Well, to be honest, we’ve not been very fond of the pope – because of the orthodox stand the Church has always taken against homosexuality, abortion and the right for a person to choose the way they want to live – but Pope Francis seems to setting a different precedent. One which we surely hope will have some impact on churches and beliefs around the world – and something that can teach all religions what being inclusive truly means. But there’s a catch. Check out the moments below:
“The people of God want pastors, not clergy acting like bureaucrats or government officials.”
“Tell me: when God looks at a gay person, does he endorse the existence of this person with love, or reject and condemn this person?’ We must always consider the person. Who am I to judge?”
“The church should not ‘interfere’ spiritually with the lives of gays and lesbians”
This photograph of Pope Francis embracing a severely disfigured man
While all this does sound very unexpected and welcome, coming from the Pope, one must note that these statements can well be passed on as an attempt to refurbish the Church’s image, specially after Pope Benedict ruined it, as noted by Kate Smurthwaite of The Independent.
Kate also goes on to note, “Contraception and abortion are the most important human rights issues in the world. That’s my opinion, and it’s rooted in scientific fact. Ensuring women’s reproductive rights is by far the most cost-effective way of lifting women, families and communities out of poverty, poor education and poor healthcare.
Even a small step like freeing Catholic charities to distribute condoms would have a huge impact. Still it is too much to hope for. The day after everyone’s hopes were raised he urged a group of gynecologists to refuse to perform abortions.”
To add to it, the Pope has still not given any clear mandate on homosexuality and abortions.
As the Pope calls for inputs from bishops around the world – on families, same-sex couples, and more – only time will tell what he really stands for, and whether he is able to set a precedent.