[Magdalen] Conservatives Chafe Under Francis

[Sally Davies]

Which in itself sounds like a deal breaker for ever joining the RC,
regardless of where the Pontiff may be on the spectrum of conservative
religious organisation.

I simply cannot understand how Christ's Representative on Earth can adopt
(or be afforded) a style of leadership that is so radically at odds with
Christ's own life and teaching in earthly life, and still have any
credibility.

If there's anything attractive about the current Pope (and for me there is)
it would be in his adoption of a more simple and Christ like approach to
people, relationships and problems. I hope he's not going to order anyone
to jump.

Given the pain we've been through in our own Communion, and still go
through, I would not wish that on any other church. Lately I've been
reading some sermons from Chris Chivers, who has interesting things to say
about how we choose to be church; including the implications of our
becoming preoccupied with our own self-understanding as Christians or as
Church.

He says it results in a closing-in mindset which all too easily becomes
closing-down - literally. One of the sermons is a meditation on a painting,
"The Baptism of Christ" by Hans Feibusch, which is in the Baptistry at
Chichester Cathedral. It's well worth taking the time to study this
painting, which is worth several thousand words about the Church, the
Kingdom, and the Great Commission:

http://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:%22The_Baptism_of_Christ%22_by_Hans_Feibusch_within_Chichester_Cathedral_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1141190.jpg

Sally D





On Tuesday, 4 November 2014, ROGER STOKES <roger.stokes65 at btinternet.com>
wrote:

> What these traditionalists forget is that the Pope's power is unfettered.
> Canon Law says he can do what he likes and that he has universal
> jurisdiction.  If he says "jump" the correct response is "how high?" not
> "why?" or "I don't want to".
>
> Roger
>
>
>
>
> ________________________________
>  From: Scott Knitter <scottknitter at gmail.com <javascript:;>>
> To: "Magdalen at herberthouse.org <javascript:;>" <magdalen at herberthouse.org
> <javascript:;>>
> Sent: Monday, November 3, 2014 2:56 PM
> Subject: Re: [Magdalen] Conservatives Chafe Under Francis
>
>
> On Mon, Nov 3, 2014 at 1:27 AM, Roy Murphy <roy.murphy at gmail.com
> <javascript:;>> wrote:
> > "It's almost as if the Catholic Church was recently baptized in a vat of
> > irony: so-called traditionalists--the same people who insisted that
> liberals
> > fall in line behind John Paul II and Benedict XVI--are petulantly calling
> > for schism and for bucking Church hierarchy. What makes it even more
> > absurd: Francis isn't all that liberal."
>
> When the traditionalists were fluttering their eyelids each of the
> many times they solemnly referred to "The Holy Father," I remember
> wondering whether they would still do so for another pope who might
> have a different approach. Sure enough, although they should fall in
> line and show him the same deference, now it's a different story.
>
> --
> Scott R. Knitter
> Edgewater, Chicago, Illinois USA
>