Photo by Catholic Church England and Wales, Creative Commons, downloaded to Medium size (640 x 496) General Audience with Pope Francis ©Mazur/catholicnews.org.uk https://www.flickr.com/photos/catholicism/8657304105/in/photolist-ec1WTT-ehTa95-pwrfZF-e3wmxT-e2WmeB-e4x2yY-rVxgAM-v6d3Xx-ec21hx-eCxFEV-e3CrzS-e3C8sd-e4v1W3-e4x43u-qPCoDr-kwPaGd-eCxFCD-e3ws8V-e4ptrx-nKubcM-nKubii-ehNdBB-ehU2SJ-ec7Dr3-y5SenA-pZVFm2-e3C3Ey-e3BYKQ-e3BZFS-e3wn3K-e3BZqm-e3C53N-e3woKR-e3Bk7w-e3vDNe-kwM6GV-rWshje-qPvrgb-e779B3-e4x2jf-e4puYH-e3Vbpb-ec7GL5-oJLPfD-qx4axx-yKxWJc-nKubi8-ehMQsn-pZWkEg-e3C161
Photo by Catholic Church England and Wales, Creative Commons, downloaded to Medium size (640 x 496)
General Audience with Pope Francis
© Mazur/catholicnews.org.uk
https://www.flickr.com/photos/catholicism/8657304105/in/photolist-ec1WTT-ehTa95-pwrfZF-e3wmxT-e2WmeB-e4x2yY-rVxgAM-v6d3Xx-ec21hx-eCxFEV-e3CrzS-e3C8sd-e4v1W3-e4x43u-qPCoDr-kwPaGd-eCxFCD-e3ws8V-e4ptrx-nKubcM-nKubii-ehNdBB-ehU2SJ-ec7Dr3-y5SenA-pZVFm2-e3C3Ey-e3BYKQ-e3BZFS-e3wn3K-e3BZqm-e3C53N-e3woKR-e3Bk7w-e3vDNe-kwM6GV-rWshje-qPvrgb-e779B3-e4x2jf-e4puYH-e3Vbpb-ec7GL5-oJLPfD-qx4axx-yKxWJc-nKubi8-ehMQsn-pZWkEg-e3C161.

Pope Francis.  It seems everyone has an opinion about him.  Both sides of the political spectrum claim him.  He has shown concern for the environment and exhorted countries to welcome the poor and the immigrants; therefore, he must be liberal.  He teaches about the inviolable dignity of life from conception to natural death and the sacred union of marriage as between one man and one woman; thus, he must be conservative.  The truth of the matter is that the pope and the Catholic Church are apolitical.  The Catholic Church is Catholic; it embraces the truth. Period.  And the truth is not aligned with any one particular political party.  More importantly, Pope Francis and the Church preach Truth, with a capital T.  That Truth is a Person, Jesus Christ, the Redeemer of the world.

We are all children of God; we are brothers and sisters in Christ.  We have been made in the image and likeness of God and we have a sacred dignity because of that fact.  The beauty of the Church is that it upholds that dignity with a consistency you won’t find in any political party or government.  The Church proclaims that marriage is a reflection of the relationship between Christ and His Church.  It is life-long and involves self-sacrificing love—not just pleasure or gratification but life-giving love.  That’s why the Church upholds the dignity of sex—it should be a total giving of self between a man and a woman in marriage, open to the miracle of life and to a deeper unity of one spouse with the other.  It follows that life should be nurtured and treasured from the moment of conception to natural death.  Anything that attacks or is destructive of human dignity, e.g., contraception (because in essence, you are saying I want all of you…just not your fertility), abortion, euthanasia, the death penalty, or not having the means to live a productive, meaningful life due to poverty, addiction, or other oppressive circumstances, is an offense to human dignity and an offense to God.

Another name for the pope is the Vicar of Christ; he is Christ’s representative on earth.  Jesus said, “I have come that they might have life and have it more abundantly” (John 10:10 NAB). The Church helps people to live a life of dignity on earth and guides them to eternal life.  The Church is the source for wisdom, for truth, for real love and mercy.  Not political parties.

Here is a quote from Pope Francis’ message to the United States bishops:

“The heart of the Pope expands to include everyone. To testify to the immensity of God’s love is the heart of the mission entrusted to the Successor of Peter, the Vicar of the One who on the cross embraced the whole of mankind. May no member of Christ’s Body and the American people feel excluded from the Pope’s embrace. Wherever the name of Jesus is spoken, may the Pope’s voice also be heard to affirm that: “He is the Savior”!.  … Whenever a hand reaches out to do good or to show the love of Christ, to dry a tear or bring comfort to the lonely, to show the way to one who is lost or to console a broken heart, to help the fallen or to teach those thirsting for truth, to forgive or to offer a new start in God… know that the Pope is at your side and supports you. He puts his hand on your own, a hand wrinkled with age, but by God’s grace still able to support and encourage.”

I urge you to look into the Catholic Church with an open mind and heart.  What you find might just surprise you.

“There are not one hundred people in the United States who hate The Catholic Church, but there are millions who hate what they wrongly perceive the Catholic Church to be.”  -Fulton J. Sheen

Below are some links to three of Pope Francis’ addresses during his visit to America.  Take some time thoughtfully to read and ponder his words and listen to the rest of his message during his visit.  God loves you and wants you to know Him.

https://tribwpix.files.wordpress.com/2015/09/un-general-assembly-address-english.pdf.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/social-issues/transcript-pope-franciss-speech-to-congress/2015/09/24/6d7d7ac8-62bf-11e5-8e9e-dce8a2a2a679_story.html.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/social-issues/transcript-pope-franciss-comments-to-bishops-in-washington/2015/09/23/7afd90fc-621a-11e5-9757-e49273f05f65_story.html.