Quotes of Pope Francis compared to Catholic doctrine
1. Atheism
Teachings of Francis
On Heaven and Earth2, pp. 12-13: “I do not approach the relationship in order to proselytize, or convert the atheist; I respect him… nor would I say that his life is condemned, because I am convinced that I do not have the right to make a judgment about the honesty of that person… every man is the image of God, whether he is a believer or not."
Scripture or Past Church Teaching:
"If any one deny the one true God, Creator and Lord of all things visible and invisible, let him be anathema" (Conc. Vatican., Sess. III, "De fide", can. i).
"If anyone shall have said that the one true God, our Creator and our Lord, cannot be known with certitude by those things which have been made, by the natural light of human reason: let him be anathema" (First Vatican Council, Sess III, can. 2/1: Denz. 1806; cf. D. 1785).
“And to you who are troubled, rest with us when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven, with the angels of his power, in a flame of fire, giving vengeance to them who know not God, and who obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, who shall suffer eternal punishment in destruction, from the face of the Lord, and from the glory of his power.” II Thessalonians I: 7-9
Teachings of Francis
Francis I response to open letter3 published Sep 2013: “First of all, you ask if the God of the Christians forgives those who do not believe and do not seek faith. Given that - and this is fundamental - God's mercy has no limits if he who asks for mercy does so in contrition and with a sincere heart, the issue for those who do not believe in God is in obeying their own conscience. In fact, listening and obeying it, means deciding about what is perceived to be good or to be evil. The goodness or the wickedness of our behavior depends on this decision.”
Scripture or Past Church Teaching:
"...faith is the beginning of human salvation, the foundation, and the root of all Justification; without which it is impossible to please God..." Council of Trent, Chapter VIII
2. Blessed Trinity
Teachings of Francis
Interview with the Italian newspaper La Repubblica1, September 24, 2013: “I believe in God, not in a Catholic God, there is no Catholic God, there is God and I believe in Jesus Christ, his incarnation. Jesus is my teacher and my pastor, but God, the Father, Abba, is the light and the Creator. This is my Being.”
Scripture or Past Church Teaching:
Comment: Our Catholic God is the Trinity, which is different from the Gods professed by non-Christians:
"the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God, and yet there are not three Gods but one God." Athanasian Creed
“Q. 1400. Name some of the more essential religious truths we must know and believe. 2.(2) That in God there are three Divine Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, and these Divine Persons are called the Blessed Trinity.” Baltimore Catechism
3. Capital Punishment (The Death Penalty)
Teachings of Francis
Letter to the President of the International Commission against the death penalty9, March 20, 2015: "Today capital punishment is unacceptable, however serious the condemned’s crime may have been. It is an offence to the inviolability of life and to the dignity of the human person which contradicts God’s plan for man and for society and his merciful justice, and it fails to conform to any just purpose of punishment.".....
“All Christians and men of good will are thus called today to fight not only for the abolition of the death penalty, whether legal or illegal, and in all its forms, but also in order to improve prison conditions, with respect for the human dignity of the people deprived of their freedom”
Scripture or Past Church Teaching:
“The same divine authority that forbids the killing of a human being establishes certain exceptions, as when God authorizes killing by a general law or when He gives an explicit commission to an individual for a limited time. The agent who executes the killing does not commit homicide; he is an instrument as is the sword with which he cuts. Therefore, it is in no way contrary to the commandment, 'Thou shalt not kill' to wage war at God's bidding, or for the representatives of public authority to put criminals to death, according to the law, that is, the will of the most just reason” St. Augustine, The City of God, Book 1, chapter 21
“Therefore if a man be dangerous and infectious to the community, on account of some sin, it is praiseworthy and healthful that he be killed in order to safeguard the common good, since "a little leaven corrupteth the whole lump” (1 Cor. 5:6)” St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Whether It Is Lawful to Kill Sinners?
