Papal press conference: colonialism, resignation, Synodal Way, contraception
August 01, 2022
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CWN Editor's Note: At the conclusion of his apostolic journey to Canada, Pope Francis fielded questions from reporters during the flight to Rome, including a number of questions related to a possible papal resignation.
“I don’t think I can continue with the same pace of the trips as before,” he said. “I have to spare myself a bit, to be able to serve the Church. But, on the other hand, I can also think about the possibility of stepping aside. With all honesty, this is not a catastrophe.”
As he condemned what happened to the indigenous peoples of Canada as genocidal, the Pope also criticized contemporary neo-colonialism in which international organization require poor nations to “change your way of life a little bit” in order to receive assistance.
Pope Francis said that the Secretariat of State issued the unsigned Vatican caution on Germany’s Synodal Way and added that the “papal magisterium” on the Synodal Way has been expressed in his June 2019 letter to German Catholics.
Addressing a question on contraception, the Pope said that “the duty of theologians is research, theological reflection, you cannot do theology with a ‘no’ in front of it. Then it is up to the Magisterium to say no, you’ve gone too far, come back, but theological development must be open, that’s what theologians are for.”
The Pope also criticized “many who call themselves traditional. No, no, they are not traditional, they are people looking to the past, going backward, without roots—it has always been done that way, that’s how it was done last century. And looking backward is a sin because it does not progress with the Church.”
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Posted by: IM4HIM -
Aug. 01, 2022 1:44 PM ET USA
If a person wants to change a "no" to a "yes" all it takes is some rationalization. That's how it started with Adam and Eve and it's continued ever since. Once you deny a core belief it's easy to approve a behavior that was previously considered sinful. But there will be bad consequences for that decision, just like what happened with original sin.
