No welcome mat for gays
The column’s title that appeared in the STAR’s front page yesterday, dramatically, if not sadly, summed up the reactions of a majority of bishops on a document that touched on welcoming homosexuals into the fold of the church. The bishops had been convened by Pope Francis for a two-week synod in Rome to discuss issues related to Catholic family life.
A story from the Vatican said that the fiery two-week debate had seen “conservatives clash(ing) publicly with liberals over a Francis-backed drive to reform the Church by softening its approach to sinners.”
The bishops were divided in opinion showing respect for homosexual people on the one hand, and fierce insistence that spreading out the mat to sinners risked implying that the Church sanctioned their behavior. The paragraphs on gays did not pass two-thirds of the bishops attending the synod.
Another “hot button” issue confronted by the synod was whether divorced and civilly remarried Catholics can receive communion – also failed to pass the vote.
The final document, which contained hundreds of revisions, will be subjected to debate at the next synod’s meeting in October next year, will be written by a drafting committee made up of perceived progressives appointed by Pope Francis himself. Italy’s Il Messaggero daily described the final document as “a nasty test” for Pope Francis. The document passed after the October 2015 synod will help Pope Francis write a teaching document of his own.
Surprisingly, a release from the Vatican said the bishops, on the final report, acknowledged there were “positive elements in heterosexual unions outside the church and even in cases when men and women were living together outside marriage.” They also said “the church must respect Catholics in their moral evaluation of ‘methods used to regulate births,’ a seemingly significant deviation from church teaching barring any form of artificial contraception.”
From the start the 77-year-old Argentinian pope was hailed by progressive Catholics and non-Catholics for his being different, for his simplicity in dress (wearing Levis) and accommodations (choosing to live in an apartment shared with priests instead of the mansion reserved for the highest figure in the centuries-old institution), his kissing of the feet of lowly parishioners – and most of all for his insistence on loving and caring for the poor, on justice and mercy.
The conservative bishops’ insistence on not allowing homosexuals and remarried divorcees to take communion is perhaps the primary reason why a lot of people shun going to church, or attending other more accepting churches where they are welcomed, as Francis welcomes them, as children of God.
For so long as the church shuns divorce, gay marriages, contraceptive advocacy — people will be living in sin. Are they?
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The synod’s meeting drove me to the Internet for topics related to Pope Francis’ beliefs and actions. What surprised me was the lengthy articles published by the Most Holy Family Monastery, which “defend(s) the Catholic Family exposing the false post-Vatican II Counter Church.”
Below are portions of articles written by a Bro. Michael Dimond:
“It has now been documented and confirmed that Francis favored homosexual civil unions when he was in Argentina. He just didn’t want a homosexual civil union to be called a marriage. This is heresy. It means that Francis approved perverted and abominable sexual behavior that is condemned in Scripture and Catholic teaching. His stance is no different at all from endorsing abortion under the condition that the state does not give abortion special or privileged status by using state funds for it.”
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Apart from writing deprecatory articles on Pope Francis’ compassionate attitude towards gays, the pope, writes Dimond, has shown his violations of biblical teachings by associating with Jews and Muslims. Writes Dimond:
“The Catholic Church infallibly teaches that you must believe in Jesus Christ and have the Catholic faith for salvation. It teaches that it’s a mortal sin to observe or practice Judaism. But Francis endorses the false religion of Judaism and prays in Jewish synagogues.”
Dimond writes that in the book, Francis, On Heaven and Earth, p. 188: the pope says “The Church officially recognizes that the People of Israel continue to be the Chosen People. Nowhere does it say: ‘You lost the game, now it is our turn.’ It is a recognition of the People of Israel.”
“This clearly means that Francis holds that people who reject Jesus Christ are the chosen people in God’s sight. This is a blasphemy against God.”
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According to Dimon, on August 2, 2005 Francis prayed before dead body of the Muslim president of the Islamic Center of Argentina. The body was placed east toward Mecca. The Islamic imam recited verses from the Koran and asked for blessings from Muhammad.
“St. Thomas Aquinas taught: ‘If anyone were to worship at the tomb of Muhammad, he would be deemed an apostate.’ Francis’ action of venerating the dead body of a Muslim leader is equivalent to worshipping at the tomb of Muhammad.”
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UPLB’s Department of Agribusiness Management and Entrepreneurship, College of Economics and Management (CEM), in cooperation with the UPLB CEM Alumni Foundation, Inc. (CEMAFI) is holding the 1st Global Agribusiness Management and Entrepreneurship Conference on October 23 at Dusit Thani Hotel in Maskati.
The conference has for its theme, “Redefining Approaches in Agribusiness Management and Entrepreneurship for ASEAN 2015. It will serve as a venue for a dynamic exchange of ideas among different stakeholders in the agribusiness and MSM sectors on paradigm shifts in supply and value chains; marketing, agribusiness and entrepreneurship education and training; agribusiness development policy; trade and investments, and business models and strategies in the light of the upcoming ASEAN Economic Integration,.
Dr. Segfredo R. Serrano, undersecretary for policy, planning, research and development and regulations of the Department of Agriculture, will be keynote speaker. Also gracing the affair are Sen. Cynthia A. Villar; Reynaldo P. Bantug, president and CEO of Green Future Innovations, Inc., and Cecilia C. Borromeo, executive vice president of the agricultural and development lending sector, Land Bank of the Philippines.
According to D.P.T. Depositario, the conference will feature cutting-edge research work from academicians . Insights from private sector and academic administrators will also be shared in a special roundtable discussion entitled, “Perspectives Towards Establishing an Entrepreneurial University.”
For information on registration details, contact Aiza Herrera through [email protected] or 09266199291.
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Teatro Ekyumenical, the educational and alternative theatre art ministry of the National Council of Churches in the Philippines, will stage a powerful stage drama called “BOPIS, Alingasngas ng Laman” on October 24 at St. Andrews Theological Seminary, Cathedral Heighs, 275 E. Rodriguez Sr. Ave., Quezon City.
The stage play revolves around the lives of poor Filipino families confronting the difficulties of hospitalization, and not having enough money to pay for their sick. It also tackles organ donation as an option to provide for the family’s pressing needs. It takes a critical stance against public private partnership of hospitals and other medical centers in the country.
But the play does not end in despair. Hope, indeed, springs eternal in the human breast. According to Ariel G. Siagan, “The people of God are united in asserting their right to have a dignified life, including the right to have accessible health care service, regardless of one’s economic stature. Watch how the story ends.
The matinee starts at 5 p.m,, and the regular show, at 7 p.m.
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