“Even in the case of the death penalty the State does not dispose of the individual’s right to life. Rather public authority limits itself to depriving the offender of the good of life in expiation for his guilt, after he, through his crime, deprived himself of his own right to life” Pius XII, Address to the First International Congress of Histopathology of the Nervous System, 14 Sep 1952, XIV, 328
"The infliction of capital punishment is not contrary to the teaching of the Catholic Church, and the power of the State to visit upon culprits the penalty of death derives much authority from revelation and from the writings of theologians” Catholic Encyclopedia, Capital Punishment
4. Cohabitation / Concubinage
Teachings of Francis
Address to the Diocese of Rome’s Pastoral Congress, Q&A Session14, Jun 16, 2016: “They prefer to cohabitate, and this is a challenge, a task. Not to ask ‘why don’t you marry?’ No, to accompany, to wait, and to help them to mature, help fidelity to mature.”........ “I’ve seen a lot of fidelity in these cohabitations, and I am sure that this is a real marriage, they have the grace of a real marriage because of their fidelity.”
Scripture or Past Church Teaching:
“It is a grievous sin for unmarried men to have concubines ...Wherefore, the holy Synod, that it may by suitable remedies provide against this exceeding evil, ordains that these concubinaries, whether unmarried or married, of whatsoever state, dignity, and condition they may be, if, after having been three times admonished on this subject by the Ordinary, even ex officio, they shall not have put away their concubines, and have separated themselves from all connexion with them, they shall be smitten with excommunication; from which they shall not be absolved until they have really obeyed the admonition given them.” Council of Trent, Ch. VIII, Concubinage is severely punished
“13. But in all these affairs, one of your aims should be to instill in the faithful a greater aversion for sins which scandalize others; your priests should share this aim. You are aware of the increase in the number of those who sin in a scandalous manner: those who blaspheme the heavenly saints and the holy name of God as well; those who live in concubinage.....So, make the faithful consider the seriousness of sins of this kind and the heavy penalties for them, both for the guilt of the sin itself and for the spiritual danger in which they place their brothers by the infection of their bad example. For it is written: "Woe to the world because of scandals . . . Woe to that man by whom the scandal comes!"
Pope Pius IX, On the Church in the Pontifical States, December 8, 1849
"The scandal of concubinage is removed by marriage, which should be made known to those who were scandalized, either by the pastor or by the parties themselves." Canon Law 1043
"Hence if both parties intended and expressed the intention in some way or other to enter upon a mere Concubinage, there would be no marriage." Canon Law 1082
"If a marriage is found invalid, as, for instance, among the Gallas, where slaves contract a contubernium or legalized concubinage, the parties must be separated until they are lawfully married" Canon Law 1084
"Therefore concubinage must be given up because incompatible with Christian morals" Canon Law 1124
5. Communism
Teachings of Francis
Conversations with Jorge Bergoglio4, p. 39: “It’s true that I was, like the rest of my family, a practicing Catholic. But my mind was not made solely for religious questions… I read Our Word and Proposals, a publication by the Communist Party, and I loved every article ever written by Leonidas Barletta, one of their best-known members…”
Scripture or Past Church Teaching:
"See to it, Venerable Brethren, that the Faithful do not allow themselves to be deceived! Communism is intrinsically wrong, and no one who would save Christian civilization may collaborate with it in any undertaking whatsoever. Those who permit themselves to be deceived into lending their aid towards the triumph of Communism in their own country, will be the first to fall victims of their error. And the greater the antiquity and grandeur of the Christian civilization in the regions where Communism successfully penetrates, so much more devastating will be the hatred displayed by the godless" Encyclical On Atheistic Communism by Pope Pius XI, 1937
"To this goal also tends the unspeakable doctrine of Communism, as it is called, a doctrine most opposed to the very natural law. For if this doctrine were accepted, the complete destruction of everyone's laws, government, property, and even of human society itself would follow." Encyclical On Faith and Religion by Pope Pius IX, 1846
6. Contraception
Teachings of Francis
In-flight interview from Mexico15, Feb 17, 2016: “The great Paul VI, in a difficult situation in Africa, permitted nuns to use a form of artificial contraceptives in cases of rape.....On the other hand, avoiding pregnancy is not an absolute evil. In certain cases, as in this one (the Zika virus outbreak), or in the one I mentioned of Blessed Paul VI, it was clear.”
