Narcissists… without further ado, that is how Francis has labeled several of the former “Heads of the Church” and members of the Roman Curia. We suppose, with all due respect, that after two thousand years of history, the Bishop of Rome does not consider his august person nor that of his immediate collaborators as the only ones free from such a kind description, which at first sight, appears to disdain the work of previous Popes. The fact is that while speaking of the Roman Curia or when meeting with it, Francis never misses an opportunity to point out its defects, as he did in December 2014 (Address to the Roman Curia, Chrismas Greeting) inviting each one of its members to a profound examination of conscience. Conversely, what stands out is the fact that he does not do this with other people and groups, even when they are far from fulfilling the divine precepts, even publically. What, then, is his motivation? A strange dislike for the Ecclesiastical Hierarchy of which he is a part? A hidden desire to change structures which he considers obsolete? Insufficient consideration or knowledge of the primacy of the Church of Rome? We may not affirm any of the above, though we may show a certain perplexity… The Curia, as any other organization constituted by human beings, is evidently subject to errors, defects, and above all, the effects of sin among its members. However, this does not mean that it ceases to play an important role in the Church, among them the “diaconia” of the Petrine ministry.
Francis
[Scalfari] The plague of the papacy, this is exactly what you said. But which court? Are you perhaps alluding to the Curia? I asked.
[Francis] No, at times there are courtiers in the Curia, but the Curia as a whole is something else. It’s what in the army is called the intendancy; it manages the entities that serve the Holy See. However, it has one defect: it is Vatican-centred. It looks after and cares for the Vatican’s interests, which are still to a great extent temporal. This Vatican-centred vision ignores the world around it. I do not share this vision and I will do all I can to change it. The Church is and must become again a community of the People of God and the clergy, parishes, the bishops who are charged with the care of souls, are at the service of the People of God. This is what the Church is. It’s not without reason that the word is different from the Holy See. The latter has its own important role but it stands at the service of the Church. I could not have had full faith in God and in his Son had I not been formed in the Church and also had the good fortune in Argentina to be a member of a community without which I would not have come to know myself and my faith.” (Interview with Eugenio Scalfari – L’Osservatore Romano, Weekly ed. in English, n. 41, October 9, 2013)
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The Complete Studies
ÍNDICE TEMÁTICO

