Habemus Papam

[desrt]

CAGLIARI, Sardinia — Pope Francis made one of his strongest attacks on the global economic system on Sunday, saying it could no longer be based on a "god called money" and urged the unemployed to fight for work.

Francis, at the start of a day-long trip to the Sardinian capital, Cagliari, put aside his prepared text at a meeting with unemployed workers, including miners in hard hats who told him of their situation, and improvised for nearly 20 minutes.

"I find suffering here ... It weakens you and robs you of hope," he said. "Excuse me if I use strong words, but where there is no work there is no dignity."

He discarded his prepared speech after listening to Francesco Mattana, a 45-year-old married father of three who lost his job with an alternative energy company four years ago.

Mattana, his voice trembling, told the pope that unemployment "oppresses you and wears you out to the depths of your soul."


People wave white and yellow Vatican flags as they wait for Pope Francis to arrive at the Sanctuary of the Madonna of Bonaria, to celebrate a mass on the occasion of his one day visit to the island of Sardinia, in Cagliari, Italy, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2013.
The crowd of about 20,000 people in a square near the city port chanted what Francis
called a prayer for "work, work, work." They cheered each time he spoke of the rights of workers and the personal devastation caused by joblessness.

The pope, who later celebrated Mass for some 300,000 people outside the city's cathedral, told them: "We don't want this globalised economic system which does us so much harm. Men and women have to be at the centre (of an economic system) as God wants, not money."

"The world has become an idolator of this god called money," he said.

Sardinia's coast is famous for its idyllic beaches, exclusive resorts and seaside palatial residences of some of the world's richest people, including former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi and a host of Hollywood actors.

But much of the island, particularly its large cities and the vast agricultural and industrial interior, has been blighted by the economic crisis, with factories closed and mines operating at low capacity.


YOUTH UNEMPLOYMENT, CLOSING MINES

Cagliari has a youth unemployment rate of about 51 percent. The Sulcis area in the southwest of the island is threatened with more unemployment from the looming closures of the Carbosulcis coal mine and an aluminum smelter.

The pope made clear that his assessment was not limited to the local situation.

"It is not a problem of Italy and Europe ... It is the consequence of a world choice, of an economic system that brings about this tragedy, an economic system that has at its centre an idol which is called money," he said to the cheers of the crowd.

While Francis's predecessor Benedict also called for changes to economic systems, he was more likely to use dense intellectual language.

Francis, who as bishop of Buenos Aires sided with unemployed workers in their conflict with government austerity plans, ended his improvised speech with a prayer asking God to "give us work and teach us to fight for work".

Francis said he did not want the crowd to see him as a smiling "cordial manager of the Church who comes here and says to you 'have courage'".

He added: "I don't want this. I want this courage to come from inside me and push me to do everything I can as a pastor and a man."

Francis brought tears to the eyes of some in the crowd when he told his own family's story of emigration from Italy to Argentina and how they lost everything in the Great Depression.

"I was not born yet, but as a child I remember hearing talk of this suffering," he said.

Francis said globalization had brought with it a culture where the weakest in society suffered the most and often, those on the fringes "fall away", including the elderly, who he said were victims of a "hidden euthanasia" caused by neglect of those no longer considered productive.

"To defend this economic culture, a throwaway culture has been installed. We throw away grandparents, and we throw away young people. We have to say no to his throwaway culture. We want a just system that helps everyone," he said. "

[brice1967]

Completely agreed upon....

[rivll]

It is the height of arrogance,in my opinion for any individual or group to preach  their fears and hatred as God's will.

[mikesimon]

It's just another man's opinion of moonlight.

[brice1967]

I heard these words straight from a catholic deacons mouth... "It's not a sin to BE gay, but it is a sin to act on homosexual impulses."  He said it in a very "matter of fact" tone.

I expected something along those lines.