Scripture or Past Church Teaching:
"But no reason, however grave, may be put forward by which anything intrinsically against nature may become conformable to nature and morally good. Since, therefore, the conjugal act is destined primarily by nature for the begetting of children, those who in exercising it deliberately frustrate its natural power and purpose sin against nature and commit a deed which is shameful and intrinsically vicious."
"...any use whatsoever of matrimony exercised in such a way that the act is deliberately frustrated in its natural power to generate life is an offense against the law of God and of nature, and those who indulge in such are branded with the guilt of a grave sin."
"...No difficulty can arise that justifies the putting aside of the law of God which forbids all acts intrinsically evil." Pope Pius XI, Encyclical On Christian Marriage, Dec 31, 1930
"A negative precept of natural law which prohibits a thing intrinsically evil can never be lawfully transgressed not even under the influence of the fear of death, (Lib. I, tr. ii, c. iv, dub. 2, n. 1) So that it is not lawful to do a thing which is wrong in itself, even to escape death" Catholic Encyclopedia, Hermann Busembaum
7. Conversion/Proselytizing
Teachings of Francis
Church of the Assumption, Tbilisi, Georgia16, Oct 1, 2016: “Never fight! Let the theologians study the abstract realities of theology. But what should I do with a friend, neighbour, an Orthodox person? Be open, be a friend. ‘But should I make efforts to convert him or her?’ There is a very grave sin against ecumenism: proselytism. We should never proselytize the Orthodox! L’ Osservatore Romano, October 7, 2016, p. 11
Scripture or Past Church Teaching:
Comment: If proselytizing is a grave sin, why did all of the Catholic missionaries throughout the history of the Church dedicate their lives to it?
"… St. Francis De Sales had volunteered to re-evangelize the Chablais, a region in France south of Geneva consisting of some 72,000 souls, almost all of whom were now Calvinists, since their ancestors had succumbed to Protestantism 60 years before… St. Francis' first few months saw mostly failure, as he spent a very cold winter tramping over the countryside, receiving a frigid welcome and sometimes sleeping in hay lofts at night. So he resorted to writing pamphlets - which he posted on walls and slipped under doors. By this method he was able to reach the souls he was after, such that at the end of 4 years, almost the entire population of 72,000 had returned to the ancient Catholic Faith." The Catholic Controversy, St. Francis De Sales
8. Ecumenism
Teachings of Francis
Address in St. Peter's Square5, May 18, 2013: “… promote religious freedom for everyone, everyone! Every man and every woman must be free in his or her profession of religion, whatever it may be.” L’ Osservatore Romano, May 22, 2013, p. 11.
General Audience with representatives of the world’s various religions11, Oct 28, 2015: "the Church regards with esteem the believers of all religions, appreciating their spiritual and moral commitment…Now, to conclude this Audience, I invite everyone, each one on his or her own, to pray in silence. May each one do so according to his or her own religious tradition.”
