The Servants of the Father of Mercy
are all about MERCY as shared by the Father in the story of the Prodigal
Son. Today, more MERCY is in the news! A CNN writer reports . . .
A woman in Argentina says the pope
called her Monday and told her she could receive Communion, despite being
married to a divorced man, reports say. According to the woman and her husband,
the pope allegedly said, "There are some priests who are more papist than
the pope" -- referring to the parish priest who refused to give Communion
to the woman.
Catholics who uphold the law and may
be unaware of the “law of mercy” in the teachings of Christ, many of whom have
been less than thrilled with the new pope during the first year of his papacy,
are not happy with the latest news. One Catholic blogger insists the story must
not be true. Of course, as the representative of the magisterium (or teaching
authority) of the church, the pope is expected to toe the party line on church
teaching -- especially in public. And he should have the media savvy to know
that private conversations often go viral.
Despite all the brouhaha, this phone
conversation was actually a private one, between "Father Bergoglio"--
as the pope allegedly identified himself -- and the woman. He also wouldn't be
the first Catholic priest to privately tell a divorced person to go ahead and
receive Communion.
Yet it's true that the pope has also
publicly called for more pastoral sensitivity and inclusiveness not only toward
the divorced and remarried, but also toward gay and lesbian Catholics, single
parents and others. There's a reason his new book is called "The Church of
Mercy."
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