↳ 150 - “Unity of teaching and practice is certainly necessary in the Church, but this does not preclude various ways of interpreting some aspects of that teaching or drawing certain consequences from it”
↳ 140 - “Do we love the Church as we love our mothers, also taking into account her defects? All mothers have defects. The Church also has her defects”
↳ 138 - “The Church is woman. Women, in the Church, are more important than bishops and priests”
↳ 137 - “If someone comes to you and feels something must be removed from him, but perhaps he is unable to say it, but you understand … it’s all right, he says it this way, with the gesture of coming. Have open arms, to understand what is inside that heart that cannot be said or said this way … somewhat because of shame … you understand me”
↳ 135 - “The Son of Man, who like a serpent, became sin, is raised up to save us. Let us look at the Cross, a man tortured, a God, emptied of his divinity, stained by sin”
↳ 134 - “I think about a conversion of the papacy. It is my duty, as the Bishop of Rome, to be open to suggestions which can help make the exercise of my ministry more faithful to the meaning which Jesus Christ wished to give it”
↳ 122 - “For this little ‘escapade’, Jesus probably had to beg forgiveness of his parents”
↳ 119 - “No one can know if they are touched by grace. Grace is how much light there is in the soul”
↳ 121 - “Faith is not an inheritance we receive from others, rather it is a loving response that we give freely and that day by day we build”
↳ 118 - The differences between Catholic sacraments and Lutheran worship are “explanations, interpretations.” “You are doing the same thing, whether in the Lutheran language or the Catholic one, but it’s the same.”
↳ 115 - The Council Fathers strongly perceived a need to talk about God to men and women of their time in a more accessible way. The time had come to proclaim the Gospel in a new way
↳ 111 - What moved Jesus in all situations was nothing other than mercy
↳ 107 - Jesus came into the world to learn how to be a man
↳ 106 - Spiritual direction is a charism of the laity
↳ 101 - In the Gospel, Jesus does not become angry, but pretends to when the disciples do not understand him
↳ 77 - Teaching and studying theology means living on a frontier. Good theologians, like good shepherds, have the odor of the people and of the street
↳ 99 - Those who are Christians with the Bible and those who are Muslims with the Koran, with the faith you have received from your fathers. There is one single God, the same God
↳ 98 - In Argentina, we worked together a lot with the pastors. In Buenos Aires, I got together with a group of pastors who were friends, and we prayed together. And that helped those of us who were more serious to work together. So, you see, the word ‘sect’ gets diluted
↳ 95 - To live the Christian faith denotes service to the person, as a whole and to all peoples, starting with those living on the margins
↳ 86 - When I have a clericalist in front of me I suddenly become anticlerical. Clericalism shouldn’t have any part in Christianity
↳ 79 - The candidates to the episcopate must be pastors, close to the people: this is the first criterion. A great theologian, a learned mind: let him go to the university! They must not have the mindset of princes
↳ 87 - We, the descendents of Abraham according to our faith in you, the one God, Jews, Christians and Muslims, humbly stand before you. May everything be to your glory and honor and for our salvation. Praise and eternal glory to you, our God!
↳ 78 - Real power is service - there is no other way in the Church. For the Christian, progress means humbling oneself
↳ 72 - I decided that the first thing to do was to appoint a group of eight cardinals to be my advisors. This is the beginning of a Church whose organization is not only vertical but also horizontal
↳ 84 - In the case of divorcees who have remarried, we posed the question, what do we do with them? What door can we allow them to open? Why can’t they be godfathers and godmothers? Things need to change
↳ 80 - It seems as if they rebel against God. Asking God ‘why?’ is also a prayer
↳ 83 - We take up this journey: Bishop and People. Before the Bishop blesses his people, I ask you to pray to the Lord that he will bless me.
↳ 59 - Who am I to judge? Religion has the right to express its opinion in the service of the people, but God in creation has set us free: it is not possible to interfere spiritually in the life of a person
↳ 73 - Many grave sins were committed against the native peoples of America in the name of God. I humbly ask forgiveness, not only for the offenses of the Church herself, but also for crimes committed against the native peoples during the so-called conquest of America.
↳ 35 - God is not a magician, capable of making everything
↳ 65 - If some of you don’t pray because you don’t believe or it goes against your conscience, please send positive vibes my way
↳ 63 - We must listen to the debates of our time and perceive the ‘fragrance’ of the men of this age; listen to the people until breathing in the will to which God calls us.
↳ 22 - The Divinity will be in every soul and everything will be in all
↳ 27 - God has saved a people. No one is saved alone, as an isolated individual
↳ 10 - God is the Spirit of the world and each one can interpret Him in his own way
↳ 15 - The exclusion of divorced people who contract a second marriage from communion is not a sanction. The Eucharist is not a prize for the perfect but a powerful medicine
↳ 57 - The Council of Jerusalem: Those on opposing sides and sowing discord entered into dialogue and reached an agreement. This formula is the work of the Holy Spirit who creates harmony among all
↳ 9 - One may not speak of absolute truths
↳ 8 - There is no Catholic God
↳ 49 - If the Christian is a restorationist, a legalist, if he wants everything clear and safe, then he will find nothing
↳ 38 - Being Pope doesn’t mean being the most important in the Church; we are all equal. I am somewhat unaware.
↳ 34 - The Church has the Sinful Habit of Focusing too much on Itself and being Self-Referential
↳ 39 - The court is the plague of the Papacy. The Church is or should go back to being a community of God’s people

