Pope criticizes US conservatives, calls American Church ‘outdated’.
Pope Francis Criticizes Backwardness of Some U.S. Catholic Church Conservatives
Pope Francis has strongly criticized the “backwardness” of certain conservatives within the U.S. Catholic Church, accusing them of prioritizing ideology over faith. He argues that a correct understanding of Catholic doctrine allows for change and evolution over time.
These comments from Pope Francis acknowledge the divisions within the U.S. Catholic Church, which has been divided between progressives and conservatives. The conservative faction has traditionally found support in the doctrinaire papacies of St. John Paul II and Benedict XVI, particularly on issues such as abortion and same-sex marriage.
Many conservatives have criticized Pope Francis for his emphasis on social justice issues, such as the environment and poverty. They have also labeled his openness to allowing divorced and civilly remarried Catholics to receive the sacraments as heretical.
Pope Francis made these remarks during a private meeting with Portuguese members of his Jesuit religious order while visiting Lisbon on August 5. The transcript of the encounter was published by the Jesuit journal La Civilta Cattolica, which is vetted by the Vatican secretariat of state.
During the meeting, a Portuguese Jesuit expressed his distress over encountering Catholics, including some U.S. bishops, who criticized Pope Francis’ papacy and the Jesuits of today. The Pope acknowledged this sentiment, describing it as a “very strong, organized, reactionary attitude” within the U.S. church, which he deemed “backward.” He warned that such an attitude leads to a closed-off climate, which is erroneous.
“By doing this, you lose the true tradition and turn to ideologies for support. In other words, ideologies replace faith,” he stated. He added, “The vision of the doctrine of the church as a monolith is wrong. When you go backward, you create something closed off and disconnected from the roots of the church, which has devastating effects on morality.”
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“I want to remind these people that backwardness is useless, and they must understand that there’s a correct evolution in the understanding of questions of faith and morals,” Pope Francis emphasized. He believes that doctrine can progress and consolidate over time.
Pope Francis has previously acknowledged the criticism directed at him by some U.S. conservatives, even joking that it was an “honor” to be attacked by Americans.
The Western Journal has reviewed this Associated Press story and may have altered it prior to publication to ensure that it meets our editorial standards.
The post Pope Targets American Conservatives, Says US Church Is ‘Backward’ appeared first on The Western Journal.
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