deal with the evil of HIV infection. That can really lie only in a humanization of sexuality.
SEEWALD: Are you saying, then, that the Catholic Church is actually not opposed in principle to the use of condoms?
BENEDICT: She of course does not regard it as a real or moral solution, but, in this or that case, there can be nonetheless, in the intention of reducing the risk of infection, a first step in a movement toward a different way, a more human way, of living sexuality.
Last 19 September, Pope Francis remarked in front of the visiting Eastern Church bishops and the Archbishop of Manila to avoid the scandal of being an AIRPORT BISHOPs. Yet so many already took this remark out context again to malign the Mitsubishops or the PajeroBishops. But reading the whole speech, the Pope was hitting careerism within the Church and those pastors who are always away from their diocese and on trips. He was stressing on the importance of pastoral presence, nothing to do with mitsubishops.
What Pope Francis said about being excessively obssesed about Homosexuality, Abortion - so many jumped that gun on many of the bishops whom they conveniently branded as hypocrites for excessive moralizing. But reading his whole speech would tell you that these sins remain evil as classified by the Church. Rather the Pope was merely stressing also on the pastoral side of Healing, on dealing with these kinds of sinners. He said: "We need to proclaim the Gospel on every street corner preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing, even with our preaching, every kind of disease and wound," the Pope said. "In Buenos Aires I used to receive letters from homosexual persons who are 'socially wounded' because they tell me that they feel like the church has always condemned them. But the church does not want to do this."
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During his trip last July 30 from the WYD in Brazil back to Rome, he was quoted "If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?" Francis asked. "We shouldn't marginalize people for this. They must be integrated into society."
Yet so many already took this lines out of context to justify gay marriages and homosexual sex acts. wow, that was indeed overboard.
Curiously, 2 days ago, the Pope excommunicated a priest from the Melbourne diocese for celebrating Mass illicitly, and for spousing gay marriages, and women priest. - and the media was rather not so noisy about this.
PART 3
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Curiously, last 13 September, His Holiness delivered a homily against Malicious Gossips that is CRIMINAL per se, and no one, no media made a fuss out of this. Why? Were they hit by the very malicious gossips that they were hurling against the Church.
Here is the summary from EWTN:
The seed of Pope Francis' homily was Jesus' thought provoking query: "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?"
Jesus speaks to us about the opposite of humility, the Pope observed, "of that hateful attitude toward one's neighbor when one becomes a 'judge' of his brother." In this context, the Pope pointed out, Jesus uses a strong word: "hypocrite."
"Those who live judging their neighbor, speaking ill of their neighbor, are hypocrites, because they lack the strength and the courage to look to their own shortcomings. The Lord does not waste many words on this concept. Further on he says that he who has hatred in his heart for his brother is a murderer. In his first letter, John the Apostle also says it clearly: anyone who has hatred for his brother is a murderer, he walks in darkness, he who judges his brother walks in darkness."
Thus, every time we judge our brothers in our hearts � or worse still when we speak ill of them with others, we are Christian murderers, the Pope said.
"A Christian murderer. ... It's not me saying this, it's the Lord. And there is no place for nuances. If you speak ill of your brother, you kill your brother. And every time we do this, we are imitating that gesture of Cain, the first murderer in History."
And the Pope added that in this time in history when there is much talk of war and so many pleas for peace, "a gesture of conversion on our own behalf is necessary".
"Gossip," he warned, "always has a criminal side to it. There is no such thing as innocent gossip."
And quoting St. James the Apostle, the Pope said the tongue is to be used to praise God, "but when we use our tongue to speak ill of our brother or sister, we are using it to kill God," ... "the image of God in our brother".
Some may say, the Pope commented, that there are persons who deserve being gossiped about. But it is not so.
"Go and pray for him! Go and do penance for her! And then, if it is necessary, speak to that person who may be able to seek remedy for the problem. But don't tell everyone! Paul had been a sinner, and he says of himself: I was once a blasphemer, a persecutor, a violent man. But I have been mercifully treated. Perhaps none of us are blasphemer perhaps... But if we ever gossip we are certainly persecutors and violent. We ask for grace so that we and the entire Church may convert from the crime of gossip to love, to humility, to meekness, to docility, to the generosity of love towards our neighbor".