Pope Francis Makes Me Ashamed

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I didn't feel ashamed when he said that atheists can go to heaven. I didn't feel ashamed when he said gays are okay. But I felt ashamed when Pope Francis said this:
"We cannot become starched Christians, too polite, who speak of theology calmly over tea."
Because that's me. Substitute coffee for tea, and I would happily sit and sip a tasty beverage while chatting about theology all day long.

Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict didn't make me feel ashamed of myself. I could understand most of what they wrote, so I figured that made me pretty smart. I don't remember them ever saying that being smart and knowing theology just wasn't good enough. I don't remember them saying, as Pope Francis did, that we must go out and touch the poor, touch them with our own hands:

Comments

  1. Melanie Jean Juneau5:16 pm, August 15, 2013

    well said

    ReplyDelete
  2. Manny9:06 pm, August 15, 2013

    Well, he didn't say atheists can go to heaven. He said Christ redeemed everyone. Redeemed doesn't mean you go to heaven. And even the gay comment was way more complicated than as you protray. He said he wasn't going to judge gays who are striving to be be holy, which we can assume doesn't include participating in homosexual acts. But I did enjoy your over all post. I donate money but it's a rare time when I actually meet a suffering poor person face to face.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Unknown11:19 am, August 16, 2013

    Manny, the issues of atheism and homosexuality are much more complicated than any sound bite, it's true. Thanks for adding these clarifications.

    ReplyDelete

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