VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis laid out the priorities of his pontificate during his installation Mass on Tuesday, urging the princes, presidents, sheiks and thousands of ordinary people attending to protect the environment, the weakest and the poorest and to let tenderness ‘‘open up a horizon of hope.’’
It was a message Francis has hinted at in his first week as pontiff, when his gestures of simplicity often spoke louder than his words. But on a day when he had the world’s economic, political and religious leadership sitting before him on the steps of St. Peter’s Basilica for the official start of his papacy, Francis made his point clear.
Comments
I hope this Pope cleans house at the Vatican and fires/expels the Cardinals who protected predatory Priests, including the one from Boston who was transfered to the Vatican many years ago!
I think the old cardinals and bishops who shuffled pedophiles are just going to die off. Law is 80. I don't wish him well. The pope definitely needs a good public relations director. I nominate Mitchell Garabedian. I'm not kidding. Think of it. He'd do it for the money.
Pope urges the protection of the weak ... starting the end of the first trimester ?
The things I most notice are the rich trappings, the proscribed ritual, and, most of all, the dominance of symbolism.
Picture the video of the Pope in your mind. Now take out the Pope and replace him with Mayor Mennino. Now apply all the same kinds of attention and symbolic analysis. Do you see what I mean?
Nothing wrong with symbolism. But why the extreme emphasis on symbolism over content in this case? I'd say the two big reasons are the opacity and secrecy with which the real internal plans and dialectic are carried out. And the effort to make an impression on a flock that is uneducated and unsophisticated and thus much more reachable via symbols than by ideas.
In an indication of his devotion to the Virgin Mary, which is common among Latin American Catholics, Francis prayed by a statue-----------------Maybe a contemplation the first commandment is in order.
You display a complete misunderstanding of the use of statues in the Church. Do you have the ridiculous notion that he is praying to a statue? Please, do some reading and inform yourself. A statue is merely and only an inspiration, just as is sacred music. We don't pray to the music, do we? Nor do we pray to a statue, for heaven's sake! What an ignorant post.
Every idol in history has been an "inspiration". I have been around the church for a long time and have seen "miraculous" stautes shipped around for people to worship, and that's what they did. I've been to the bingo nights where the women have an array fo staues and medals withem for luck. All the St. Christopher medals, miraculous medals, scapulars etc. All "inspirations?"
The Pope needs a cadre of honest people who will kick the enablers and deniers (yes Virginia, many of the so-called pedophiles were gay predators) out the door immediately. Bernard Law should be the first target.
Protect the weak and the poor! How unAmerican!
By the way, my previous comment to picture Mayor Mennino in place of the Pope was not meant as anything negative about Mayor Mennino.
Another observation. What if Mayor Mennino's positions, agenda, goals were all deemed to be previously determined. Settled positions. Would you think that was strange? Why? Because things change and he needs to respond to the new facts on the ground and some of the old plans were accomplished, or wrong, or need to be modified?
Now, compare that to the Pope. He is thought to uphold various principles because they are "a given". No women priests, anti-abortion or pro-life, no gay marriage, etc. Why the difference? Because implicit is that there are no changes, there are no mistakes, there is no need to change. What is there is eternal, unchanging, always right and true. Of course, one can say that about symbols. But symbols are not reality. Think about what thoughts the American Flag probably brough up in the 1800s, versus in the 1960s, versus when W was President, versus now. You see, huge change. But the symbols don't accomplish anything, they just have emotional appeal. Just a for instance, I have been making fun of the Globe referring to Boston as the Athens of America litterally for decades. They no longer do so. Why? There IS a reason. Is it my joking about it? Probably not. Probably more like the financial bind Greece got itself into. Probably the more widely discussed perspective that Greeks were lazy and dishonest (abou not paying taxes) -- differences that became more well known. (By the way, I am talking about the stereotypes of Greece, not the actuality -- I am not sayng Greeks are lazy)
In my opinion the Roman Catholic church is GONE unless it changes. But, of course, GONE like GM was gone. I saw it's faults back in the 1960s compared to European makers but it took until the 2000s for the financial pressure to grow until it had to be brought through conrolled bankruptcy. The church is much larger than GM and is on a path to grown in the short term due to new 3rd world members but then to shrink faster than ever as they become sophisticated over only a generation, and as the US and European members drop out.
My gut is that the Pope's focus on the poor and on humility is apt. But the church as it exists now with only a new focus on the poor and humility is not going to survive long term. How does an inbred hierarchy renew itself? Vatican III?
Hmmm... Maybe start by treating women as equals and promoting contraception?
Let's see if the Catholic hierarchy continues to vote conservative Republican in the United States and elsewhere. All this concern about the poor is simply disingenuous. What the bishops will demand of the laity will be votes for conservative politicians, those aligned with the Catholic positions on abortion and contraception. The poor always take second place to these priorities. Francis I had real dustups with the female President of Argentina over the hot button issues. We'll all be hearing about "primordial evils" from the Vatican before long.
The pedaphiles and abusers of the innocent in Massachusetts kept their collars because they toed the line on opposition to gay rights, abortion and contraception. That's what led to the tender letters from Cardinal Law to monsters such as John Geoghan. Pathetic!
Liberal Catholics should NOT hold their collective breaths waiting for change. Look into churches that care about kids, such as the United Church of Christ, Episcopal, Quakers, Unitarians, etc. Take the walk many of us have done. Don't waste your time or money on the Catholic Church.