L’ Osservatore Romano, October 30, 2015, pp. 3-4
Scripture or Past Church Teaching:
"The Catholic Church is alone in keeping the true worship. This is the fount of truth, this the house of Faith, this the temple of God: if any man enter not here, or if any man go forth from it, he is a stranger to the hope of life and salvation.” Encyclical "Mortalium Animos" (On Religious Unity), by Pope Pius XI in 1928
"Certainly such attempts can nowise be approved by Catholics, founded as they are on that false opinion which considers all religions to be more or less good and praiseworthy, since they all in different ways manifest and signify that sense which is inborn in us all, and by which we are led to God and to the obedient acknowledgment of His rule. Not only are those who hold this opinion in error and deceived, but also in distorting the idea of true religion they reject it, and little by little turn aside to naturalism and atheism, as it is called; from which it clearly follows that one who supports those who hold these theories and attempt to realize them, is altogether abandoning the divinely revealed religion." Encyclical "Mortalium Animos" (On Religious Unity), by Pope Pius XI in 1928
Teachings of Francis
Evangelii Gaudium6, November, 2013: “Non-Christians, by God’s gracious initiative, when they are faithful to their own consciences, can live ‘justified by the grace of God’, and thus be ‘associated to the paschal mystery of Jesus Christ”
Scripture or Past Church Teaching:
"Now We consider another abundant source of the evils with which the Church is afflicted at present: indifferentism. This perverse opinion is spread on all sides by the fraud of the wicked who claim that it is possible to obtain the eternal salvation of the soul by the profession of any kind of religion, as long as morality is maintained. Surely, in so clear a matter, you will drive this deadly error far from the people committed to your care. With the admonition of the apostle that "there is one God, one faith, one baptism"." Encyclical On Liberalism and Religious Indifferentism, Pope Gregory XVI, 1832
“Condemned: Every man is free to embrace and profess that religion which, guided by the light of reason, he shall consider true.” The Syllabus of Errors 1864 - Pope Pius IX
“Condemned: Man may, in the observance of any religion whatever, find the way of eternal salvation, and arrive at eternal salvation.” The Syllabus of Errors 1864 - Pope Pius IX
Teachings of Francis
Vatican radio message8, May 24, 2015: “I feel like saying something that may sound controversial, or even heretical, perhaps. But there is someone who “knows” that, despite our differences, we are one. It is he who is persecuting us. It is he who is persecuting Christians today, he who is anointing us with (the blood of) martyrdom. He knows that Christians are disciples of Christ: that they are one, that they are brothers! He doesn’t care if they are Evangelicals, or Orthodox, Lutherans, Catholics or Apostolic…he doesn’t care! They are Christians.”
Scripture or Past Church Teaching:
“…because the preceding errors and many others are contained in the books or writings of Martin Luther, we likewise condemn, reprobate, and reject completely the books and all the writings and sermons of the said Martin, whether in Latin or any other language, containing the said errors or any one of them; and we wish them to be regarded as utterly condemned, reprobated, and rejected. We forbid each and every one of the faithful of either sex, in virtue of holy obedience and under the above penalties to be incurred automatically, to read, assert, preach, praise, print, publish, or defend them. They will incur these penalties if they presume to uphold them in any way, personally or through another or others, directly or indirectly, tacitly or explicitly, publicly or occultly, either in their own homes or in other public or private places.” Condemning the Errors of Martin Luther (Exsurge Domine), Pope Leo X, June 15, 1520
9. False Gods
Teachings of Francis
In 2012, Cardinal Bergoglio held an interreligious prayer meeting in the Cathedral of Buenos Aires with the leaders of false religions including Judaism and Protestant sects. In this prayer meeting he allowed the members of these false religions to pray aloud to their false gods in the Cathedral. Bergoglio has been known to organize other similar meetings (similar to his two predecessors) that are well documented and photographed in the news.
Scripture or Past Church Teaching:
"First Commandment of God: I am the Lord thy God, thou shall not have strange gods before Me"
“Q: What else does the First Commandment forbid?
A: The First Commandment also forbids all dealings with the devil, and all association with anti-Christian sects.“
The Catechism of Saint Pius X, The First Commandment
“When it is said: Thou shalt not have strange gods before me, it is equivalent to saying: Thou shalt worship me the true God; thou shalt not worship strange gods.” The Catechism of Trent, The First Commandment
“As the true God can tolerate no strange gods, the true Church of Christ can tolerate no strange Churches beside herself, or, what amounts to the same, she can recognize none as theoretically justified.” Catholic Encyclopedia, Religious Toleration
Read more: francisquotes.com
Teachings of Francis
On Heaven and Earth2, pp. 12-13: “I do not approach the relationship in order to proselytize, or convert the atheist; I respect him… nor would I say that his life is condemned, because I am convinced that I do not have the right to make a judgment about the honesty of that person… every man is the image of God, whether he is a believer or not."