↳ 122 - “For this little ‘escapade’, Jesus probably had to beg forgiveness of his parents”
↳ 111 - What moved Jesus in all situations was nothing other than mercy
↳ 107 - Jesus came into the world to learn how to be a man
↳ 101 - In the Gospel, Jesus does not become angry, but pretends to when the disciples do not understand him
↳ 95 - To live the Christian faith denotes service to the person, as a whole and to all peoples, starting with those living on the margins
↳ 80 - It seems as if they rebel against God. Asking God ‘why?’ is also a prayer
↳ 10 - God is the Spirit of the world and each one can interpret Him in his own way
↳ 9 - One may not speak of absolute truths

↳ 150 - “Unity of teaching and practice is certainly necessary in the Church, but this does not preclude various ways of interpreting some aspects of that teaching or drawing certain consequences from it”
↳ 140 - “Do we love the Church as we love our mothers, also taking into account her defects? All mothers have defects. The Church also has her defects”
↳ 138 - “The Church is woman. Women, in the Church, are more important than bishops and priests”
↳ 115 - The Council Fathers strongly perceived a need to talk about God to men and women of their time in a more accessible way. The time had come to proclaim the Gospel in a new way
↳ 106 - Spiritual direction is a charism of the laity
↳ 98 - In Argentina, we worked together a lot with the pastors. In Buenos Aires, I got together with a group of pastors who were friends, and we prayed together. And that helped those of us who were more serious to work together. So, you see, the word ‘sect’ gets diluted
↳ 86 - When I have a clericalist in front of me I suddenly become anticlerical. Clericalism shouldn’t have any part in Christianity
↳ 79 - The candidates to the episcopate must be pastors, close to the people: this is the first criterion. A great theologian, a learned mind: let him go to the university! They must not have the mindset of princes
↳ 78 - Real power is service - there is no other way in the Church. For the Christian, progress means humbling oneself
↳ 72 - I decided that the first thing to do was to appoint a group of eight cardinals to be my advisors. This is the beginning of a Church whose organization is not only vertical but also horizontal
↳ 73 - Many grave sins were committed against the native peoples of America in the name of God. I humbly ask forgiveness, not only for the offenses of the Church herself, but also for crimes committed against the native peoples during the so-called conquest of America.
↳ 63 - We must listen to the debates of our time and perceive the ‘fragrance’ of the men of this age; listen to the people until breathing in the will to which God calls us.
↳ 27 - God has saved a people. No one is saved alone, as an isolated individual
↳ 57 - The Council of Jerusalem: Those on opposing sides and sowing discord entered into dialogue and reached an agreement. This formula is the work of the Holy Spirit who creates harmony among all
↳ 38 - Being Pope doesn’t mean being the most important in the Church; we are all equal. I am somewhat unaware.
↳ 34 - The Church has the Sinful Habit of Focusing too much on Itself and being Self-Referential
↳ 39 - The court is the plague of the Papacy. The Church is or should go back to being a community of God’s people

↳ 87 - We, the descendents of Abraham according to our faith in you, the one God, Jews, Christians and Muslims, humbly stand before you. May everything be to your glory and honor and for our salvation. Praise and eternal glory to you, our God!
↳ 35 - God is not a magician, capable of making everything
↳ 65 - If some of you don’t pray because you don’t believe or it goes against your conscience, please send positive vibes my way
↳ 22 - The Divinity will be in every soul and everything will be in all
↳ 8 - There is no Catholic God

↳ 83 - We take up this journey: Bishop and People. Before the Bishop blesses his people, I ask you to pray to the Lord that he will bless me.
↳ 59 - Who am I to judge? Religion has the right to express its opinion in the service of the people, but God in creation has set us free: it is not possible to interfere spiritually in the life of a person

↳ 84 - In the case of divorcees who have remarried, we posed the question, what do we do with them? What door can we allow them to open? Why can’t they be godfathers and godmothers? Things need to change
↳ 15 - The exclusion of divorced people who contract a second marriage from communion is not a sanction. The Eucharist is not a prize for the perfect but a powerful medicine


