Speculation on the Papal visit – Obama Visit to Pope Francis – Outreach for Catholic Voters – the Politics of Religion.

Image from hprweb.com - article on Pope Francis worth the read

From Yahoo News , the article entitled: “Obama meets Pope Francis, looks for Catholic boost”, an AFP piece, suggests that the President is meeting with Pope Francis for political purposes – the Pope, as the article points out, is extremely popular in the United States, and further, the article suggests, both men may find common ground based on their fight against inequality.

That said, the Pope is a Jesuit, and although they embrace education, knowledge and a penchant for all things humble, they are also a religious order established by a devout Spanish nobleman turned priest. To learn more about the Jesuit society visit www.jesuits.org. In a Catholic world, with its various orders, the Jesuits are considered by laypersons as the most devout and strict of the orders. This may be due to their strict adherence to defending both the teachings of Jesus as well as the Pope. Although many have read much into statements made by Francis, his meaning was clear – in order to convert, one must accept the sinner, only then will one be able to communicate with that individual.

In this mind, it is a meeting which gives the head of the Vatican State, as well as the Head of the Catholic Church an opportunity to convert another head of state. With the mandates from the Affordable Health care forcing religious organizations to pay for contraceptives and abortions, to the export of funds to perform abortions worldwide by the administration, one might think there will, indeed, be a meeting of the minds Never mind any perceived or real aggression (in word and or deed) that the President has committed. One can expect glowing reports and carefully conceived photographs, as the kindness prevalent in the Order will show as it should, harmony. However, it will, by no means, be an endorsement of character, rather a hope that certain practices may be given a second look, and stopped cold.

Although very popular here in the U.S., it is doubtful with the conditions of the nation, that the Pope’s blessing of the President, would do nothing more than offer a short-lived bounce – certainly not enough to save the Senate nor the Congress in 2014. These institutions are, at the moment, for the GOP to lose. What is most galling to those of us who understand that the Constitution guarantees Freedom of Religion rather than Freedom from Religion, it galls to find elected officials pandering to certain demographics by professing to be Catholics, yet, supporting grievous practices abhorrent to the very faith. It is, however, in the Universal Christian doctrine, between those who practice abominations, and God. However, it is exceedingly clear that will also apply to those who knowingly put into a political office, someone whose actions and beliefs run contrary to this doctrine. This from a religious and political perspective – religion and politics are odd bedfellows indeed.

The Pope – In All His Wisdom – The Jesuit Interview - Mischaracterized by Media – “If they have ears, let them hear”.

Pope Francis, the wise and humble Leader of Catholics - image AP via NYTimes

Pope Francis is clearly a breath of fresh air, if one is an evangelical and holding that the way to life and God is through scripture – however, certain media and social groups have a tendency to take the Pope’s intent out of context: The New York Times is a prime example. In an article about an article in the Jesuit Journal the New York Times led with an article titled– “Pope Says Church Is ‘Obsessed’ With Gays, Abortion and Birth Control” – going on to imply that the Pope feels that the one who is involved in a gay marriage, or supports abortion is doing just fine.

The pope’s interview did not change church doctrine or policies, but it instantly changed its tone. His words evoked gratitude and hope from many liberal Catholics who had felt left out in the cold during the papacies of Benedict and his predecessor, John Paul II, which together lasted 35 years. Some lapsed Catholics suggested on social media a return to the church, and leaders of gay rights and gay Catholic groups called on bishops to abandon their fight against gay marriage.

In the actual interview available at Thinking Faith.org: The Pope’s meaning becomes perfectly clear – on all subjects – as it is rooted in the Gospels, and he relies on Hebrews, in part to form his opinions – read the entire article here. In interpreting the meaning of the Pope’s wording on the subject one finds that he is referring to the call of Christ, and the early Church fathers (including St. Paul) to heal the sinner, and not judge them, regardless of what they eat (referring to Paul-Romans). Clearly, Jesus came to call the sinners, as they were in need of healing. Clearly God, in whose image man is made, loves each one and offers each the opportunity of redemption in several levels – Therefore, looking at this humble and brilliant Pope’s stance on the issue, it is in common teaching within the biblical context. First one heals the sinner, then the sin. In speaking of the confessional – and the confusion that is caused by pastors who are either too strict or too lax in consoling those who are ‘confessing” their sins (think of pastoral therapy with a sacrament rolled in for good measure) – should an individual confess an abortion to a priest who is too rigid in doctrine, there will be no hope offered, and if the priest is too lax, there will be no chance to speak to the saving grace of God, should one renounce the sin, and seek to live a whole life.

Therefore, first, heal the rift between God and his child, and then heal the sin.

The man is brilliant and perhaps the world has a Pope who understands the Church and the Politics behind religion, which tends to get in the way of salvation.

The writer is a Catholic by birth, an Evangelical by logic and the gift of the Spirit.

Pope Francis – The Humble Servant – Leading by Example – Worldwide Prayer Hour - How Interpretations Vary - Opinion

Interpreting the Intention of the Pope - above washing of the prisoners feet - image New York Daily News - suggested meaning:

John 13-12 When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. 13 “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. 14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. 15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. 16 Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.(Biblegateway.com)

The World Hour of Prayer

Pope Francis, the leader of the Catholic Church, has proven to be a remarkably biblical pontiff – Yesterday, the Pope led the faithfulin a worldwide holy hour of prayer. According to NBC News, those ”participants prayed at the same time around the globe for those suffering from war, slave labor, human trafficking and the economic crisis.”, and it was the first time in the history of the Catholic Church that “such an event had taken place.”(NBC News)

Pope Francis has left the trappings of the highest office in the Catholic Church, preferring a more humble approach, and his attention to the scripture, specifically relating to Christ, has been to the letter. Although some prefer to put their own “spin” on what the Pope is offering – in an opinion piece in the Boston Globe, it was suggested : “That simply, Pope Francis engaged an age-old question: Do we need God to be good? Religious people have emphasized Dostoyevsky’s aphorism that “if God does not exist, everything is permitted.” Look where the atheism of modernity led, they say, pointing to Hitler, Stalin, and Mao. In the United States, according to a 2012 Gallup poll, an atheist running for president would draw fewer votes than a member of any other minority, including Muslims. Atheists, with no transcendent horizon, are taken to lack the basis for moral choice. This is the last respectable prejudice. (Boston Globe) Granted everyone is entitled to their own interpretation – however, as biblically correct as the Pope has been thus far, one might take it to mean that all peoples are extended the opportunity to accept Jesus Christ and to follow his tenants – rather than to abandon the teachings of the Gospels. For example, one must “love thy neighbor as thyself”, and in doing so, one is also obligated to behave in a manner that shows compassion, as well as giving. However, it is not to say, in any wise, that doing good, without the acceptance of Christ and the Holy Spirit, would allow one instant access to Paradise. It is a simple matter of understanding the point of the Gospels, and the Trinity, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, are part and parcel of the road to salvation – either here, in an earthly sense, or in Paradise for those who believe in the saving Grace of Christ. Of course, that is only this opinion, believing that one might be better served by loving one’s neighbor, the atheist, and then through one’s actions and faith, and prayer, seeking salvation for all mankind – meaning to a soul a belief in the freedom of accepting Christ.