Scripture or Past Church Teaching:
"If any one deny the one true God, Creator and Lord of all things visible and invisible, let him be anathema" (Conc. Vatican., Sess. III, "De fide", can. i).
"If anyone shall have said that the one true God, our Creator and our Lord, cannot be known with certitude by those things which have been made, by the natural light of human reason: let him be anathema" (First Vatican Council, Sess III, can. 2/1: Denz. 1806; cf. D. 1785).
“And to you who are troubled, rest with us when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven, with the angels of his power, in a flame of fire, giving vengeance to them who know not God, and who obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, who shall suffer eternal punishment in destruction, from the face of the Lord, and from the glory of his power.” II Thessalonians I: 7-9
Teachings of Francis
Francis I response to open letter3 published Sep 2013: “First of all, you ask if the God of the Christians forgives those who do not believe and do not seek faith. Given that - and this is fundamental - God's mercy has no limits if he who asks for mercy does so in contrition and with a sincere heart, the issue for those who do not believe in God is in obeying their own conscience. In fact, listening and obeying it, means deciding about what is perceived to be good or to be evil. The goodness or the wickedness of our behavior depends on this decision.”
Scripture or Past Church Teaching:
"...faith is the beginning of human salvation, the foundation, and the root of all Justification; without which it is impossible to please God..." Council of Trent, Chapter VIII
2. Blessed Trinity
Teachings of Francis
Interview with the Italian newspaper La Repubblica1, September 24, 2013: “I believe in God, not in a Catholic God, there is no Catholic God, there is God and I believe in Jesus Christ, his incarnation. Jesus is my teacher and my pastor, but God, the Father, Abba, is the light and the Creator. This is my Being.”
Scripture or Past Church Teaching:
Comment: Our Catholic God is the Trinity, which is different from the Gods professed by non-Christians:
"the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God, and yet there are not three Gods but one God." Athanasian Creed
“Q. 1400. Name some of the more essential religious truths we must know and believe. 2.(2) That in God there are three Divine Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, and these Divine Persons are called the Blessed Trinity.” Baltimore Catechism
3. Capital Punishment (The Death Penalty)
Teachings of Francis
Letter to the President of the International Commission against the death penalty9, March 20, 2015: "Today capital punishment is unacceptable, however serious the condemned’s crime may have been. It is an offence to the inviolability of life and to the dignity of the human person which contradicts God’s plan for man and for society and his merciful justice, and it fails to conform to any just purpose of punishment.".....
“All Christians and men of good will are thus called today to fight not only for the abolition of the death penalty, whether legal or illegal, and in all its forms, but also in order to improve prison conditions, with respect for the human dignity of the people deprived of their freedom”
Scripture or Past Church Teaching:
“The same divine authority that forbids the killing of a human being establishes certain exceptions, as when God authorizes killing by a general law or when He gives an explicit commission to an individual for a limited time. The agent who executes the killing does not commit homicide; he is an instrument as is the sword with which he cuts. Therefore, it is in no way contrary to the commandment, 'Thou shalt not kill' to wage war at God's bidding, or for the representatives of public authority to put criminals to death, according to the law, that is, the will of the most just reason” St. Augustine, The City of God, Book 1, chapter 21
“Therefore if a man be dangerous and infectious to the community, on account of some sin, it is praiseworthy and healthful that he be killed in order to safeguard the common good, since "a little leaven corrupteth the whole lump” (1 Cor. 5:6)” St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Whether It Is Lawful to Kill Sinners?
