The Catholic League has issued a list of quotes and circumstances that determine Pope Francis' stand on issues - despite what some in the press say :
Abortion
"It is God who gives life. Let us respect and love human life, especially
vulnerable life in a mother's womb."
"A pregnant woman isn't carrying a toothbrush in her belly, or a tumor…We
are in the presence of a human being."
"The right to life is
the first human right. Abortion is killing someone that cannot defend him or
herself."
Anti-Catholicism
"The world does not
tolerate the divinity of Christ. It doesn't tolerate the announcement of the
Gospel. It does not tolerate the Beatitudes. And we have persecutions: with
words, with insults, the things that they said about Christians in the early
centuries, the condemnations, imprisonment...But we easily forget. We think of
the many Christians, 60 years ago, in the labor camps, in the camps of the
Nazis, of the communists: So many of them! For being Christians! And even
today...But [people say] 'today we are better educated and these things no
longer exist.' Yes they do!...They are condemned for having a Bible. They can't
wear a crucifix."
Catholic Colleges
"Essential in this
regard is the uncompromising witness of Catholic universities to the church's
moral teaching, and the defense of her freedom, precisely in and through her
institutions, to uphold that teaching as authoritatively proclaimed by the
magisterium of her pastors....Your own identity—as it was intended from the
beginning—to defend it, preserve it, carry it forward."
Catholic Dissidents
"Those with alternative teachings and doctrines [have] a partial belonging
to the church. [They] have one foot outside the church. They rent the
church."
In 2014, the Tablet (U.K.)
reported that "The head of pro-reform movement We Are Church in Austria
has been excommunicated by Pope Francis for 'celebrating' Mass, the Austrian
press has reported."
Catholics and Politics
"A good Catholic meddles
in politics, offering the best of himself, so that those who govern can
govern."
Euthanasia
"A civilization whose technological advancements do not seek to protect
the most vulnerable, from conception until natural death, fails to live up to
its responsibility."
"A just society
recognizes the right to life from conception to natural death as
paramount."
False Compassion
"The dominant thinking
sometimes suggests a 'false compassion,' that which believes that it is:
helpful to women to promote abortion; an act of dignity to obtain euthanasia; a
scientific breakthrough to 'produce' a child and to consider it to be a right
rather than a gift to welcome; or to use human lives as guinea pigs presumably
to save others. Instead, the compassion of the Gospel is that which accompanies
in times of need, that is, the compassion of the Good Samaritan, who 'sees,'
'has compassion,' approaches and provides concrete help."
Freedom of Expression (Charlie
Hebdo)
"In theory, it may be said that the Gospel says we must turn the other
cheek. In theory, we can say that we have the freedom to express ourselves, and
this is important. In theory we are all in agreement, but we are human, and so
there is prudence, which is a virtue in human coexistence. I cannot continually
provoke or insult someone, because I would risk angering them, I risk receiving
a reaction that is not right, not right. But it is human. Therefore, I say that
the freedom of expression must take into consideration the reality of humanity,
and for this reason I say that we must be prudent. This means we must be polite
and prudent, as prudence is the virtue that regulates human relations."
"If someone says a curse
word against my mother, he can expect a punch. It's normal. It's normal. You
cannot provoke. You cannot insult the faith of others. You cannot make fun of
the faith of others."
Gay Marriage
"Let us not be naive: this is not simply a political struggle, but it is
an attempt to destroy God's plan. It is not just a bill (a mere instrument) but
a 'move' of the Father of Lies [the Devil] who seeks to confuse and deceive the
children of God."
"At stake is the identity and survival of the family: father, mother, and
children."
"At stake are the lives
of many children who will be discriminated against in advance, and deprived of
their human development given by a father and a mother and willed by God. At
stake is the total rejection of God's law engraved in our hearts."
Gays
"If someone is gay and is searching for the Lord and has good will, then
who am I to judge him?"
"You have to distinguish
between the fact of a person being gay, and the fact of a lobby. The problem
isn't the orientation. The problem is making a lobby."
Gender Ideology
"I ask myself, if the so-called gender theory is not, at the same time, an
expression of frustration and resignation, which seeks to cancel out sexual
difference because it no longer knows how to confront it. Yes, we risk taking a
step backwards."
"The crisis of the family is a social reality. Then there are ideological
colonizations of the family, modes and proposals from Europe and also from
overseas. The error of the human mind that is gender theory creates a lot of
confusion."
"Gender ideology is
demonic!"
Immigration
"Migrants from Central
America and Mexico...who cross the border with the United States under extreme
conditions and in pursuit of a hope that in most cases turns out to be vain.
They are increasing day by day. This humanitarian emergency requires, as a
first urgent measure, these children be welcomed and protected. These measures,
however, will not be sufficient, unless they are accompanied by policies that
inform people about the dangers of such a journey, and above all, that promote
development in their countries of origin."
Marriage and the Family
"Complementarity will take many forms as each man and woman brings his or
her distinctive contributions to their marriage and to the formation of their
children—his or her personal richness, personal charisma."
"Children have a right
to grow up in a family with a father and a mother capable of creating a
suitable environment for the child's development and emotional maturity."
Marxism
"The Marxist ideology is
wrong."
Moral Destitution
"Moral destitution...consists
in slavery to vice and sin. How much pain is caused in families because one of
their members—often a young person—is in thrall to alcohol, drugs, gambling or
pornography!...In such cases moral destitution can be considered impending
suicide."
Pope Francis' Positions on
Sexual Issues
"The position of the
Church. I am a son of the Church."
Pope Pius XII
"What worries me
regarding this subject is the figure of Pius XII, the Pope that led the Church
during World War II. They have said all sorts of things about poor Pius XII.
But we need to remember that before he was seen as the great defender of the
Jews. He hid many in convents in Rome and in other Italian cities, and also in
the residence of Castel Gandolfo. Forty-two babies, children of Jews and other
persecuted who sought refuge there were born there, in the Pope's room, in his
own bed. I don't want to say that Pius XII did not make any mistakes—I myself
make many—but one needs to see his role in the context of the time. For
example, was it better for him not to speak so that more Jews would not be
killed or for him to speak?"
Priestly Sexual Abuse
"On this path, the
Church has done much, perhaps more than all others. The Catholic Church is
perhaps the only public institution that has moved with transparency and
responsibility. No one has done more, and yet the Church is the only one that
is being attacked."
Sin
"The loose minister
washed his hands by simply saying, 'This is not a sin,' or something like
that."
Spanking
"One time, I heard a
father in a meeting with married couples say, 'I sometimes have to smack my
children a bit, but never in the face so as not to humiliate them.' How
beautiful! He knows the sense of dignity! He has to punish them but does it
justly and moves on."
Women
"We cannot forget the irreplaceable role of women in the family. The
qualities of gentleness, of particular sensitivity and tenderness, which is
abundant in the female soul, represent not only a genuine force for the life of
families, for the irradiation of a climate of peace and harmony, but also a
reality without which the human vocation would be unfeasible."
"They are the
strawberries on the cake, but we want more!"
Women Cardinals
"I don't know where this
idea sprang from. Women in the church must be valued, not clericalized. Whoever
thinks of women as cardinals suffers a bit from clericalism."
Women Priests
"The Church has spoken
and said: 'No.' John Paul II said it, but with a definitive formulation. That
door is closed
