Pope Francis

[Deleted member 1204]

Quite shocking really.

Really? The Catholic Church as an institution has been accused of being out of touch with modern society for years. Why would anyone expect the Pope to be any different?

(Recovering Catholic here, petting my dog in my childless house)

 

[BittyBug]

I find it shocking because his comment is essentially at odds with his his encyclical, Laudato si, which focused on man's destruction of the earth. Ultimately, we cannot conserve our way out of our current over consumption - the only solution is fewer people. https://www.earthovershoot.org

 

[clairecloutier]

The more I think about it, I think it's regrettable for the Pope to sort of pick on pet owners. Vet, food, petsitting, and other pet expenses can be pretty significant these days. People are in fact taking on a financial and physical responsibility when they have pets. It's not just a selfish thing. Obviously it's not as much as a kid, but it's not nothing either.

 

[Allskate]

All people are considered Catholics or potential Catholics.

This "potential Catholic" is now even less likely to become a Catholic after hearing the Catholic Church's leader say these things.

What about people who have neither pets nor children?

Extremely selfish and lacking in humanity. Even more than those people who adopt pets instead of children.

 

[once_upon]

One phrase that struck me as weird (well the whole this does,) is one about denying the to person to experience paternity.

So the Catholic Church demands priests to be celibate, therefore assuming not have the experience of paternity?

 

[Judy]

What about people who have neither pets nor children?

Well there is obviously just something wrong with them!

I’ll always respect someone who doesn’t have the time or desire for pets.

The same for kids.

 

[Japanfan]

The assumption that people with pets but no children consider the pets to be child substitutes really gets on my nerves. I love my cats dearly, but I didn't get them as an alternative to having kids. Yes, I would consider the cats to be part of our family, but as pets, not as fluffy children.

Pets are 'fluffy children' in the sense that they are dependent on their humans, and if humans get them as puppies, kittens, etc. they do feel like children.

 

[Japanfan]

It’s actually amazing how many people are pet people though.

Not really, IMO. Pets give people a lot of love and receive it in exchange. Speaking of the furry kind of pet here, not reptiles.

 

[Judy]

Not really, IMO. Pets give people a lot of love and receive it in exchange. Speaking of the furry kind of pet here, not reptiles.

Pets don’t talk back … we’ll ok they do.

 

[lise]

I was shocked at his comments. I love my dog and we adopted 2 amazing children last year. We are not planning on having any biological children but I honestly believe in the ability to choose. Not everyone wants to be a parent or have a pet and not everyone is able to have children. Adoption is still considered taboo in certain places and IVF doesn't always work. The church should concern itself with other things imo.

 

[Vagabond]

Pope Francis suggests gay couples could be blessed in Vatican reversal

Conservative cardinals had challenged the pope to confirm teachings on LGBTQ+ issues

www.theguardian.com

As a non-Catholic, I think that he is taking a reasonable position, and I admire him for not backing down.

 

[Simone411]

A number of my friends and I who are recovering catholics feel quite personally attacked by this.

Was he feeling ignored or something? Catholic church hadn't done something stupid enough of late? What on earth...

Well, maybe there is something to this. It also happened regarding "kids" back around 1963 when I was 5 years old and my brother was 7 years old.

I would call it selfishness by the Priest because he came to our house and told my mom and dad that their children (my brother and me) were considered illegitimate since they didn't get married in the Catholic Church.

My dad was Catholic. He converted to Baptist when he and mom got married in 1956. They were married by the Baptist preacher where my mom attended church.

The Priest told my mom and dad that while we were in the living room. My dad sent my brother and me to our bedrooms because he didn't want us to hear what the Priest was saying. In the mean time, my dad told the Priest that he and my mom were married and told him to leave our home.

Of course, I didn't even know what the word, illegitimate, meant. I couldn't even pronounce the word correctly when I asked my dad what it meant. My dad told my brother and me not to even worry about it.

I truly don't know if that has changed with the Catholic religion or not. But what I do know is that the Priest was being selfish, and I heard him tell my mom and dad that my brother and I should be going to the Catholic church instead of the Baptist church.

So I guess my parents were being very "selfish" since they gave us the freedom to go to any church we wished to go to, and we also had pets! We had a Britney Spaniel and a German Shepherd.

Wow. My family was being very selfish.

 

[caseyedwards]

His left wing extremism is going to cause a schism!

Pope Francis authorizes blessings for same-sex couples | CNN

Pope Francis formally permitted Roman Catholic priests to bless same-sex couples on Monday, in a significant shift in Vatican doctrine.

amp.cnn.com

 

[once_upon]

My favorite priest (rip) always said they would have to sell off their vatican trinkets sooner or later. They have vaults of stuff. Maybe it is time.

It's not simple trinkets. Rooms and rooms with gold plated sh#t. Paintings, elaborate robes, elaborate crowns/hats, spector, rare books.

My husband who doesn't get angry very often, just became more and more enraged walking through all these rooms in the Vatican saying the church is supposed to help the people, not steal from those who can't afford anything under the guise of helping the poor or pleadings for their dead relatives caught in purgatory.

And you know they keep the "good stuff, more valuable stuff" locked up