“Even in the case of the death penalty the State does not dispose of the individual’s right to life. Rather public authority limits itself to depriving the offender of the good of life in expiation for his guilt, after he, through his crime, deprived himself of his own right to life” Pius XII, Address to the First International Congress of Histopathology of the Nervous System, 14 Sep 1952, XIV, 328
"The infliction of capital punishment is not contrary to the teaching of the Catholic Church, and the power of the State to visit upon culprits the penalty of death derives much authority from revelation and from the writings of theologians” Catholic Encyclopedia, Capital Punishment
4. Cohabitation / Concubinage
Teachings of Francis
Address to the Diocese of Rome’s Pastoral Congress, Q&A Session14, Jun 16, 2016: “They prefer to cohabitate, and this is a challenge, a task. Not to ask ‘why don’t you marry?’ No, to accompany, to wait, and to help them to mature, help fidelity to mature.”........ “I’ve seen a lot of fidelity in these cohabitations, and I am sure that this is a real marriage, they have the grace of a real marriage because of their fidelity.”
Scripture or Past Church Teaching:
“It is a grievous sin for unmarried men to have concubines ...Wherefore, the holy Synod, that it may by suitable remedies provide against this exceeding evil, ordains that these concubinaries, whether unmarried or married, of whatsoever state, dignity, and condition they may be, if, after having been three times admonished on this subject by the Ordinary, even ex officio, they shall not have put away their concubines, and have separated themselves from all connexion with them, they shall be smitten with excommunication; from which they shall not be absolved until they have really obeyed the admonition given them.” Council of Trent, Ch. VIII, Concubinage is severely punished
“13. But in all these affairs, one of your aims should be to instill in the faithful a greater aversion for sins which scandalize others; your priests should share this aim. You are aware of the increase in the number of those who sin in a scandalous manner: those who blaspheme the heavenly saints and the holy name of God as well; those who live in concubinage.....So, make the faithful consider the seriousness of sins of this kind and the heavy penalties for them, both for the guilt of the sin itself and for the spiritual danger in which they place their brothers by the infection of their bad example. For it is written: "Woe to the world because of scandals . . . Woe to that man by whom the scandal comes!"
Pope Pius IX, On the Church in the Pontifical States, December 8, 1849
"The scandal of concubinage is removed by marriage, which should be made known to those who were scandalized, either by the pastor or by the parties themselves." Canon Law 1043
"Hence if both parties intended and expressed the intention in some way or other to enter upon a mere Concubinage, there would be no marriage." Canon Law 1082
"If a marriage is found invalid, as, for instance, among the Gallas, where slaves contract a contubernium or legalized concubinage, the parties must be separated until they are lawfully married" Canon Law 1084
"Therefore concubinage must be given up because incompatible with Christian morals" Canon Law 1124
5. Communism
Teachings of Francis
Conversations with Jorge Bergoglio4, p. 39: “It’s true that I was, like the rest of my family, a practicing Catholic. But my mind was not made solely for religious questions… I read Our Word and Proposals, a publication by the Communist Party, and I loved every article ever written by Leonidas Barletta, one of their best-known members…”
Scripture or Past Church Teaching:
"See to it, Venerable Brethren, that the Faithful do not allow themselves to be deceived! Communism is intrinsically wrong, and no one who would save Christian civilization may collaborate with it in any undertaking whatsoever. Those who permit themselves to be deceived into lending their aid towards the triumph of Communism in their own country, will be the first to fall victims of their error. And the greater the antiquity and grandeur of the Christian civilization in the regions where Communism successfully penetrates, so much more devastating will be the hatred displayed by the godless" Encyclical On Atheistic Communism by Pope Pius XI, 1937
"To this goal also tends the unspeakable doctrine of Communism, as it is called, a doctrine most opposed to the very natural law. For if this doctrine were accepted, the complete destruction of everyone's laws, government, property, and even of human society itself would follow." Encyclical On Faith and Religion by Pope Pius IX, 1846
6. Contraception
Teachings of Francis
In-flight interview from Mexico15, Feb 17, 2016: “The great Paul VI, in a difficult situation in Africa, permitted nuns to use a form of artificial contraceptives in cases of rape.....On the other hand, avoiding pregnancy is not an absolute evil. In certain cases, as in this one (the Zika virus outbreak), or in the one I mentioned of Blessed Paul VI, it was clear.”
