Tag: Pope Francis

Other Things, Philosophy & Religion2 Comments

Pope Francis.. Not Afraid To Speak Out..

RJ Walters

To me the foundation of my spirituality lies in the words of Jesus in Matthew 25, particularly verse 40: ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ Pope Francis almost wants me to return to my religious roots in Catholicism. He says inconvenient truths that so many other religious leader shy away from or completely disregard.  Verse 40 as cited above is the most often quoted verse in Matthew. Seldom are the verses before or after used as a pretext to that sentence. In those verses Jesus basically … Continue reading Pope Francis.. Not Afraid To Speak Out..

Life On The Margins, Philosophy & ReligionLeave a comment

Living On The Outskirts Of Hope…

RJ Walters

I want to pen some final words about Pope Francis here. The title of this post is a recent quote from him that truly inspires me. There are just too many people in the world to who the very idea of hope seems unknowable. They live in such despair that all they can manage is just surviving day-to-day.   It is said that Pope Francis views the world from the Bottom up. I have never thought of it in those terms but it is an accurate portrayal of him and I hope to a certain degree myself. Most of us, especially those … Continue reading Living On The Outskirts Of Hope…

Philosophy & ReligionLeave a comment

Pope Francis and Consumerism…

RJ Walters

In Francis’ encyclical Laudato Sí, he took aim at the West’s “extreme and selective consumerism” and “throwaway culture,” arguing that the developed world’s voracious appetites are a bigger threat to the planet than population growth. Blaming overpopulation in poorer parts of the world, he writes, “is an attempt to legitimize the present model of distribution, where a minority believes that it has the right to consume in a way which can never be universalized, since the planet could not even contain the waste products of such consumption.”… If Pope Francis is working at least partly on faith, surely the same … Continue reading Pope Francis and Consumerism…

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Perhaps They Never Will..

RJ Walters

I have to put out a quick post here following Pope Francis’ speech before our congress. To me it was very inspiring but obviously there were those there that simply refused to listen to anything he said. Instead they sat stoically on their hands while those around them frequently stood and applauded. This reminded me of the last words in the final verse of one of my favorite songs which is entitled “Vincent” by Don McClean. It goes like this… They would not listen, They are not listening still Perhaps they never will I just cannot believe that the current … Continue reading Perhaps They Never Will..

Having My SayLeave a comment

Pope Francis has an unsettling message for corporate America

RJ Walters

On Sept. 24, Francis will be the first pontiff ever to speak before a joint session of Congress. He’ll speak in English rather than his native Spanish. And he’ll most likely say a lot of things objectionable to the Republicans who hold majorities in both branches of Congress, and to many champions of American-style capitalism. Source: Pope Francis has an unsettling message for corporate America – Yahoo Finance Catholic or not (I am not) should listen in on what this man says.  He is a man as close to the teachings of Jesus Christ as I have ever seen in … Continue reading Pope Francis has an unsettling message for corporate America

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Pope in blistering critique of Vatican bureaucrats

RJ Walters

Francis issued a blistering indictment of the Vatican bureaucracy Monday, accusing the cardinals, bishops and priests who serve him of using their Vatican careers to grab power and wealth, of living “hypocritical” double lives and forgetting that they’re supposed to be joyful men of God. Francis turned the traditional, genteel exchange of Christmas greetings into a public dressing down of the Curia, the central administration of the Holy See which governs the 1.2-billion strong Catholic Church. He made clear that his plans for a radical reform of the structures of church power must be accompanied by an even more radical … Continue reading Pope in blistering critique of Vatican bureaucrats

Having My Say4 Comments

"A Church That Is Poor"…

RJ Walters

After spending $43 million on residential renovations, German bishop Monsignor Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst was suspended. On Wednesday, Pope Francis accepted the bishop’s resignation…. Francis has called on his priests and bishops to be models of sobriety in a church that “is poor and is for the poor.” SOURCE:  Why Pope Francis accepted the ‘Bishop of Bling’ resignation – CSMonitor.com. I continue to be amazed by the words and actions of Pope Francis. He seems to be very serious in making the church into the vision of its founder.  The source article is about how he “accepted” the resignation of a … Continue reading "A Church That Is Poor"…

Having My Say2 Comments

Strength, Courage, Hope in New Year

RJ Walters

Pope Francis, laying out his hopes Wednesday for the just-begun year, urged people to work for a world where everyone accepts each other’s differences and where enemies recognize that they are brothers. “We are all children of one heavenly father, we belong to the same human family and we share a common destiny,” Francis said…. “What is happening in the heart of man? What is happening in the heart of humanity?” Francis asked. “It’s time to stop.” SOURCE Pope Stresses Strength, Courage, Hope in New Year – ABC News. I want to end this first month of the new year 2014 … Continue reading Strength, Courage, Hope in New Year

Having My Say2 Comments

Trickle Down Thoughts From The Pope….

RJ Walters

“In this context, some people continue to defend trickle-down theories which assume that economic growth, encouraged by a free market, will inevitably succeed in bringing about greater justice and inclusiveness in the world. This opinion, which has never been confirmed by the facts, expresses a crude and naive trust in the goodness of those wielding economic power and in the sacralized workings of the prevailing economic system.” The above quote is from the new Evangelii Gaudium, recently released from Pope Francis. This pope continues to amaze me with his courageous words for the least of these. Here the pope is directly calling … Continue reading Trickle Down Thoughts From The Pope….

Having My Say2 Comments

Pope attacks mega-salaries and wealth gap…

RJ Walters

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) – Pope Francis said in the first peace message of his pontificate that huge salaries and bonuses are symptoms of an economy based on greed and inequality and called again for nations to narrow the wealth gap. In his message for the Roman Catholic Church’s World Day of Peace, marked around the world on January 1, he also called for sharing of wealth and for nations to shrink the gap between rich and poor, more of whom are getting only “crumbs”. “The grave financial and economic crises of the present time … have pushed man to seek … Continue reading Pope attacks mega-salaries and wealth gap…

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A Quakerish Pope?

RJ Walters

Worth reading is a recent interview with Pope Francis conducted by Eugenio Scalfari of La Repubblica.  Scalfari, an atheist, had written to request an interview, and was floored when the Pope himself called to schedule a time. The whole interview is worth reading and pondering. I was especially struck by one interchange in which Pope Francis says something very akin to something George Fox said.   Said Pope Francis, “From my point of view, God is the light that illuminates the darkness, even if it does not dissolve it, and a spark of divine light is within each of us. In … Continue reading A Quakerish Pope?