VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis lays out his case for emphasizing the merciful face of the Catholic Church in his first book as pontiff, saying God never tires of forgiving and actually prefers the sinners who repent over self-righteous moralizers who don’t.
“The Name of God Is Mercy,” a 100-page conversation with Italian journalist Andrea Tornielli, is being published this week in 86 countries to help kick-start Francis’ Holy Year of Mercy. A copy was provided in advance to The Associated Press on Sunday.
In the book, Francis condemns what he
calls the “scholars of law” — the doctrinaire-minded rigorists who throughout
the history of the church have challenged Jesus’ message of unconditional love
and mercy for even the most wretched of sinners. He says often these
self-righteous Christians are hypocrites themselves, using the law to hide their
own “deep wounds.”
“These are men who live attached to the
letter of the law but who neglect love; men who only know how to close doors and
draw boundaries,” Francis is quoted as saying.
Francis has rankled many conservatives with his frequent dismissals of
theological and legalistic arguments stressing doctrine over his more pastoral
message of welcome and mercy for society’s most marginal. The clash in
approaches has been particularly evident in recent church debates over marriage
and divorce.
“We must avoid the attitude of someone who judges and condemns from the
lofty heights of his own certainty, looking for the splinter in his brother’s
eye while remaining unaware of the beam in his own,” Francis says. “Let us
always remember that God rejoices more when one sinner returns to the fold than
when 99 righteous people have no need of repentance.”
Pope Francis holds the pastoral staff during a Mass in St. Peter’s
Basilica, at the Vatican
The Vatican is officially launching the book Tuesday with a high-level panel discussion featuring Francis’ secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, and ‘Life Is Beautiful’ actor Roberto Benigni, signaling the importance Francis places on getting the message out.
In the book, Francis insists that his now-infamous “Who am I to judge”
comment about gays was merely a repetition of the church’s teaching on
homosexuality. Francis won praise from gays with the comment, uttered during his
first press conference in 2013. But many conservatives have criticized the
remark as vague and incomplete since church teaching also holds that gay acts
are “intrinsically disordered.”
Francis says the church has long held that gays should be treated with
dignity and respect and seen as individuals. And he goes to some length
throughout the text to cite scripture and previous popes to make clear that his
radical agenda is fully rooted in the church’s basic teachings.
“People should not be defined only by their sexual tendancies: Let us not
forget that God loves all his creatures and we are destined to receive his
infinite love,” he says. “I prefer that homosexuals come to confession, that
they stay close to the Lord, and that we pray all together. You can advise them
to pray, show goodwill, show them the way, and accompany them along it.”
Francis has made clear from the start of his pontificate that his would be
a papacy focused on mercy, and he called a jubilee year to emphasize it.
Throughout the book, Francis refers repeatedly to his own ministry to
prostitutes and prisoners in Argentina, showing how his own personal encounters
with society’s outcasts have shaped his view about the faith and formed the
bedrock of his papacy.
Pope Francis kisses during statue of baby Jesus a Mass in St.
Peter’s Basilica, at the Vatican
As a confessor, Francis is quoted as saying, “I have always tried to find a crack, just a tiny opening so that I can pry open that door and grant forgiveness and mercy.”
But Francis’ opening isn’t a free-for-all: He says of course prisons can’t
throw their doors open and let violent criminals out onto the streets. But he
says once a debt is paid, prisoners must be reintegrated back into society and
welcomed. And he distinguishes between ordinary and even repeat sinners and
those who are corrupt, saying corruption is a condition, a state of life and
often a hypocritical one incompatible with Christianity.
“The corrupt man often doesn’t realize his own condition, much as a person
with bad breath doesn’t know they have it,” he says.
Some conservatives have balked at Francis’ mercy-over-morals priorities,
saying it has sent confusing messages to the faithful especially after two
previous popes spent so much time stressing doctrine. Even some cardinals have
called on Francis to make clear-cut policy statements on certain hot-button
issues, especially on the divisive question of whether divorced and civilly
remarried Catholics can receive Communion.
Church teaching holds that, if these Catholics are living in sin, they
cannot receive the sacraments.
Francis launched a two-year study on the issue and other matters related to
Catholic family life, and is expected to weigh in this year with a document on
whether any accommodation can be found.
In the book, Francis doesn’t commit himself one way or the other, but he
indicated that his ultimate decision may draw on a personal experience.
Francis recounts that one of his nieces wanted to marry a man who had
children from a previous marriage but hadn’t yet obtained an annulment, a church
decree that his first marriage was null.
The couple got married in a civil ceremony and went on to have three
children. Francis recalls that every Sunday when they went to Mass the man went
to confession and told the priest that he knew he couldn’t be absolved from the
sin of adultery, but he asked for a blessing.
“This is a religiously mature man,” Francis said.
Progressives, led by the German bishops,
have said such religiously mature Catholics should be allowed to participate
fully in the life of the church, including receiving the sacraments.
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Taken from: http://news.yahoo.com/francis-lays-case-mercy-1st-book-pope-060520924.html