Scripture or Past Church Teaching:
"But no reason, however grave, may be put forward by which anything intrinsically against nature may become conformable to nature and morally good. Since, therefore, the conjugal act is destined primarily by nature for the begetting of children, those who in exercising it deliberately frustrate its natural power and purpose sin against nature and commit a deed which is shameful and intrinsically vicious."
"...any use whatsoever of matrimony exercised in such a way that the act is deliberately frustrated in its natural power to generate life is an offense against the law of God and of nature, and those who indulge in such are branded with the guilt of a grave sin."
"...No difficulty can arise that justifies the putting aside of the law of God which forbids all acts intrinsically evil." Pope Pius XI, Encyclical On Christian Marriage, Dec 31, 1930
"A negative precept of natural law which prohibits a thing intrinsically evil can never be lawfully transgressed not even under the influence of the fear of death, (Lib. I, tr. ii, c. iv, dub. 2, n. 1) So that it is not lawful to do a thing which is wrong in itself, even to escape death" Catholic Encyclopedia, Hermann Busembaum
7. Conversion/Proselytizing
Teachings of Francis
Church of the Assumption, Tbilisi, Georgia16, Oct 1, 2016: “Never fight! Let the theologians study the abstract realities of theology. But what should I do with a friend, neighbour, an Orthodox person? Be open, be a friend. ‘But should I make efforts to convert him or her?’ There is a very grave sin against ecumenism: proselytism. We should never proselytize the Orthodox! L’ Osservatore Romano, October 7, 2016, p. 11
Scripture or Past Church Teaching:
Comment: If proselytizing is a grave sin, why did all of the Catholic missionaries throughout the history of the Church dedicate their lives to it?
"… St. Francis De Sales had volunteered to re-evangelize the Chablais, a region in France south of Geneva consisting of some 72,000 souls, almost all of whom were now Calvinists, since their ancestors had succumbed to Protestantism 60 years before… St. Francis' first few months saw mostly failure, as he spent a very cold winter tramping over the countryside, receiving a frigid welcome and sometimes sleeping in hay lofts at night. So he resorted to writing pamphlets - which he posted on walls and slipped under doors. By this method he was able to reach the souls he was after, such that at the end of 4 years, almost the entire population of 72,000 had returned to the ancient Catholic Faith." The Catholic Controversy, St. Francis De Sales
8. Ecumenism
Teachings of Francis
Address in St. Peter's Square5, May 18, 2013: “… promote religious freedom for everyone, everyone! Every man and every woman must be free in his or her profession of religion, whatever it may be.” L’ Osservatore Romano, May 22, 2013, p. 11.
General Audience with representatives of the world’s various religions11, Oct 28, 2015: "the Church regards with esteem the believers of all religions, appreciating their spiritual and moral commitment…Now, to conclude this Audience, I invite everyone, each one on his or her own, to pray in silence. May each one do so according to his or her own religious tradition.”
