Rome Newsroom, Jul 7, 2024 / 08:06 am (CNA).
Pope Francis on Sunday urged Catholics to share their faith in the public square, and to combat political polarization by supporting person-centered democracy.
“Let us not be fooled by easy solutions. Let us instead get passionate about the common good,” he said at a Catholic conference on democracy in the northern Italian city of Trieste July 7.
Francis participated in the last morning of the 50th Social Week of Catholics, an annual meeting of the Catholic Church in Italy aimed at promoting the social doctrine of the Church. The theme of the July 3-7 congress was “At the Heart of Democracy: Participate between History and the Future.”
In his speech, the pope spoke strongly of the importance of democracy — encouraging participation over partisanship, and comparing ideologies to “seductresses.”
“As Catholics, on this horizon, we cannot be satisfied with a marginal or private faith,” the pope said before around 1,200 conference participants at the Generali Convention Center. “This means not so much to be heard, but above all to have the courage to make proposals for justice and peace in the public debate.”
“We have something to say, but not to defend privileges. No. We need to be a voice, a voice that denounces and proposes in a society that is often mute and where too many have no voice.”
“This is political love,” Francis underlined, adding that “it is a form of charity that allows politics to live up to its responsibilities and get out of polarizations, these polarizations that impoverish and do not help understand and address the challenges.”
The Social Week of Catholics congress was held in Trieste, a port city located on a narrow strip of Italian territory in the country’s far northeastern point, bordered by the Adriatic Sea and Slovenia.
Pope Francis arrived in Trieste by helicopter from the Vatican in the early morning July 7. After addressing congress delegates from across Italy, he met briefly with representatives of other Christian traditions and with a group of immigrants and people with disabilities.
The pope then celebrated Mass for an estimated 8,500 Catholics in Trieste’s Unità d’Italia Square before again boarding a helicopter to return to the Vatican.
In speaking about the Christian vision of democracy, the pontiff quoted a 1988 pastoral note from the Italian bishops, which said democracy is meant, “to give meaning to everyone’s commitment to the transformation of society; to give attention to the people who remain outside or on the margins of winning economic processes and mechanisms; to give space to social solidarity in all its forms; to give support to the return of a solicitous ethic of the common good […]; to give meaning to the development of the country, understood […] as an overall improvement in the quality of life, collective coexistence, democratic participation, and authentic freedom.”
“This vision, rooted in the Social Doctrine of the Church,” Pope Francis said, applies “not only to the Italian context, but represent a warning for the whole of human society and for the journey of all peoples.”
“In fact, just as the crisis of democracy cuts across different realities and nations, in the same way the attitude of responsibility towards social transformations is a call addressed to all Christians, wherever they find themselves living and working, in every part of the world,” he added.
The pope also emphasized the importance of combating a culture of waste, as exhibited by a self-referential power “incapable of listening and serving people.”
He recalled the importance of the principles of solidarity and subsidiarity and condemned a certain attitude of “welfare-ism” that does not recognize the dignity of people, calling it “social hypocrisy.”
“Everyone must feel part of a community project; no one must feel worthless,” he said.
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Is this the same Trieste speech wherein Francis decries the rise of populists, declares democracy in ill health, and derogates policies which polarize? I would guess so, and I suppose he would know. But who is he to judge?
He is the Vicar of Christ doing his job.
JJR, thanks for the reminder. For a while now we’ve been wondering what this guy in a white dress was up to.
DeaconEdwardPeitler ,are you a protestant deacon then? I have heard protestants mock cassocks as dresses. They do not know that cassocks are modeled on first century clothing. No Catholic deacon would do this as it would be mocking Christ.
JR,
My post relating to skirts, cassocks and mockery appears after Maria’s below; I intended as a reply to your post here.
The “Vicar of Christ” has been consigned by Pope Bergoglio to what is termed the “historical” dustbin, no longer. He wishes to be known “simply” as the Bishop of Rome. This should not be mistaken as an exhibition of personal humility, but rather a step in the elimination of papal primacy and authority — but not while he is occupying the Chair. Later. Next up.
