Some cheeky quotes from the new Pope. As I am now living in Rome, I went to see him and the Vatican Museums recently. However, I did get groped by a whilst watching him wave at the crowds. I think this incident sums up Italy.... Aha yeah last time I was in The Vatican I got propositioned by an Italian man old enough to be my grandad, he had a toupee on for goodness sake, Italy is crazy.
We cannot insist only on issues related to abortion, gay marriage and the use of contraceptive methods. This is not possible. I have not spoken much about these things, and I was reprimanded for that. But when we speak about these issues, we have to talk about them in a context. The teaching of the church, for that matter, is clear and I am a son of the church, but it is not necessary to talk about these issues all the time.
The dogmatic and moral teachings of the church are not all equivalent. The church’s pastoral ministry cannot be obsessed with the transmission of a disjointed multitude of doctrines to be imposed insistently …
We have to find a new balance; otherwise even the moral edifice of the church is likely to fall like a house of cards, losing the freshness and fragrance of the Gospel. The proposal of the Gospel must be more simple, profound, radiant. It is from this proposition that the moral consequences then flow.
Women are asking deep questions that must be addressed. The church cannot be herself without the woman and her role. The woman is essential for the church. Mary, a woman, is more important than the bishops. I say this because we must not confuse the function with the dignity. We must therefore investigate further the role of women in the church. We have to work harder to develop a profound theology of the woman. Only by making this step will it be possible to better reflect on their function within the church. The feminine genius is needed wherever we make important decisions.
When asked about a "gay lobby" in the Vatican, Pope Francis responded by saying he's totally cool with priests who are gay. What's most notable about his stance on this issue is that it contradicts that of his predecessor Pope Benedict XVI who signed a document in 2005 saying that homosexual men should not be priests. Pope Francis says:
However, he has said no to female priests.... But to be honest, I think that this might be because he doesn't want to rock the boat too much, so far what he's been saying is very liberal in comparison to his predecessor and if he says too much he could deffo be assassinated. I've read Dan Brown dude. I sort of agree with you and enjoy that there is a wind of change, but I just think it's all too little too late. It's 2013 I really don't understand how people can even be homophobic or not in complete control of their own bodies and reproductive systems due to an ancient text (written by men might I add...)."The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains this very well. It says they should not be marginalized because of this [orientation] but that they must be integrated into society."