L’ Osservatore Romano, October 30, 2015, pp. 3-4
Scripture or Past Church Teaching:
"The Catholic Church is alone in keeping the true worship. This is the fount of truth, this the house of Faith, this the temple of God: if any man enter not here, or if any man go forth from it, he is a stranger to the hope of life and salvation.” Encyclical "Mortalium Animos" (On Religious Unity), by Pope Pius XI in 1928
"Certainly such attempts can nowise be approved by Catholics, founded as they are on that false opinion which considers all religions to be more or less good and praiseworthy, since they all in different ways manifest and signify that sense which is inborn in us all, and by which we are led to God and to the obedient acknowledgment of His rule. Not only are those who hold this opinion in error and deceived, but also in distorting the idea of true religion they reject it, and little by little turn aside to naturalism and atheism, as it is called; from which it clearly follows that one who supports those who hold these theories and attempt to realize them, is altogether abandoning the divinely revealed religion." Encyclical "Mortalium Animos" (On Religious Unity), by Pope Pius XI in 1928
Teachings of Francis
Evangelii Gaudium6, November, 2013: “Non-Christians, by God’s gracious initiative, when they are faithful to their own consciences, can live ‘justified by the grace of God’, and thus be ‘associated to the paschal mystery of Jesus Christ”
Scripture or Past Church Teaching:
"Now We consider another abundant source of the evils with which the Church is afflicted at present: indifferentism. This perverse opinion is spread on all sides by the fraud of the wicked who claim that it is possible to obtain the eternal salvation of the soul by the profession of any kind of religion, as long as morality is maintained. Surely, in so clear a matter, you will drive this deadly error far from the people committed to your care. With the admonition of the apostle that "there is one God, one faith, one baptism"." Encyclical On Liberalism and Religious Indifferentism, Pope Gregory XVI, 1832
“Condemned: Every man is free to embrace and profess that religion which, guided by the light of reason, he shall consider true.” The Syllabus of Errors 1864 - Pope Pius IX
“Condemned: Man may, in the observance of any religion whatever, find the way of eternal salvation, and arrive at eternal salvation.” The Syllabus of Errors 1864 - Pope Pius IX
Teachings of Francis
Vatican radio message8, May 24, 2015: “I feel like saying something that may sound controversial, or even heretical, perhaps. But there is someone who “knows” that, despite our differences, we are one. It is he who is persecuting us. It is he who is persecuting Christians today, he who is anointing us with (the blood of) martyrdom. He knows that Christians are disciples of Christ: that they are one, that they are brothers! He doesn’t care if they are Evangelicals, or Orthodox, Lutherans, Catholics or Apostolic…he doesn’t care! They are Christians.”
Scripture or Past Church Teaching:
“…because the preceding errors and many others are contained in the books or writings of Martin Luther, we likewise condemn, reprobate, and reject completely the books and all the writings and sermons of the said Martin, whether in Latin or any other language, containing the said errors or any one of them; and we wish them to be regarded as utterly condemned, reprobated, and rejected. We forbid each and every one of the faithful of either sex, in virtue of holy obedience and under the above penalties to be incurred automatically, to read, assert, preach, praise, print, publish, or defend them. They will incur these penalties if they presume to uphold them in any way, personally or through another or others, directly or indirectly, tacitly or explicitly, publicly or occultly, either in their own homes or in other public or private places.” Condemning the Errors of Martin Luther (Exsurge Domine), Pope Leo X, June 15, 1520
9. False Gods
Teachings of Francis
In 2012, Cardinal Bergoglio held an interreligious prayer meeting in the Cathedral of Buenos Aires with the leaders of false religions including Judaism and Protestant sects. In this prayer meeting he allowed the members of these false religions to pray aloud to their false gods in the Cathedral. Bergoglio has been known to organize other similar meetings (similar to his two predecessors) that are well documented and photographed in the news.
Scripture or Past Church Teaching:
"First Commandment of God: I am the Lord thy God, thou shall not have strange gods before Me"
“Q: What else does the First Commandment forbid?
A: The First Commandment also forbids all dealings with the devil, and all association with anti-Christian sects.“
The Catechism of Saint Pius X, The First Commandment
“When it is said: Thou shalt not have strange gods before me, it is equivalent to saying: Thou shalt worship me the true God; thou shalt not worship strange gods.” The Catechism of Trent, The First Commandment
“As the true God can tolerate no strange gods, the true Church of Christ can tolerate no strange Churches beside herself, or, what amounts to the same, she can recognize none as theoretically justified.” Catholic Encyclopedia, Religious Toleration
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