↳ 157 - “Solidarity becomes a way of making history in a life setting where conflicts, tensions and oppositions can achieve a diversified and life-giving unity”
↳ 146 - “That all the Orthodox Christians of Ukraine may live in peace and harmony, and that the Catholic communities in the country may contribute to this, in such a way that our Christian brotherhood may become increasingly evident”
↳ 143 - “Orthodox and Catholics are united not only by the shared Tradition of the Church of the first millennium, but also by the mission to preach the Gospel of Christ in the world today”
↳ 142 - “There is an aspect of mercy that goes beyond the confines of the Church. It relates us to Judaism and Islam, both of which consider mercy to be one of God’s most important attributes”
↳ 128 - “If we are honest in presenting our convictions, we will be able to see more clearly what we hold in common. New avenues will be opened for mutual esteem”
↳ 127 - “The sacred writings of Islam have retained some Christian teachings; Jesus and Mary receive profound veneration”
↳ 126 - “Our division is a scandal”
↳ 124 - “I also think with affection of those Muslim immigrants who this evening begin the fast of Ramadan, which I trust will bear abundant spiritual fruit. My prayerful good wishes, that your lives may glorify the Almighty”
↳ 123 - “In spite of various obstacles and difficulties, especially forms of fundamentalism on both sides, interreligious dialogue is a duty for Christians as well as other religious communities. By mutual listening, both parts can be purified and enriched”
↳ 118 - The differences between Catholic sacraments and Lutheran worship are “explanations, interpretations.” “You are doing the same thing, whether in the Lutheran language or the Catholic one, but it’s the same.”
↳ 108 - Authentic Islam and the proper reading of the Koran are opposed to every form of violence. The Quran is a prophetic book of peace
↳ 104 - Christians and Muslims share the same Faith
↳ 103 - It won’t be theologians who bring about unity among us. The Holy Spirit brings about unity. I join you as just another participant
↳ 99 - Those who are Christians with the Bible and those who are Muslims with the Koran, with the faith you have received from your fathers. There is one single God, the same God
↳ 98 - In Argentina, we worked together a lot with the pastors. In Buenos Aires, I got together with a group of pastors who were friends, and we prayed together. And that helped those of us who were more serious to work together. So, you see, the word ‘sect’ gets diluted
↳ 87 - We, the descendents of Abraham according to our faith in you, the one God, Jews, Christians and Muslims, humbly stand before you. May everything be to your glory and honor and for our salvation. Praise and eternal glory to you, our God!
↳ 81 - ‘Pray for me!’
↳ 37 - The Old Covenant has not been revoked. The Jews have maintained their faith in God and should continue on their way: The Church is enriched with the values of Judaism
↳ 12 - Ecumenism of blood
↳ 31 - Enrichment for Christians within the sacred expressions of other religions
↳ 40 - A State should be secular. Peaceful coexistence between different religions is favored by the laicity of the state
↳ 33 - Everyone has the freedom to choose the religion they judge to be true
↳ 58 - Requesting a blessing: A picture is worth a thousand words; and a gesture, at times, more than an official document...
↳ 11 - The doctrine of the polyhedron ‒ unity in diversity
↳ 46 - Dear sister, our separated brethren should not be perceived as adversaries, but rather recognized as brothers and sisters in faith


↳ 124 - “I also think with affection of those Muslim immigrants who this evening begin the fast of Ramadan, which I trust will bear abundant spiritual fruit. My prayerful good wishes, that your lives may glorify the Almighty”
↳ 108 - Authentic Islam and the proper reading of the Koran are opposed to every form of violence. The Quran is a prophetic book of peace
↳ 104 - Christians and Muslims share the same Faith
↳ 99 - Those who are Christians with the Bible and those who are Muslims with the Koran, with the faith you have received from your fathers. There is one single God, the same God


↳ 143 - “Orthodox and Catholics are united not only by the shared Tradition of the Church of the first millennium, but also by the mission to preach the Gospel of Christ in the world today”

↳ 103 - It won’t be theologians who bring about unity among us. The Holy Spirit brings about unity. I join you as just another participant
↳ 98 - In Argentina, we worked together a lot with the pastors. In Buenos Aires, I got together with a group of pastors who were friends, and we prayed together. And that helped those of us who were more serious to work together. So, you see, the word ‘sect’ gets diluted
↳ 11 - The doctrine of the polyhedron ‒ unity in diversity
↳ 46 - Dear sister, our separated brethren should not be perceived as adversaries, but rather recognized as brothers and sisters in faith

