"Who am I to judge?" said Pope Francis yesterday when asked about his position on gays who are in sexual relationships.
You're the Pope, Jorge. Remember?
If even you take this profoundly biblical and humble position,
that undercuts the entire world-wide campaign against same-sex unions.
(Pope Francis echoes the words of Jesus in Matthew 7:1.)
Wake up, Focus on the Family. Wake up, legislators in Uganda
who want to institute a death penalty for "repeated
offenders"--homosexual men who are not celibate.
Wake up, Christians for Biblical Equality and churches that judge
a faithful same-sex relationship as an abomination in God's eyes.
Self-righteousness and judging the GLBT community is not the way of
Jesus.
Even more amazing is his response to questions about the status of
women in the Roman Catholic Church:
"Mary is more important than the apostles."
That brings tears to my eyes.
It puts a crack in the 1700-year old policy that only men can be
priests, a view partly based on enshrinement of Jesus's choice of twelve
men as official apostles, representing the twelve tribes of Israel.
That view requires overlooking the many women who also travelled
and ministered with Jesus: Mary of Magdala, Joanna, Suzanna, "and many
others who were contributing to the support of Jesus and the twelve with their
own funds" (Luke 8:1-3).
That patriarchal view requires overlooking Mary, the mother of
Jesus. It allows the church to honor Mary while ignoring all other women
on this planet.
Thank you, Pope Francis, for allowing these reporters to question you so freely as you flew back to Italy after your visit to Brazil, and thank you for your gracious answers.
See also:
www.eewc.com -- website of a Christian feminist organization that supports gay rights
http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/pope-francis-visits-brazil-to-rally-support-for-his-hidebound-church-by-peter-mcdonough --Columnist Peter McDonough on Pope Francis, July 28, 2013
The Catholic Labyrinth: Power, Apathy, and a Passion for Reform in the American Church by Peter McDonough.
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