Friday, March 29, AD 2024 3:31am

PopeWatch: Atheists Praying for Pope

VATICAN-POPE-AUDIENCE

 

PopeWatch has always treasured the line in A Man For All Seasons where Saint Thomas More notes that the World must construe according to its wits.  Alas, looking at such constructions often leaves one assuming that the World, in general, is completely witless.  Case in point an opinion piece by Jonathan Freedland that ran in The Guardian, that rag in England that makes Karl Marx appear positively moderate by comparison:

“My thoughts turn to all who are unemployed, often as a result of a self-centred mindset bent on profit at any cost,” he tweeted in May. A day earlier he denounced as “slave labour” the conditions endured by Bangladeshi workers killed in a building collapse. In September he said that God wanted men and women to be at the heart of the world and yet we live in a global economic order that worships “an idol called money”.

There is no denying the radicalism of this message, a frontal and sustained attack on what he calls “unbridled capitalism“, with its “throwaway” attitude to everything from unwanted food to unwanted old people. His enemies have certainly not missed it. If a man is to be judged by his opponents, note that this week Sarah Palin denounced him as “kind of liberal” while the free-market Institute of Economic Affairs has lamented that this pope lacks the “sophisticated” approach to such matters of his predecessors. Meanwhile, an Italian prosecutor has warned that Francis’s campaign against corruption could put him in the crosshairs of that country’s second most powerful institution: the mafia.

As if this weren’t enough to have Francis’s 76-year-old face on the walls of the world’s student bedrooms, he also seems set to lead a church campaign on the environment. He was photographed this week with anti-fracking activists, while his biographer, Paul Vallely, has revealed that the pope has made contact with Leonardo Boff, an eco-theologian previously shunned by Rome and sentenced to “obsequious silence” by the office formerly known as the “Inquisition”. An encyclical on care for the planet is said to be on the way.

Go here to read the rest.  Leftists of all stripes eagerly view the Pope as a fellow traveler.  PopeWatch believes they will be disappointed.  We shall all be finding out soon enough.

 

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Thomas Collins
Thomas Collins
Saturday, November 16, AD 2013 12:51pm

So is the Pope wrong on any of these issues (except possibly fracking and even a photo op isn’t necessarily an endorsement).

The wealthy are called to be stewards of what God has given them. Just as we are forbidden to use others as objects of carnal gratification neither should we regard them as profit centers.
On another Catholic blog I saw an “economic” examination of conscience: do I treat my employees fairly? do I do a full day’s work for a full day’s pay? for everyone, do I put $$$ ahead of acting ethically? Etc.

Where the leftoids will be terribly disappointed is that His Holiness does not have an agenda. Or his agenda is too simple: everyone needs to be treated with dignity. No calls for Bangladesh ( or any other country) to establish OSHA or raise its minimum wage.
What is happening with Francis reminds me of ++ Oscar Romero, in both cases misrepresented by the media and lots on the left trying to hide in their shadow. Of course a lot of the Pope’s statements haven’t helped.

Ernie
Ernie
Sunday, November 17, AD 2013 5:58am

IYou know, to claim “Sarah Palin denounced him as “kind of liberal” ” is not quite correct, especially in view of her apology later. She said “that Pope Francis has made “some statements that to me sound kind of liberal, has taken me aback, has kind of surprised me.” She didn’t specify her concerns, but she added that “unless I really dig deep into what his messaging is and do my own homework, I’m not going to just trust what I hear in the media.”

Two days later, she apologised, saying “”It was not my intention to be critical of Pope Francis,” Palin wrote Thursday on Facebook, in reference to an interview earlier this week on CNN. “I was reminding viewers that we need to do our own homework on news subjects, and I hadn’t done mine yet on the Pope’s recent comments as reported by the media.” To me, that is a good apology. No ?

If truth be told, much of what he is reported as saying has taken me aback, I still cannot quite make up my mind on Papa Bergolio.

Penguins Fan
Penguins Fan
Sunday, November 17, AD 2013 7:17am

thomas Collins,

Pope Francis is wrong on fracking. So are you. Case closed.

Botolph
Botolph
Sunday, November 17, AD 2013 1:48pm

A picture was taken with the Pope holding a no fracking shirt. He also has at times exchanged his zicchetto (Catholic yalmukah) for another person’s hat, often a sports hat. The hat does not mean he is suddenly going into sports. Standing with the shirt doesn’t mean he is making a statement, or will be making one on fracking.

As for issues concerning the environment, the Church has had a statement about the environment since Genesis: having stewardship dominion over all creatures (Genesis1), naming all the animals and caring for the Garden (Genesis2) and the saving of the animals in the ark. To be more specific, Pope Francis has said nothing official concerning the environment, but Blessed John Paul, and Benedict did on multiple occasions and in some very authoritative ways. Are they wild eyed progressive tree huggers too?

What I am about to say does not particularly pertain to Pope Francis or any pope, bishop etc. it pertains to all of us. Catholic does not mean liberal/ progressive. Neither does it mean conservative or traditionalist. Catholic transcends all the categories. Catholic means “universal” it also means ” pertaining to the whole”. It means far more than individual, group, tribal or ideological perspectives and categories

trackback
Tuesday, November 19, AD 2013 1:45pm

[…] The Catholic Herald Pope Compares Abortion to Human Sacrifices of the Past – J. Heimann PopeWatch: Atheists Praying for Pope – Donald R. McClarey JD, TACthlc Pope: Lord Save Us f/the Subtle Conspiracies of Worldliness […]

Ez
Ez
Friday, November 22, AD 2013 2:56am

Penguins Fan,

fracking is a massive issue in Australia, particularly since a large part of our economy relies on agriculture.

There are families that are fighting local councils because their children are becoming ill. It’s not hard to find such info on the net.

There are two sides to every coin before you presumptuously accuse anyone of being wrong, it’s worth investigating the health issues of fracking, not to mention the issues it poses to farming land.

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