WWFD? Take a Look!

Here’s a little clue that the media, the LGTBXYZ crowd, etc., might just not know what the heck they’re talking about when it comes to Pope Francis. We’ve all heard “Who Am I to Judge?” spew out of their mouths and onto our laptops ad nauseam, but with a severe lack of context. Those folks might want to read this article (http://news.yahoo.com/pope-shows-no-mercy-blasts-rome-mayor-pretend-201914363.html) and do a little bit of honest soul searching before trying to use Pope Francis to tear down the Church.

Here are some highlights:

Rome (AFP) – Pope Francis raised eyebrows in Italy on Tuesday by slapping down the left-leaning mayor of Rome as someone who “pretends to be Catholic”.

<snip>

“He pretends to be Catholic, it came on him all of a sudden. It doesn’t happen like that,” Francis said.

The pope’s cutting comments on the politician — who observers say rubbed the pontiff up the wrong way with his vocal support of gay marriage and euthanasia — came as Francis returned from a barnstorming visit to the United States and Cuba.

Asked on the flight home if the pope had invited Marino, Francis said, “I didn’t invite the mayor. Is that clear? I asked the organisers and they didn’t invite him either.”

The thing is, the Pope is Bishop of Rome. He is the head of Marino’s world. Isn’t it interesting to see how the Holy Father handles the flock of his own diocese? It’s not a shock to me, but I think it’s probably a shock to those who think same-sex marriage and euthanasia are A-OK.

“If the most popular man in the world takes down one of the least popular in Italy, that says that all the rules of the game have been thrown up in the air, including possibly those of mercy,” said the Turin daily, La Stampa.

The Italian media apparently doesn’t quite get it, either. Mercy doesn’t mean letting sin slide. It means giving God’s forgiveness to the contrite. It means correcting error. It means teaching truth. It doesn’t mean flinging the sheep into the world of moral relevancy where everyone gets to decide what sin means to them. It isn’t the warm fuzzy place people think it is. Just ask the child who never learns the street is a dangerous place and gets hit by a car.

Next time the media wants to contrast Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone, Archbishop Chaput, Bishop Paproki, etc., with the Holy Father, they might want to notice how similar they are. The answer to the trite question of “What would Francis do?” is exactly what these bishops are doing: trying to keep their flock from error.