May 10, 2013

HE SAID......WHAAAAAATTTTT?! *****EDITED TO ADD

******Sorry, kids.  I see that I probably should not have violated the whole thing about politics, sex, or religion.....I was just surprised that the Pope His Very Self was throwin' shade at spinsters.

(Don't you just love how I'm all hip with the lingo suddenly?  I KNEW watching all these Real Housewives would finally pay off!!!!)




VATICAN CITY (RNS) Pope Francis on Wednesday (May 8) told leaders of women’s orders from around the world to be “fertile” spiritual mothers in the Catholic Church, not “spinsters.”
tiPope Francis waves from the pope-mobile during his inauguration Mass at St. Peter's Square on Tuesday (March 19) at the Vatican. World leaders flew in for Pope Francis' inauguration Mass in St. Peter's Square on Tuesday where Latin America's first pontiff will receive the formal symbols of papal power.  RNS photo by Andrea Sabbadini
Pope Francis waves from the pope-mobile during his inauguration Mass at St. Peter’s Square on Tuesday (March 19) at the Vatican. World leaders flew in for Pope Francis’ inauguration Mass in St. Peter’s Square on Tuesday where Latin America’s first pontiff will receive the formal symbols of papal power. RNS photo by Andrea Sabbadini

The Argentine pontiff addressed some 800 leaders of female religious orders who are in Rome for the meeting of the International Union of Superiors General.
Speaking about the nuns’ vow of chastity, the pope stressed that it must be a “fertile” chastity, generating “spiritual children in the Church.”
With one of the more colorful off-the-cuff expressions that have become a hallmark of his young pontificate, Francis said that “the consecrated are mothers: they must be mothers and not ‘spinsters’!”
“Forgive me if I talk like this, but this maternity of consecrated life, this fruitfulness, is important!” he added.
Echoing a theme that has often resonated in his public speeches, the Jesuit pope also lashed out against “careerists” and “social climbers” who “use the Church … as a springboard for their interests and personal ambitions,” saying they do a “great damage” to the church.
The Vatican-mandated overhaul of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, the largest umbrella organization for U.S. nuns, loomed large over the May 3-7 meeting of Catholic sisters, which is devoted to discussing the issues of authority within the Catholic Church.
On Sunday, Brazilian Cardinal Joao Braz de Aviz, who heads the Vatican office that oversees religious orders, told the meeting that he had been left in the dark about the Vatican investigation into LCWR. The Vatican’s top spokesman on Tuesday said it was “not justified” to infer that there was a “divergence” on how to deal with American nuns.
In his Wednesday speech, the pope reminded the nuns that it is “absurd” for religious women to think of carrying their vocation “outside of the church.”
“It isn’t possible that a consecrated woman or man might ‘feel’ themselves not to be with the church,” he said.
After the pope’s speech, a group of nuns was allowed to briefly greet the pope personally. Sister Florence Deacon, president of the LCWR, “was present at the audience but did not have the opportunity to greet the pope,” according to LCWR spokeswoman Annmarie Sanders.

17 comments:

  1. I think we are all suppose to be sowing seeds in the lives of the unsaved, and to be lifting each other up in love and encouragement.

    Many who have never had children here on Earth, will one day see the blessings of spiritual children that they have helped lead to Jesus.

    We all sow seeds every day, some sow seeds of strife and other seeds of love.

    I choose to sow the seeds of love so the harvest will be to His glory.

    Blessings always




    ReplyDelete
  2. So Coni, what are we to glean from this? Is the church changing? Hmmmm. Jesuits were always the military of the Pope. I would love to be on the inside of this man's head. I believe the old pope has an incurable illness and will not last a year. Even after being raised in the church, I have no idea what it is all about. It may as well be 1958 for all I know.

    ReplyDelete
  3. The above comment by Stitchy McFloss is wonderful. So inspiring.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Yep, Stitchy McFloss said what I was thinking but in such an eloquent way. I see my role, and I am not a mother of children, as being a a person to live my faith and sow those seeds of love and goodness into the world.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Janet - I'm not sure what you mean by it may as well be 1958. I feel as though the Church has made great strides and that women play a very active role in it. I don't know if you've had bad experiences but I hope you haven't. Which "old" Pope are you referring to? I feel as though former Pope Benedict was actually never really wishing for the role of pontiff and became overwhelmed and tired. Pope Francis seems to be loving, kind, and energetic. I wish him good health and much success!

    ReplyDelete
  6. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. sorry, didn't mean to chirp in. My personal SS feathers were in a flurry. :) Have a wonderful weekend all!

      Delete
  7. When he said,“use the Church … as a springboard for their interests and personal ambitions,” I couldn't help but think of Bernard Law.

    Law, btw, is the one who urged the crackdown on the LCWR. He thinks they should ignore what Jesus said (tend to the poor and the sick) and instead work on things Jesus never mentioned (abortion and gay marriage).

    ReplyDelete
  8. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  9. The pope cracks me up! Bless his heart (that's southern for poor thing he just can't help...insert issue here).

    ReplyDelete
  10. Amen to Kristen. I think the Pope (who I like and hope will do some refreshing things for the Church) was overreaching on his metaphors. Power to the spinsters!

    Sally

    ReplyDelete
  11. Oh my. A kerfluffle! I found your blog post interesting and authentic, and it greatly entertained and informed my thoughts this afternoon. Words are important and powerful, and the use of the word "spinster," by the Pope, while meant to be symbolic or metaphorical perhaps, made me wince. Oh, dear--I hope that the "comment removed by author" notations do not mean that there were unkind souls who visited your sweet blog and stomped around. I am neither Catholic nor "saved," but I would hope that all of us could listen respectfully and nonjudgmentally to each other with open hearts and minds.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Beautifully stated!
      As I watch our country's 'leaders' continually attack one another, I also see that nothing gets accomplished.
      As soon as I see the next round of fur flying, I think that it's time to look carefully at what's really going on. The 'conflict' is the smokescreen that allows evil to flourish....

      Delete
  12. Recovering Catholic here. Nothing surprises or offends me anymore.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Of course the Church is not changing. Drawing more attention to the role of women within the Church, perhaps, but not changing.

    Truth is unchanging.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Excellent post! Thank you, Coni!

    ReplyDelete