Pope Francis laments attacks on family
October 27, 2014
Pope Francis lamented attacked on the family during an October 25 audience with 7,000 members of the Schönstatt movement, who were in Rome to celebrate the centenary of their founding.
According to a Vatican Radio summary of his extemporaneous remarks:
Asked about marriage and what advice he can offer to those who don’t feel welcome in the Church, Pope Francis stressed the need for priests to stay close to each one of their flock without becoming scandalized over what takes place within the family. He said a bishop during the recent Synod on the family asked whether priests are aware of what children feel and the psychological damage caused when their parents separate? The Pope noted how sometimes in these cases the parent who is separating ends up living at home only part-time with the children which he described as a “new and totally destructive” form of cohabitation.
He said the Christian family and marriage have never been so attacked as they are nowadays because of growing relativism over the concept of the sacrament of marriage. When it comes to preparing for marriage, Pope Francis said all too often there is a misunderstanding over the difference between the sacrament of marriage and the social rite. Marriage is forever, he said, but in our present society there is a temporary or throw-away culture that has become widespread.
The Pope added that when it comes to reforming the Church, “inner holiness … counts far more than more external ways such as reforming the Curia and the Vatican bank,” according to the summary. “Pope Francis also spoke about the importance of having a freedom of spirit and warned against closing ourselves up in a mass of rules and regulations, thus becoming a caricature of the doctors of law.”
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Posted by: jg23753479 -
Oct. 28, 2014 8:11 AM ET USA
Marriage has never been attacked so much...and has never been more wanly defended by the Church if the scandal offered by the chaotic recent Synod is any guide.
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Posted by: skall391825 -
Oct. 27, 2014 6:15 PM ET USA
“Pope Francis also spoke about the importance of having a freedom of spirit and warned against closing ourselves up in a mass of rules and regulations, thus becoming a caricature of the doctors of law.” Why waste time commenting on a summary of an unknown Vatican functionary's translation of extemporaneous remarks. I still don't have a reliable translation of EVANGELII GAUDIUM. See, my a freedom of spirit is alive and well.