He job has never been to deconstruct the Catholic religion.
I think Bergoglio wishes he was a politician instead of a pope.
And, by the way, I do too.
Or better yet, maybe still a bouncer in an Argentine bar? 🙂
Interesting choice of words by the Pope “This means not so much to be heard, but above all to have the courage to make proposals for justice and peace in the public debate.” that we always hear from left wing rioters as “No justice, no peace” whereas the most appropriate Christian/Catholic proposal would be “Know Jesus, Know Peace” which may be interpreted as a second truth “No Jesus, No Peace” but that would not be the proposals the progressives in the Roman Church are interested in considering, much less endorsing.
From the political sector, we hear “Make America Great Again” though the traditional Catholic should perhaps respond “Make America Godly Again” knowing from history the greater the godliness the greater the country.
An interesting comment from Pope Francis “This means not so much to be heard, but above all to have the courage to make proposals for justice and peace in the public debate.” The abbreviated version of the comment are the protestors favorite chant “No Justice, No Peace” in their pursuit of equality of outcomes at the expense of freedom.
The appropriate traditional response to that chant may be “Know Jesus, Know Peace’ which resounds with another truth “No Jesus, No Peace”.
In the political arena we often hear “Make America Great Again” MAGA which in accordance with Catholic Tradition and the Tradition of our Founding Father could be rephrased as “Make America Godly Again” 2nd
An interesting piece on Catholic Social Justice initiatives….from the progressive we hear “No Justice, No Peace” which is true though the greater truth in accordance with Catholic doctrine is to “Know Jesus, Know Peace” as well as “No Jesus, No Peace”. 3
Given the expertise Pope Bergoglio demonstrated in virology, I would be deeply hesitant to take his advice regarding political science, meteorology or — for that matter — theology.
How about alchemy…as in changing a “blessing” into something non-liturgical, spontaneous and yet magically not giving scandal, as in now crypto-blessing the homosexual lifestyle one “couple” at a time? From wine into water…
“This vision, rooted in the Social Doctrine of the Church.”
Clearly he is envisioning not The Social Doctrine of The Church of every previous Magisterium of Christ’s Church, informed by The Deposit Of Faith, grounded in Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture, but of the new magisterium he is creating as we speak, that we can know through both Faith and reason, rejects Sacred Tradition, Sacred Scripture, and the teaching of every previous Magisterium in communion with Christ, and His One, Holy, Catholic, And Apostolic Church.
“For the Holy Spirit was not promised to the successors of Peter that by His revelation they might make known new doctrine, but that by His assistance they might inviolably keep and faithfully expound the Revelation, the Deposit of Faith, delivered through the Apostles. ”
“Actually only those are to be included as members of the Church who have been baptized and profess the true faith, and who have not been so unfortunate as to separate themselves from the unity of the Body, or been excluded by legitimate authority for grave faults committed. (Mystici Coporis 22)”
For those who claim that Jorge Bergoglio is the Pope of The True Church of Christ, why is he creating a magisterium that serves as a contradiction to Sacred Tradition, Sacred Scripture, and The Teaching of every previous Magisterium, The Word Of God Who Has Revealed Himself to His Church?
Surely someone other than Archbishop Vigano recognizes that a man who himself by his words and his actions before his election to the Papacy, had ipso facto excommunicated himself from those in communion with Christ and The Magisterium of His Church, cannot possibly have the authority to excommunicate a member of Christ’s Church, having himself already been excommunicated, and thus no longer a member of The Body of Christ.
Canon 751 of the Code of Canon Law states that schism is “the refusal of submission to the supreme pontiff or of communion with the members of the Church subject to him.” Canon 1364 stipulates that the penalty for this crime is excommunication “latae sententiae,” i.e., automatically upon the commission of the offense.” (In the case of Jorge Bergoglio, this offense took place when Pope Benedict XVI was Pope)
Furthermore, “Canon 188 §4 states that among the actions which automatically (ipso facto) cause any cleric to lose his office, even without any declaration on the part of a superior, is that of “defect[ing] publicly from the Catholic faith” (” A fide catholica publice defecerit“).
