Pope Francis condemned the "very strong, organised, reactionary attitude" in the US church and said Catholic doctrine allows for change over time.

Pope Francis condemned the “very strong, organised, reactionary attitude” in the US church and said Catholic doctrine allows for change over time.

Pope Francis has blasted the “backwardness” of some conservatives in the US Catholic Church, saying they have replaced faith with ideology and that a correct understanding of Catholic doctrine allows for change over time.

Francis’ comments were an acknowledgment of the divisions in the US Catholic Church, which has been split between progressives and conservatives who long found support in the doctrinaire papacies of St John Paul II and Benedict XVI, particularly on issues of abortion and same-sex marriage.

  • deadbeef79000@lemmy.nz
    10·
    1 year ago

    That’s always boggled my mind.

    I had many childhood baptist friends who claimed with disgust that the Catholic Church isn’t Christian.

    I just can’t see the reason (there isn’t any) other than needing a conservative out group.

    • abraxas@sh.itjust.works
      6·
      1 year ago

      I just can’t see the reason (there isn’t any) other than needing a conservative out group.

      The reason is simple, actually. The Protestant revolution was ostensibly started with Martin Luther advertising that the pope was the antichrist.

      Protestantism was basically the practice of declaring Catholicism to be a false Church. Then it evolved and they got more cordial. After 300 years of bloodshed

      • jarfil@lemmy.world
        5·
        1 year ago

        Technically, at the time of Martin Luther, the Roman Church was corrupt AF, so he wasn’t totally wrong. It kind of still is, but hey, who’s counting.

        • abraxas@sh.itjust.works
          3·
          1 year ago

          This is a true statement. But glass houses and stones. Let’s not forget he wrote the infamous “On the Jews and Their Lies”, and started supporting their persecution and outright murder. Many believe that his rhetoric directly caused the antisemitic attitudes of the Nazi Party. The aforementioned book was incredibly popular among Nazis.

          And the Lutherans are smart to denounce that book. Catholics could learn from a religion deciding it actually did stupid things and fixing itself.

        • deadbeef79000@lemmy.nz
          2·
          1 year ago

          I just didn’t think it was any more or less corrupt as any other Church.

          It all seems like an unironic no-true-yorkshirrman comedy sketch.

          When I was in the Catholic Church they abused us 17 hours a day!

          That’s nothing! When I was in the Protestant Church they abused us 27 hours a day and killed us before bed time.

          Etc.

          • jarfil@lemmy.world
            3·
            1 year ago

            I feel like Martin Luther was an idealist, an innocent “true believer” who got shocked when he saw the harsh reality of what was going on in Rome.

            Then he got his reform, established a new Church… and that’s where he went wrong, because sooner or later Churches gonna Church.