[rivll]

After a conversation with a Catholic friend who is very unhappy with the turn of events in the Church as well as Mike's post, I cannot help but reconsider my strong statement for Pope Francis.
While the public persona is charming, the way Pope Francis insists on driving his little bucket around town, prepares his own meals and washes the feet of the poor, there is apparently something else rising in the Church which for me is rather disturbing. A lot of talk about people going to hell for being gay, guarding their reproductive rights and so on. My hope is that it is a backlash within the Church against the progressiveness of this Pope. My fear is the right hand of the Church is reaching out to the desperate multitudes in love, whipping up a very righteous following while the left hand is spreading intolerance towards those unlike them and fanning the flames of hatred.
The scapegoat is a common tool used by religious and political leaders in history. We saw it in the revolutions of the past century. Evil regimes toppled to be replaced by a new evil regimes.
With the Church, the most vexing piece of history for me was not the Crusades but actually the Inquisition. "Come open your heart to Jesus' love while we tighten the screws on the rack or burn you at the stake."
How do these things happen? It can only start with a strong moral base and righteous indignation. As more and more people begin to rise up somewhere along the line we lose our high ground and become the very evil we were standing up to.
I do not say this is the case with Francis. I really don't know but I am reserving judgment. As for the Dalai LLama-still love the guy. :)

[mikesimon]

Top American in Vatican: Deny Communion for Pelosi


The Vatican's highest-ranking American said House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and other Catholic politicians who support abortion should be denied communion.

"This is a person who obstinately, after repeated admonitions, persists in a grave sin — cooperating with the crime of procured abortion — and still professes to be a devout Catholic," said Cardinal Raymond Burke, prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura in Rome.

Burke's rebuke came during an interview with the Minneapolis-based Catholic Servant newspaper in July, but only came to national attention after another Catholic paper, The Wanderer, reprinted the article online.

The Catholic Servant asked Burke, the most important court official in the Holy See, how Catholics should react to Pelosi's refusal to comment when asked about Dr. Kermit Gosnell, who was convicted of manslaughter and first-degree murder charges for the death of a patient and seven babies who were killed after being born alive.

Editor's Note: Warren Buffett’s Secret to Wealth — The Bible?

"As a practicing and respectful Catholic this is sacred ground to me when we talk about this. I don’t think it should have anything to do with politics," Pelosi responded during a press conference earlier this year.

Burke said Canon 915 of the church's code should be applied in Pelosi's case: Those who are "obstinately persevering in manifest grave sin are not to be admitted to Holy Communion."

"To say that these are simply questions of Catholic faith, which have no part in politics, is just false and wrong," said Burke a former archbishop of St. Louis and bishop of La Crosse, Wis.

"I fear for Congresswoman Pelosi if she does not come to understand how gravely in error she is," Burke said.

Archbishop Donald Wuerl of Washington, D.C., said in May that he would not deny communion to Pelosi, stating that the church does not use communion as a "weapon."

Read Latest Breaking News from Newsmax.com http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/vatican-cardinal-burke-deny/2013/09/23/id/527221?ns_mail_uid=59889321&ns_mail_job=1538784_09242013&promo_code=14F7F-1#ixzz2foTqp39A
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http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/vatican-cardinal-burke-deny/2013/09/23/id/527221

[mikesimon]

{..Francis, who as bishop of Buenos Aires sided with unemployed workers in their conflict with government austerity plans, ended his improvised speech with a prayer asking God to "give us work and teach us to fight for work"....}

[Vance2335]

Stop obsessing, but not stop fighting againsr abortion and stuff. His words were right, bring more people to Christ.

[desrt]

I believe that having the head of the Roman Church tell his people, "Stop obsessing about birth control and start thinking about how to feed the mouths that are already here." is a landmark moment for this century and is one I never expected to live to see.

[rivll]

"I find suffering here ... It weakens you and robs you of hope," he said. "Excuse me if I use strong words, but where there is no work there is no dignity."

He discarded his prepared speech after listening to Francesco Mattana, a 45-year-old married father of three who lost his job with an alternative energy company four years ago.

Mattana, his voice trembling, told the pope that unemployment "oppresses you and wears you out to the depths of your soul."

I love this Pope and the Dalai Lama. I wish I had a Jewish equivalent to these Holy men, but I am grateful that there are two religious leaders who understand what it is to be part of the human race.

[desrt]

http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/09/22/20638292-pope-attacks-global-economy-for-worshipping-god-of-money?lite