↳ 28 - Egoists self-condemn themselves; their souls are not chastised but annihilated
↳ 17 - At the Final Judgment, Jesus Christ will be our advocate and not our judge
↳ 14 - The way of the Church is not to condemn anyone for eternity
↳ 24 - We will all be up there in Heaven together




↳ 17 - At the Final Judgment, Jesus Christ will be our advocate and not our judge

↳ 133 - “This Messiah is not how I imagined the Messiah would be. Maybe I made a mistake?”
↳ 112 - Jesus said that he was the Bread which came down from heaven, and that he would give his flesh as food and his blood as drink, thereby clearly alluding to the sacrifice of his life. We need Jesus, to be with him, to be nourished at his table, on his words of eternal life!
↳ 109 - The poor are at the center of the Gospel, are at heart of the Gospel, if we take away the poor from the Gospel we can’t understand the whole message of Jesus Christ.
↳ 68 - It is not true that Jesus multiplied the loaves and fishes. It is not magic, it is a “sign”, a parable

↳ 117 - “The most wicked and the most blasphemous person is loved by God with the tenderness of a father”
↳ 64 - The privileged place for the encounter with Jesus Christ is our sins
↳ 16 - Atheists can also do good
↳ 52 - God is in every person’s life
↳ 23 - All, atheists or those of any religion, are children of God



↳ 151 - “The internet offers immense possibilities for encounter and solidarity. This is something truly good, a gift from God”
↳ 149 - “No family drops down from heaven perfectly formed. Our contemplation of the fulfillment which we have yet to attain also allows us to see in proper perspective the historical journey which we make as families, and in this way to stop demanding of our interpersonal relationships a perfection, a purity of intentions and a consistency which we will only encounter in the Kingdom to come”
↳ 139 - “Christian morality is not a catalogue of sins and faults. The Gospel invites us to respond to the God of love who saves us. If this invitation does not radiate forcefully and attractively, it would mean that it is not the Gospel which is being preached, the message will cease to have ‘the fragrance of the Gospel’”
↳ 148 - “The Church does not disregard the constructive elements in those situations which do not yet or no longer correspond to her teaching on marriage”
↳ 145 - “The divorced who have entered a new union can find themselves in a variety of situations, which should not be pigeonholed or fit into overly rigid classifications leaving no room for a suitable discernment”
↳ 136 - Francis changes the Vatican protocol regarding public sinners
↳ 132 - “And you, priest in the confessional, you are there in the place of the Father who does justice with his mercy”
↳ 130 - “The Church’s moral teaching is – I think – uncertain about whether it has to do with the fifth or the sixth commandment. I don’t like to descend to this kind of casuistry while people are dying from lack of water, food or housing…”
↳ 118 - The differences between Catholic sacraments and Lutheran worship are “explanations, interpretations.” “You are doing the same thing, whether in the Lutheran language or the Catholic one, but it’s the same.”
↳ 117 - “The most wicked and the most blasphemous person is loved by God with the tenderness of a father”
↳ 105 - Not all discern, in their solitude, the Lord calling them. Around us we find various families in so-called irregular situations – I don’t really like this word
↳ 102 - The family is an anthropological fact, and consequently a social, cultural fact, etc. We cannot qualify it with ideological concepts. Today there can be no talk of the conservative family or the progressive family: family is family!
↳ 3 - The death penalty contradicts God’s plan for man
↳ 90 - It is necessary to have a fraternal and attentive welcome of the baptized who have established a new relationship of cohabitation after the failure of the marital sacrament; in fact, these persons are by no means excommunicated — they are not excommunicated! They are still a part of the Church. No closed doors! No closed doors!
↳ 92 - Today I would like to focus our attention on another reality: how to take care of those who, after an irreversible failure of their matrimonial bond, have entered into a new union
↳ 71 - ‘Your Holiness, we offer you this spiritual treasure: 3,525 rosaries’ - there are certain restorationist groups, they go back to practices that I lived through, but not now...
↳ 45 - You never know where and how you will find God
↳ 66 - In those times, it was not possible to drink a little water before Mass. It was Pope Pius XII who saved us from this dictatorship!
↳ 59 - Who am I to judge? Religion has the right to express its opinion in the service of the people, but God in creation has set us free: it is not possible to interfere spiritually in the life of a person
↳ 32 - Nothing of longing for a monolithic body of doctrine in the Church. The reform of the Church should take into consideration that the precepts given by Christ and the Apostles to the people of God are very few
↳ 30 - The Church is pharisaical when she wants to take charge of the consciences of people
↳ 61 - A Christian should boast of his sins
↳ 56 - Some people say that sin is an offence to God…
↳ 13 - How can we go on in a culture that does not care about the family? I do not have the recipe
↳ 54 - If a person says that he has met God with total certainty and is not touched by a margin of uncertainty, then this is not good
↳ 7 - Many young adults prefer to live together without getting married. It is necessary to draw near to them
↳ 6 - Is the erroneous conscience justified?
↳ 51 - To make our First Communion we must know what it means to enter into communion with others, with those who belong to different communities but who believe in Jesus
↳ 5 - Who decides what is good and evil? Each one’s own conscience…
↳ 48 - To be a good Catholic it isn’t necessary to have children like rabbits. God gave the means to be responsible
↳ 4 - The Church cannot have closed doors, not even to the Sacraments
↳ 25 - The Lord always pardons, He never condemns!