Jorge Bergoglio’s “refusal of submission to the supreme pontiff or of communion with the members of the Church subject to him“, was evident, prior to his election to the Papacy, when his heresy was manifested and made public ,in his book, On Heaven And Earth, on page 117, when he stated, in regards to same sex relationships and thus same sex sexual acts, “If there is a union of a private nature, there is neither a third party, nor is society affected. Now, if the union is given the category of marriage, there could be children affected. Every person needs a male father and a female mother that can help shape their identity.”
– Jorge Bergoglio, denying The Sanctity of the marital act within The Sacrament of Holy Matrimony, and the fact that God, The Most Holy And Undivided Blessed Trinity, Through The Unity Of The Holy Ghost, Is The Author Of Love, Of Life, And Of Marriage, while denying sin done in private is sin.
From The Catechism Of The Catholic Church: 1849 Sin is an offense against reason, truth, and right conscience; it is failure in genuine love for God and neighbor caused by a perverse attachment to certain goods. It wounds the nature of man and injures human solidarity. It has been defined as “an utterance, a deed, or a desire contrary to the eternal law.”121 1850 Sin is an offense against God: “Against you, you alone, have I sinned, and done that which is evil in your sight.”122 Sin sets itself against God’s love for us and turns our hearts away from it. Like the first sin, it is disobedience, a revolt against God through the will to become “like gods,”123 knowing and determining good and evil. Sin is thus “love of oneself even to contempt of God.”124 In this proud self- exaltation, sin is diametrically opposed to the obedience of Jesus, which achieves our salvation.125“
“get out of polarizations”
This from a guy who has excelled in polarizing, most of all faithful Catholics, calling them names, scoffing at them, belittling their Catholic piety … and throwing faithful Catholics (Chinese) under the bus to make nice with the very regime that persecuted them and then give that atheistic regime the authority to appoint bishops. If this is “peace and justice,” I want nothing of it and do not care to listen to his blather.
It is said don’t mix politics with our Catholic beliefs
although sometimes they are one and the same we as Catholic and Christians are being persecuted May the Holy Spirit guide our Pope and all religious leaders and politicians
let us pray for President Biden may he open his eyes and follow the faith he grew up with i pray for all our world leaders as our country and all nations are in dire need of prayers my parents may they rest in peace would never have imagined the world we live after leaving a Communist country glad they are not here to see it but pray they are enjoying Paradise in heaven 🙏✝️
are in dire need of prayers to help them lead as God deemed to be
Your selection of comments are one-sided, deliberately choosing those who abuse and denigrate Pope Francis.
I don’t think they are chosen, it’s just who chooses to post. Perhaps you could draw the site’s attention to people whose comments you feel would be helpful or productive.
Incorrect. Comments are moderated, but not for pro- or anti- anything. It’s an imperfect exercise, but your insinuation here is off base.
If gender priorities, Church teachings, or demonstration of virtue are not straight, I refer to some Church’men’ as skirts.
Some traditional priests prefer a lace alb. It is cooler in warmer weather.
Jesus wore a robe while walking upright, and survivor disciples gave his genitals a cloth when picturing him on the cross.
NO. Describing and putting men in skirt, robe, lace, dress, or cassock is not a mock of Christ.
Mocks of Christ are best exemplified by Church’men’ manifesting the vice of cowardice, engaging in or voicing support of pastoral practices opposing chastity, celibacy, modesty—acts of lust; and espousing teaching which contradicts Scripture, Tradition, and the Magisterium of centuries.
For Jesus faith was both – public and private. Christians are lucky to have Jesus to show the way.
More than a guru showing the way, but instead, “I AM the way, the truth and the life” (John 14:6).
It would be a lot less embarrassing for Catholics if this pope would live his “faith” in private.
Fur sure.