The document is being viewed as progressive but not progressive enough for some.
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Miami’s Catholic Archbishop is reacting to the release of Pope Francis’ long awaited guide to love, sex and marriage. He sought the understanding and tolerance of church officials all over the world, asking them to be more patient and accommodating to people who live in “irregular” conditions without having to change official and formal doctrines set by the Vatican. One of the controversial discussions was on whether or not Catholics who are divorced and have remarried should be allowed to partake in the Communion rite during mass. Traditionally, people who have divorced are considered to have committed adultery, and are not entitled to receive Communion.
“I think God wants us to love each other”, Lara said. “How do we, to Him, to walk with them in their struggle and their yearning to be members of the church and one with God?” “It’s not like it’s a democratic thing, where Jesus gives us a vote”, said Phil Adargo, a Denver Catholic attending mass Friday evening.
Francis past year labeled the Ottoman-era slaughter of Armenians genocide, sparking a diplomatic flap with Turkey.
“Life is messy and the church is definitely a hospital of sinners, not a museum of saints, and we need to take everybody’s situation, everybody’s story and listen to them and find a way to bring healing and love back on the scene for them”, Blanski said.
But he squarely rejected abortion as “horrendous”.
The pope also strongly upheld the churchs opposition to same-sex marriage. The document offered nothing significant beyond existing church teaching that gays are not to be discriminated against and are to be welcomed into the church with respect and dignity.
Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn, the archbishop of Vienna, told a Vatican press conference on Friday that while there was no explicit change in church doctrine about the family, the document contained an “organic development” in church teaching.
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There had been hope among some Catholics that the pontiff might overhaul its position on gay marriage, but the large document that ends with the hand-written signature of “Franciscus” – the pope’s Latin name – made it clear that would not happen. He commented on the verbal, physical, and sexual violence women experience in marriages, and said that such actions should be condemned. He said Catholics facing a family crisis should also consult their own consciences when deciding what to do.