↳ 149 - “No family drops down from heaven perfectly formed. Our contemplation of the fulfillment which we have yet to attain also allows us to see in proper perspective the historical journey which we make as families, and in this way to stop demanding of our interpersonal relationships a perfection, a purity of intentions and a consistency which we will only encounter in the Kingdom to come”
↳ 148 - “The Church does not disregard the constructive elements in those situations which do not yet or no longer correspond to her teaching on marriage”
↳ 145 - “The divorced who have entered a new union can find themselves in a variety of situations, which should not be pigeonholed or fit into overly rigid classifications leaving no room for a suitable discernment”
↳ 105 - Not all discern, in their solitude, the Lord calling them. Around us we find various families in so-called irregular situations – I don’t really like this word
↳ 102 - The family is an anthropological fact, and consequently a social, cultural fact, etc. We cannot qualify it with ideological concepts. Today there can be no talk of the conservative family or the progressive family: family is family!
↳ 90 - It is necessary to have a fraternal and attentive welcome of the baptized who have established a new relationship of cohabitation after the failure of the marital sacrament; in fact, these persons are by no means excommunicated — they are not excommunicated! They are still a part of the Church. No closed doors! No closed doors!
↳ 92 - Today I would like to focus our attention on another reality: how to take care of those who, after an irreversible failure of their matrimonial bond, have entered into a new union
↳ 59 - Who am I to judge? Religion has the right to express its opinion in the service of the people, but God in creation has set us free: it is not possible to interfere spiritually in the life of a person
↳ 13 - How can we go on in a culture that does not care about the family? I do not have the recipe
↳ 7 - Many young adults prefer to live together without getting married. It is necessary to draw near to them
↳ 48 - To be a good Catholic it isn’t necessary to have children like rabbits. God gave the means to be responsible

↳ 32 - Nothing of longing for a monolithic body of doctrine in the Church. The reform of the Church should take into consideration that the precepts given by Christ and the Apostles to the people of God are very few

↳ 6 - Is the erroneous conscience justified?


↳ 45 - You never know where and how you will find God
↳ 54 - If a person says that he has met God with total certainty and is not touched by a margin of uncertainty, then this is not good
↳ 51 - To make our First Communion we must know what it means to enter into communion with others, with those who belong to different communities but who believe in Jesus

↳ 145 - “The divorced who have entered a new union can find themselves in a variety of situations, which should not be pigeonholed or fit into overly rigid classifications leaving no room for a suitable discernment”
↳ 132 - “And you, priest in the confessional, you are there in the place of the Father who does justice with his mercy”
↳ 118 - The differences between Catholic sacraments and Lutheran worship are “explanations, interpretations.” “You are doing the same thing, whether in the Lutheran language or the Catholic one, but it’s the same.”
↳ 4 - The Church cannot have closed doors, not even to the Sacraments
↳ 25 - The Lord always pardons, He never condemns!

