Pope Francis has accused some US Catholic Church leaders of “backsliding,” saying they have abandoned Christian doctrine in favor of political ideology.
“Doing this, you lose the real tradition and you turn to ideology to gain support. In other words, ideology replaces faith,” the pope said during a private meeting with the Jesuit order in Lisbon in early August.
Transcripts from the meeting were released on Monday, revealing the 86-year-old pontiff’s unfiltered views on the growing rift between some US religious leaders and the Vatican over his initiative to modernize the Catholic Church.
Francis’ comments came after a Jesuit described meeting several Catholics and bishops critical of his papacy and the Vatican during a recent yearlong stay in the US.
In response, the pope called the US church “backward,” and said it has a “very strong, organized reactionary attitude,” which he warned could lead to a climate of closure that would be the antithesis of Christian values.
Pope Francis’ comments came during a meeting with Jesuits in early August and were released on Monday
“The doctrinal view of the church as a monolith is wrong,” he said.
“When you go backwards, you make something closed, cut off from the roots of the church.”
“I want to remind these people that regression is futile, and they must understand that there is a proper evolution in the understanding of questions of faith and morals,” he said allowing progress.
The pope has been outspoken about adapting traditional church principles to more modern values during his ten years as pope — much to the chagrin of more conservative leaders in the US.
He has voiced his belief that same-sex unions should not be criminalized, has urged the public and world leaders to urgently address climate change, supported divorce under certain circumstances, and looked to abolish celibacy for priests.
The pope previously called it an “honor” to be criticized by religious leaders in the US.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
