‘Rigid’ people are ill, hypocrites, or worse, Pope says
October 24, 2016
People who are rigid in their approach to religious faith are concealing their own faults, Pope Francis said in his homily at morning Mass on October 24.
Commenting on the confrontations between Jesus and the Pharisees, the Pope said: “Beneath rigidity there is always something hidden: in many cases a double life, but there is also some sort of disease lingering there.”
The Pontiff told the congregation at the Sanctae Marthae resident that some people consider themselves superior because they adhere to the Law, “but beneath there is something not so nice about them: either they are bad or they are hypocrites or they are ill.”
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Posted by: feedback -
Oct. 26, 2016 12:24 AM ET USA
There is no other way to interpret the words of Pope Francis as with a benefit of the doubt ("it's not what he really meant, bad translation," etc.). And Pope Francis happens to need a lot of that benefit all the time. In this case, he could be talking about his personal experience of the dark side of the Church's bureaucracy. It wouldn't make any sense to accuse of "wicked rigidity" the regular faithful Catholics who strive day to day to remain true to their life's vocation.
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Posted by: garedawg -
Oct. 25, 2016 10:09 AM ET USA
It seems in the context of his talk that he is talking more about lack of forgiveness, instead of approval for gay marriages.
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Posted by: brenda22890 -
Oct. 25, 2016 9:28 AM ET USA
Here we go again. As our pastor recently explained in a homily, Jesus said the gates of hell would not prevail against the Church, but he did not say it wouldn't try...
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Posted by: skall391825 -
Oct. 25, 2016 4:58 AM ET USA
Years ago he implied that he wouldn't be in office very long. I wonder if he has now decided to stay until he sees significant opposition to his liberalism?
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Posted by: Foundas -
Oct. 24, 2016 7:26 PM ET USA
The ability to stand your ground not relenting to the the pressures of progressives is worthwhile. To live honestly and morally says a lot about a person even when catagorised as a sick person with underlying issues.
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Posted by: [email protected] -
Oct. 24, 2016 7:07 PM ET USA
Pope'so remarks are again remarkable for lack of clarity leading to confusion. Am I rigid, sick, or hypocritical because I believe homosexual life style is wrong. Am I ill because I don't believe in same sex marriage. Am I rigid because I don't believe those that do support it or cater to it through "mercy" are hurting the Church. Where is the clarity? Pope does us all a disservice again.
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Posted by: loumiamo -
Oct. 24, 2016 6:53 PM ET USA
I'm going to take the Holy Father's message to heart and fight against rigidity by trashing my copies of Laudato Si and Amoris Laetitia and anything else he's written that might tend to make me feel unjustifiably certain that he knows about what he's teaching.
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Posted by: mary_conces3421 -
Oct. 24, 2016 6:03 PM ET USA
Just when I was thinking that I'd better stiffen my backbone in preparation for the coming persecutions by secular society and/or Isis. Guess I should just relax??
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Posted by: 1Jn416 -
Oct. 24, 2016 6:02 PM ET USA
"If you love me, you will keep my commandments," says the Lord (Jn 14:15) "He who has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me; and he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him." (Jn 14:21). Was Jesus rigid? Perhaps the Holy Father is speaking in the vein of Gal 5:1, "For freedom Christ has set us free; stand fast therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery," and means the ceremonial law?
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Posted by: DrJazz -
Oct. 24, 2016 3:58 PM ET USA
So let me get this straight, Holy Father: It is not acceptable to judge "gay people" as long as they are "seeking out the Lord"; but it is acceptable to judge rigid people (regardless of whether they are "seeking out the Lord") because they are ALWAYS hiding something and are bad, hypocritical and/or ill. Amazing...Welcome to another episode of Papacy by Train Wreck.
