The Catholic Church Is Getting Desperate

[stromboli]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/pope-francis-to-allow-priests-to-forgive-women-who-had-abortions_55e5817fe4b0aec9f35462e9

VATICAN CITY, Sept 1 (Reuters) - Pope Francis will give all priests discretion during the Roman Catholic Church's upcoming Holy Year to formally forgive women who have had abortions, in the Argentine pontiff's latest move towards a more open and inclusive church.

In Church teaching, abortion is such a grave sin that those who procure or perform it incur an automatic excommunication. Usually only designated clergy and missionaries can formally forgive abortions.

But from Dec. 8 to Nov. 26, during an extraordinary Holy Year or "Jubilee" on the theme of mercy announced by Pope Francis in March, all priests will be able to do so, he said in a letter published on Tuesday by the Vatican.

In the letter, Francis described the "existential and moral ordeal" faced by women who have terminated pregnancies and said he had "met so many women who bear in their heart the scar of this agonizing and painful decision."

Francis is the first non-European pope in 1,300 years and has marked himself out for his tolerance regarding taboo topics. Although he has shown no intention of retracting the Church's opposition to abortion, he has alarmed conservatives by taking a less forceful tone than his predecessors.

"This is by no means an attempt to minimize the gravity of this sin but to widen the possibility of showing mercy," Vatican chief spokesman Father Federico Lombardi told reporters.

SPLINTER GROUP

Deputy Vatican spokesman Father Ciro Benedettini said that "for now" the change would apply only during the Holy Year.

Usually only a bishop, missionary or the chief confessor of a diocese, known by the Italian term "penitenziere," can formally forgive an abortion, Benedettini said.

The pope's letter did not mention people who perform abortions.

The Holy Year is one of the 1.2 billion-member church's most important events, and sees faithful make pilgrimages to Rome and other religious sites around the world. It takes place every 25 years unless a pope decrees an extraordinary one to bring attention to a particular topic or need.

In his letter the pope also said Holy Year activities were open to adherents of the ultra-traditionalist Roman Catholic splinter group known as the Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX).

The Swiss-based SSPX, which rejects some of the reforms made at the historic 1962-1965 Second Vatican Council, defied Rome in 1988 by illegally consecrating four bishops, triggering their excommunication by the late Pope John Paul.

Pope Benedect lifted the excommunications in 2009 and made some concessions to the group. But one of the bishops, British-born Bishop Richard Williamson, caused an uproar by denying the Holocaust.

Further proof (to me) that they are trying to get people back in the pews. The fact that the church is shuttering churches worldwide, that Ireland- thought of as the most "Catholic" of any country- voted for gay marriage with a large majority- and all the stink from child molestation charges.

This pope was appointed for damage control and this, in my opinion, is just another example of it.

[Solitary]

I don't think they can repair the damage already done, as long as the Holy See is composed of extremely conservative men with pointy heads that can't think outside the box they are in.. 

[Youssuf Ramadan]

About time they were dragged kicking and screaming into the 21st century. Next, hopefully, they'll get over that contraception issue.... but I won't hold my breath...

[drunkenshoe]

Unless opening all those pedophile priest files for prosecution along with vatican names who circled with them and covered up for all of it, they are nowhere close to the 21st century. On the other hand, peodphilia is defined by another religion by the standard christian.

[Mike Cl]

Strom, just heard on the radio (on the way to the gym) that a Vatican pr priest said that this move was not about politics but about mercy. 

Ya--right!  This is all about politics and nothing else.

[Termin]

 I just woke up, coffee hasn't taken effect so I may be a bit grumpy and cynical at the moment but as I read that is says priest "can" forgive abortions, that they have discretion.

   I'm not so sure it says they "must" forgive , and I saw nothing about protecting  anyone from being excommunicated.

[drunkenshoe]

Strom, just heard on the radio (on the way to the gym) that a Vatican pr priest said that this move was not about politics but about mercy. 

Ya--right!  This is all about politics and nothing else.

Yeah...good one. Sad thing is a lot of people will buy that.

[stromboli]

I grew up Mormon. I know all about say one thing do another. It is all about the fascia they put up for show versus what goes on behind the curtain. Or as Mormons call it "milk before the meat".

[Baruch]

This is merely an attempt to reconcile disobedient Catholic women, so they won't completely leave the Church.  If excommunication was rigorous, half of the American Catholic population would be excommunicated.  For Catholic women, who have had an abortion, and who want to remain Catholic ... this is a mercy.

[stromboli]

This is merely an attempt to reconcile disobedient Catholic women, so they won't completely leave the Church.  If excommunication was rigorous, half of the American Catholic population would be excommunicated.  For Catholic women, who have had an abortion, and who want to remain Catholic ... this is a mercy.

Still comes back to numbers on the pews. Every religion but Islam is bleeding members. Mormonism is losing male members at a 2 to 1 ratio over women. There is now a crisis in the church that older females insisting on staying in, despite massive evidence the church is BS, and not having any one to marry. And in Mormonism, marriage is the ticket to the Celestial kingdom. Sad.

[drunkenshoe]

I grew up Mormon. I know all about say one thing do another. It is all about the fascia they put up for show versus what goes on behind the curtain. Or as Mormons call it "milk before the meat".

Exactly like most muslims. No surprise there.

[peacewithoutgod]

Hail Satan!

Whoops, wrong thread...or is it really?

[Solitary]

You know the Church is just trying for damage control to get more members (sorry, that sounded dirty.) But when they are saying they will forgive, they are still saying abortion is wrong and haven't changed their position, or they wouldn't have to forgive. The Catholic Church is all about control of people's minds and bodies, from the day they started until now by despotic leaders that afraid of what will happen if they don't.

[aitm]

This is where I would post one of the many songs titled ,"Money", I just feel like listening to see which one fits the bill best.

[PickelledEggs]

http://www.npr.org/2015/09/01/436673665/pope-francis-announces-window-to-forgive-women-who-had-abortions

Here is the NPR report on it also, for anyone that's interested.