Pope Francis, in new interview, reflects on fatherhood
January 14, 2022
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CWN Editor's Note: In an interview with Andrea Monda (editor of L’Osservatore Romano) and Alessandro Gisotti (vice director of the Editorial Directorate at the Vatican’s Dicastery for Communication), Pope Francis reflected on St. Joseph and fatherhood, both spiritual and natural.
Referring to the Church, Pope Francis said that “she is called to exercise a paternal, not a paternalistic ministry. And when I say that the Church has to rediscover this paternal aspect, I am referring precisely to the capacity that is wholly paternal of placing children in the condition to take on their responsibilities, to exercise their freedom, to make choices.”
“If, on the one hand, mercy heals us, cures us, comforts us, encourages us,” he continued, “on the other, God’s love is not limited simply to forgiving and healing, but rather, God’s love spurs us to make decisions, to go out to sea.”
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