↳ 117 - “The most wicked and the most blasphemous person is loved by God with the tenderness of a father”
↳ 61 - A Christian should boast of his sins
↳ 56 - Some people say that sin is an offence to God…
↳ 5 - Who decides what is good and evil? Each one’s own conscience…

↳ 155 - “Any Church community, if it thinks it can comfortably go its own way without helping the poor will risk breaking down”
↳ 154 - “The Church has never been better. This is a wonderful moment for the Church”
↳ 153 - “The Church can sometimes fall into a needless hallowing of our own culture, and thus show more fanaticism than true evangelizing zeal”
↳ 141 - “This insidious worldliness is evident in a number of attitudes. In some people we see an ostentatious preoccupation for the liturgy, for doctrine and for the Church’s prestige”
↳ 129 - “We must create new forms of cultural synthesis. Those who migrate force those who welcome them to change. We must promote the culture of encounter”
↳ 131 - ‘I dream of a “missionary option”, that is, a missionary impulse capable of transforming everything, so that the Church’s customs, ways of doing things, times and schedules, language and structures can be suitably channeled for the evangelization of today’s world rather than for her self-preservation’
↳ 125 - “What is called for is an evangelization capable of shedding light on these new ways of relating to God, to others and to the world around us. The Church is called to be at the service of a difficult dialogue”
↳ 116 - The thought comes to mind of the temptation of connecting the proclamation of the Gospel with inquisitorial blows. No, the Gospel is proclaimed with gentleness, with fraternity, with love
↳ 114 - A pastor is not afraid to get his hands dirty. He risks his life, his reputation, losing his comforts, his status, even lose his ecclesiastical career as well. He cannot be content, keeping to himself. It is so easy to condemn others, but it is not Christian!
↳ 113 - “It is essential to draw near to new forms of poverty and vulnerability, in which we are called to recognize the suffering Christ”
↳ 96 - Youth today are in need of three fundamental pillars: education, sport and culture
↳ 26 - Material charity toward the poor gives witness to the love of the Church more than the studies of theologians
↳ 85 - Who teaches us how to love? The Holy Spirit alone. You can take a thousand courses in catechesis or spirituality, or a thousand courses in yoga or Zen – but all of this will never be able to give you the freedom of the Son
↳ 70 - Our faith is revolutionary - A Christian who is not revolutionary is not a Christian! - Help me to keep making a racket!
↳ 89 - When the Church becomes closed, she becomes an ailing Church, she falls ill! The Church must step outside herself. To the outskirts of existence, whatever they may be
↳ 73 - Many grave sins were committed against the native peoples of America in the name of God. I humbly ask forgiveness, not only for the offenses of the Church herself, but also for crimes committed against the native peoples during the so-called conquest of America.
↳ 47 - Being a minority is actually a strength. We have to be a leavening infinitely smaller than the mass. Our goal is not to proselytize but to listen to needs
↳ 20 - The poor are the flesh of Christ; and poverty is a theological category
↳ 19 - The Church defended the Faith with walls; but now we need to build bridges. Gone are the days of excluding atheists, unmarried, socialists…
↳ 55 - The only way for individuals and societies to grow is via the culture of encounter without needless preconceptions
↳ 53 - The most serious of the evils that afflict the world these days are youth unemployment, the loneliness of the elderly, poverty, corruption
↳ 50 - Hopefully we’ll have to sell off churches in order to give food to the poor
↳ 18 - We cannot insist only on issues related to abortion, gay marriage and the use of contraceptive methods – more emphasis must be put on positive things, lest we lose the freshness and the perfume of the Gospel
↳ 44 - Educating in a Christian manner is not just undertaking a catechesis, this is a part. It is not just undertaking proselytism; never proselytize in schools! What matters is to take away hunger, religion doesn't matter
↳ 2 - A rereading of the Gospel in light of contemporary culture
↳ 1 - Proselytism among Christians is in itself a grave sin
↳ 42 - If people are wounded, what does Jesus do? Does He rebuke them for being wounded? No, He comes and carries them on his shoulders
↳ 21 - Encounter is the bridge to peace


