www.catholicnews.sg SUNDAY OCTOBER 6, 2013
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The Church has ‘to
Otherwise it risks losing the ‘freshness’ of the Gospel, says pope CNS photo
VATICAN CITY – In a lengthy and
wide-ranging interview, Pope Francis spoke with characteristic frankness about the perils of over-emphasising Catholic teaching on sexual and medical ethics; the reasons for his deliberate and consultative governing style; and his highest priority for the Church today. The pope’s remarks appeared in an interview with Jesuit Fr Antonio Spadaro, editor of the Italian Jesuit journal La Civilta Cattolica. The interview, conducted in August, was the basis for a 12,000word article published on Sept 19 in the US magazine America, and simultaneously in other Jesuit publications in other languages. According to the editor of America, Jesuit Fr Matt Malone, Pope Francis personally reviewed the article and approved its publication. “We cannot insist only on issues related to abortion, gay marriage and the use of contraceptive methods,� the pope said in the interview, noting that he had been “reprimanded� for failing to speak often about those topics. “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 pope added. “The Church’s pastoral ministry cannot be obsessed with the transmission of a disjointed multitude of doctrines to be imposed insistently. “Proclamation in a missionary style focuses on the essentials, on the necessary things,� he said.
of the Church is likely to fall like a house of cards, losing the freshness and fragrance of the Gospel.
Pope Francis greets a boy after a general audience in St Peter’s Square.
proposal of the Gospel must be more simple, ‘Theprofound, radiant. It is from this proposition ’
– Pope Francis in his interview with an Italian Jesuit journal
“The proposal of the Gospel must be more simple, profound, radiant. It is from this proposition that the moral consequences then
major themes: the need for mercy rather than judgment when approaching sin. “The thing the Church needs
most today is the ability to heal wounds and to warm the hearts of the faithful. It needs nearness, proximity,� he said. “The Church sometimes has locked itself up in small things, in small-minded rules. The most im tion: Jesus Christ has saved you,� the pope said. “The confessional is not a torture chamber,� he said, “but the place in which the Lord’s mercy motivates us to do better. “Those who today always look for disciplinarian solutions, those who long for an exaggerated doctrinal ‘security’, those who stubbornly try to recover a past that no longer exists – they have a static and inward-directed view of things,� Pope Francis said. “In this way, faith becomes an ideology among other ideologies.� Pope Francis also spoke extensively about his approach to Church governance. “Many think that changes and reforms can take place in a short time,� the pope said. “I believe that we always need time to lay the foundations for real, effective change. And this is the time of discernment. “Sometimes discernment instead urges us to do precisely what do later. And that is what happened to me in recent months,� he added, though without specifying the action in question. The pope described the evolution of his governing style, starting with his appointment at age 36 as superior of the Argentine province of the Jesuits. „ Continued on Page 16
VOL 63
NO. 20
INSIDE HOME Mid-Autumn Festival for migrants Chinese nationals attend celebration at Nativity Church „ Page 6
Hundreds attend Latin Mass Liturgical preferences shouldn’t be source of discord: archbishop „ Page 10
ASIA Training for overseas mission work CHARIS’ programme a boon for volunteers „ Page 12
Pope ‘may visit’ Thailand next year Pontiff meets with Thai prime minister „ Page 13
WORLD Navy Yard shooting and culture of death Washington cardinal comments on tragedy „ Page 15
FAITH ALIVE! When different cultures meet in a parish Dialogue vital to resolve tensions „ Page 21