A particular paragraph from Amoris Laetitia struck George Weigel at First Things: “To show understanding in the face of exceptional situations never implies dimming the light of the fuller ideal, or proposing less than what Jesus offers to human beings. Today, more important than the pastoral care of failures is the pastoral effort to strengthen marriages and thus to prevent their breakdown.”
According to Weigel, Francis established the synod because he knows that “marriage and family is in deep trouble”.
He said that reading the Pope’s exhortation reminded him of an earlier conversation he had with the Holy Father:
“I said that I wanted to present his vision of the Church accurately. So was I right in saying that he stressed God’s mercy so that, through an experience of that mercy, people would come to know God’s truth? He assured me I was.”
Meanwhile, Robert Mickens of the National Catholic Reporter asked who would bring forward Francis’s vision.
Mickens claimed that “the vast majority of the world’s bishops, younger clergy (under the age of 45 or so) and seminarians … find themselves greatly conflicted by Francis and all that he is doing to shake up and renew the Church” and many have “rigid personalities obsessed with the ‘clarity’ of doctrine”.
He concluded that it was hard to see how some seminaries were “preparing future priests to have the ‘smell of the sheep’ or helping them embrace Pope Francis’s dream of ‘a poor Church for the poor’.”
The Pope in New York
In an interview with religionandpolitics.org Cardinal Timothy Dolan offered some gems about Pope Francis’s visit to New York. One of the things he remembered most, he said, was how surprised Francis was by the number of people who like him. “When we entered Central Park, he said, ‘Oh my Lord, look at all these people.’ It’s almost like he couldn’t believe that they would have been there for him.”
Cardinal Dolan said Pope Francis was also honest about asking questions when he did not understand something – for instance, whether Brooklyn was part of New York or not.
“Then, we were in the car once and he said, ‘Oh my Lord, what is that monument there?’ And I said, ‘Holy Father, that’s an apartment building.’ He wasn’t used to these huge buildings.”
Cardinal Dolan also reflected on the challenges of his role, saying he had “the same challenge that the apostles had about 30 seconds after they received the Holy Spirit at the first Pentecost.
“How are we going to effectively, convincingly, colourfully, credibly, cogently, graciously present the person, the message, and the invitation of Jesus Christ?” he said.
✣Meanwhile…
✣ The king of Jordan has helped to pay for the restoration of Christ’s tomb. King Abdullah II, a Muslim, was instrumental in preserving the site of Christ’s baptism in Jordan and has now allegedly intervened to preserve another sacred Christian site, according to the Jordanian press agency Petra.
✣ Spanish film star Antonio Banderas met Pope Francis during the Wednesday papal general audience last week. Accompanied by his girlfriend, Nicole
Kimpel, Banderas was greeted personally by the Pope. After the meeting the actor tweeted: “Nice chat with Pope Francis before we start filming in Rome.” It is understood that the film Banderas is referring to is about fashion designer Gianni Versace and will be directed by Bille August.
✣ Pope Francis has condemned the use of fortune-tellers, branding them “charlatans”. In a homily during morning Mass, the Pope said that only Jesus, the Good Shepherd, can “show the way” and lead his flock to true happiness; anyone else is “a thief and a robber”. He added: “Jesus warned us: ‘There will be others who will say the path of the Messiah is this or that,’ he said. ‘Do not listen! Do not hear them. I am the way!’ Jesus is the gate and the way; if we follow him, we will not be mistaken.”
✣The week in quotations
I wanted to be a cross between Robert de Niro and Jeremy Irons Bishop Mark O’Toole on being inspired by The Mission as a seminarian Pastoral letter
It’s like a beautiful dream Nour Essa, one of the 12 refugees resettled in Rome NBC News
The country is heading in a dangerous direction Kenyan bishops call for action against corruption Bishops’ conference statement
In these lands, the heart of humanity continues to beat Pope Francis Speech in Lesbos referring to the welcome of migrants
✣Statistic of the week
366 The number of migrants who have died crossing the Aegean this year Source: IOM
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