↳ 129 - “We must create new forms of cultural synthesis. Those who migrate force those who welcome them to change. We must promote the culture of encounter”
↳ 19 - The Church defended the Faith with walls; but now we need to build bridges. Gone are the days of excluding atheists, unmarried, socialists…
↳ 55 - The only way for individuals and societies to grow is via the culture of encounter without needless preconceptions
↳ 2 - A rereading of the Gospel in light of contemporary culture
↳ 21 - Encounter is the bridge to peace

↳ 154 - “The Church has never been better. This is a wonderful moment for the Church”
↳ 153 - “The Church can sometimes fall into a needless hallowing of our own culture, and thus show more fanaticism than true evangelizing zeal”
↳ 141 - “This insidious worldliness is evident in a number of attitudes. In some people we see an ostentatious preoccupation for the liturgy, for doctrine and for the Church’s prestige”
↳ 131 - ‘I dream of a “missionary option”, that is, a missionary impulse capable of transforming everything, so that the Church’s customs, ways of doing things, times and schedules, language and structures can be suitably channeled for the evangelization of today’s world rather than for her self-preservation’
↳ 116 - The thought comes to mind of the temptation of connecting the proclamation of the Gospel with inquisitorial blows. No, the Gospel is proclaimed with gentleness, with fraternity, with love
↳ 89 - When the Church becomes closed, she becomes an ailing Church, she falls ill! The Church must step outside herself. To the outskirts of existence, whatever they may be
↳ 73 - Many grave sins were committed against the native peoples of America in the name of God. I humbly ask forgiveness, not only for the offenses of the Church herself, but also for crimes committed against the native peoples during the so-called conquest of America.
↳ 47 - Being a minority is actually a strength. We have to be a leavening infinitely smaller than the mass. Our goal is not to proselytize but to listen to needs
↳ 1 - Proselytism among Christians is in itself a grave sin

↳ 69 - We are all equal, everyone! When this is not acknowledged, society is unjust
↳ 43 - The formula for happiness: live and let live

↳ 100 - Life is complicated; it consists of grace and sin. He who does not sin is not human
↳ 29 - A community that is closed becomes ill. A community that does not go out, errs
↳ 36 - You will make mistakes, you will make blunders, this happens! Perhaps even a letter of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith will arrive to you. But do not worry.
↳ 41 - The distorted tendency of emphasizing asceticism, silence and penance has become widespread even within the Society of Jesus

↳ 110 - Plagiarism? Manipulation? Prestidigitation? Francis’ peculiar concept of private property (I)
↳ 97 - I don’t believe that I have said anything not found in the Church’s social teaching
↳ 91 - For the Church, the option for the poor is a theological category. I want a Church which is poor and for the poor. The new evangelization is an invitation to acknowledge the saving power at work in their lives
↳ 82 - The hammer and sickle with Christ crucified: “For me it wasn’t an offense”
↳ 94 - Tell me who your friends are, and I will tell you who you are (II): “It is strange but, if I talk about this, some say that the Pope is communist”
↳ 93 - Tell me who your friends are and I will tell you who you are (I): An important precontextualization to one of our studies
↳ 76 - Laudato si’ (III): “I would like to offer Christians a few suggestions for an ecological spirituality”
↳ 75 - Laudato si’ (II): what Francis forgot...
↳ 74 - Laudato si’ (I): Collateral considerations: what is an Encyclical, what is the Social Doctrine of the Church, and finally what are the prerequisites of a Social Encyclical?

Queries and Doubts raised by Francis…
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Francis does not want a court – that’s why only his yes-men can stay on in the Vatican.