VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Francis’ recent warning against overemphasizing moral teachings against abortion, same-sex marriage and contraception means that U.S. bishops should emulate his positive approach to evangelization, not shift the priorities of their public policy agenda, said Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York.
“What he’s saying is that if the perception of the church is of a scold who’s always nagging and always negative and always fearful, we’re not going to make many converts, because nobody wants to join the church out of fear or (join a) a paranoid group,” the cardinal told Catholic News Service Oct. 8.
“If we emphasize the positive, the gracious, the embracing, the warm, inviting side of the church, then we’re going to attract people,” he said. “And that of course is what Pope Francis is saying and doing on steroids.”
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Cardinal Dolan, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, met with Pope Francis at the Vatican Oct. 7, along with Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of Louisville, Ky., conference vice president; Msgr. Ronny E. Jenkins, general secretary; and Msgr. J. Brian Bransfield, associate general secretary.
The cardinal said the group told the pope about some of the U.S. bishops’ “pastoral priorities,” including support for immigration reform and objections to the Affordable Care Act, “because it excludes the baby in the womb and the undocumented worker, and also because the implementation of it would place a severe burden on our religious convictions and our consciences” by mandating coverage of contraception in violation of Catholic moral teaching.
Pope Francis “was very attentive to that and he listened very closely,” Cardinal Dolan said.
According to Cardinal Dolan, U.S. bishops have a “lot of issues we’re hung up on, including immigration, the budget battle, proper health care, world peace, Syria, hunger and the HHS (contraception) mandates,” he said. But the “only one that ever seems to get attention would be any kind of controversial promotion that we would do in defense of life, in defense of marriage and in defense of religious freedom, because they tend to be the more combative issues of the day.”
In an interview published Sept. 19, Pope Francis said that the church “cannot insist only on issues related to abortion, gay marriage and the use of contraceptive methods. … We have to find a new balance; otherwise even the moral edifice of the church is likely to fall like a house of cards, losing the freshness and fragrance of the Gospel.”
Cardinal Dolan said that “when the Holy Father suggested this new strategy, I don’t think he got a longer standing ovation from anybody than he did from the bishops in the United States. Because we’ve been saying for a long time, ‘Listen to everything we say, don’t just listen to us when we speak about your pet issue.'”
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Good article above, and it seems once again that the Pope’s strategies at evangelization are again in the spot light. Yes, Catholic moral teaching and protection of life at all stages, marriage between one man and one woman and the use of NFP as opposed to contraception are all top priorities and issues of our faith. We hope, as faithful Catholics, to evangelize the general public on these issues to bring these indivduals into our Church. However, faith is always a deeply personal issue, at the end of our lives we will be judged accordingly on how we responded to God’s grace in our lives. And we will be judged according to something else….how we responded to the suffering Christ which can be seen and experienced in our brothers and sisters in Christ and in fact all human beings regardless of race, religion or anything else. Most certainly unborn babies, elderly and all suffering individuals. But, going even deeper, God has placed specific individuals in our lives that we must make a decision on how we respond to these people who may need to see God at work through us, the faithful. Here is where what our wonderful Pope is attempting to teach us how to respond. If I go to Mass seven days a week, attend many prayer meetings, am active within my Church and faithfully attend the March for Life every year but I fail to help my brother in need, gossip, snub people and treat people with an “heir of superiority”, I have still failed our Lord, sad to say. When dear Pope John XXIII was inspired by the Holy Spirit to institute Vatican II, it was to begin a dialogue with all the faithful around the world about personal conversion and also dialogue with God-believing people around through world. Just because Church attendance was higher years ago does not mean that the spirit of Vatican II was not all good and inspired by God. We have to reflect on issues of the Church that also weren’t always so perfect many, many years ago, and that Vatican II opened up the lines of communication about who the Church really is in a good, positive way. So, let us trust the Holy Spirit through the guidance of Pope Francis and understand that faith is a broad issue but it has to also be deeply personal and assist us to become real, true followers of Jesus. That is people who do not “accept sin” but people who are not afraid to meet, talk to and “love” sinners, just as our Lord did. People who are away from God will be attracted to our joy and love for them…not out holier-than-thou behavior and in our attempting to force them to be and think just like us. I think the best place for us to begin is within out own hearts. Maybe there is someone you or I know whom we need to stop snubbing and start loving and listening. God bless.
“What he’s saying is that if the perception of the church is of a scold who’s always nagging and always negative and always fearful, we’re not going to make many converts, because nobody wants to join the church out of fear or (join a) a paranoid group,” the cardinal told Catholic News Service Oct. 8.Scold is the wrong preception.
BUT A Religion should say protecting innocent life is necessary. that sex is between a husband and wife. obedience to the laws of God is an absoulte. The Church has tried the do your own thing for over 40 years and the result; Church attendance in 1950 was 79% now it is 29% DO YOUR OWN THING HAS GIVEN US NOTHING. Other Churches started do your own thing before the Catholic Church and where are they now. GONE. Religion is about beliefs and right from wrong not a Social Activity!!!!!!!
Don’t believe me , the Church is almost irrevelant just look at what has occurred. The S&T was read by thousands now it’s gone and hardly anybody reads this site>>>
Terry, I read this site. However, many of my comments are reviewed and not posted because they are not in agreement with the views, policies or philosophies of the leadership of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. Yes, the readership here on this site is probably quite low, but, if the management allowed and permitted true dialogue here for archdiocesan parishioners, then the readership would certainly increase.