Pope Francis, in his own words, on the issues

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Before he became pope,Francis spoke his mind about many of the most sensitive topics the Roman Catholic church faces today. Here is a sampling from "On Heaven and Earth," published in 2012, and his authorized biography "The Jesuit," published in 2010 and republished last month as "Pope Francis. Conversations with Jorge Mario Bergoglio."

PRIESTLY CELIBACY: Roman Catholic priests take vows of celibacy. Some Catholics say they should be allowed to marry, like Eastern Rite Catholic priests.

"For the moment I'm in favor of maintaining celibacy, with its pros and cons, because there have been 10 centuries of good experiences rather than failures. It's a question of discipline, not of faith. It could change."

CLERGY ABUSE: Francis says punishing the priest is more important than protecting the church's image.

"We must never turn a blind eye. ... I do not believe in taking positions that uphold a certain corporate spirit to avoid damaging the image of the institution. That solution was proposed once in the United States: they proposed switching the priests to a different parish. It is a stupid idea; that way, the priest just takes the problem with him wherever he goes."

ABORTION: Francis is against it, from the moment of conception.

"The pregnant woman doesn't carry a toothbrush in her womb, nor a tumor. Science teaches that from the moment of conception, the new being has all the genetic code. It's impressive. It's not, therefore, a religious question but clearly a moral one, based on science."

SEX EDUCATION: Francis is for it, if done holistically, with love and not just sex in mind.

"I think it should be done throughout the growth of children, adapted to each phase. ... What happens now is many of those who raise the banner of sex education understand it as separate from the person's humanity. So, instead of counting on a sexual education law for the entire person, for love, it's reduced to a law for sex."

CONTRACEPTION: Francis thinks many Catholics are too obsessed about it.

"I see in certain illustrious elite Christians a degradation of what's religious. ... they prefer to talk of sexual morality, of everything that has anything to do with sex. That in this case you can do it, that in the other you can't. ... We've left aside an incredibly rich catechism, the mysteries of faith and belief, and end up centering on whether or not to march against a proposed condom law."

DIVORCE: Francis agrees that divorcees who remarry cannot take communion, but wants them attending church.

"It's a very strong value in Catholicism, marriage until separated by death. Still, today in Catholic doctrine the faithful who get divorced and remarry are reminded that they are not excommunicated. While they live in a situation on the margin of the sacrament of marriage, they are asked to integrate in the life of the parish."

HOMOSEXUALITY: The Vatican condemns gay acts, tolerates gay tendencies. Francis goes a bit farther.

Gay marriage is "an anthropological step backward. If there's a private union, then third parties and society aren't affected. But if they're granted marriage rights and can adopt, there could be children affected. Every person needs a masculine father and a feminine mother to help them settle their identity."

ORDINATION OF WOMEN: Francis is against it, but says women have a maternal role vital to society.

"If they're not part of it, a religious community doesn't only transform itself into a macho society, but also an austere one, hard and poorly respected. The fact that a woman can't be a priest doesn't mean they are lesser than the male. It's more — in our conception, the Virgin Mary is above the apostles."

FEMINISM: Francis has issues with it.

"A philosophy of constant feminism doesn't give the woman the dignity she deserves. ... It runs the risk of becoming machismo in skirts."

EUTHANASIA: Francis challenges the approach of many modern health care systems.

Medicine should not "focus so much on whether someone lives three days more or two months more, but on assuring that the organism suffers as little as possible. One is not obligated to preserve life through extraordinary measures. This can go against the dignity of the person. Active euthanasia is something else — that's killing."

DEATH PENALTY: Catholicism was once thought to tolerate it. Francis says it's never OK.

"Life is something so sacred that not even a terrible crime justifies the death penalty."

FUNDAMENTALISM: Francis says it warps and weakens the faithful.

"The teacher who is so arrogant as to make decisions for the disciple is not a good priest, he's a good dictator, an eraser of the religious personalities of others ... this kind of religiosity, so rigid, wraps itself in doctrines that pretend to provide justifications, but in reality they deny liberty and don't allow people to grow."

Emerging and Educating Those Around Us

By Jennifer Hoffman – April 22, 2013

http://enlighteninglife.com/awake-in-a-sleepy-world/

As a child I had a recurring dream in which I was the only person alive in the world. I walked through quiet streets, looking for people, but no one was there. It was a scary dream because I was very alone and there was no one to talk to or take care of me.

Now, as an adult, I know that this dream related to what many Indigos and Crystals experience, being awake in a world that is partly or totally asleep. This knowing is experienced as feeling very alone, unsupported, misunderstood and without strong, deep connections to like-spirited people. By being born awake we’re very aware of others’ state of sleepiness and since we’re unable to connect to them, we feel very much alone.

But this may be a misperception on our part because we aren’t necessarily here to wake them up; rather, we can give them reasons to awaken when we have the right perception of our own state of being awake.

Indigos and Crystals, both the older generations and certainly the ones born since the early 1990s were born awake, meaning that they know there is more to life and living than what we are aware of with our physical senses. Most are highly intuitive, empathic and sensitive, which is both a blessing and a challenge.

A blessing because they perceive the world in a much more profound, enlightened and spirit-filled way. A challenge because they are also aware of how many people in the world are sleepy, unaware and not aware that they are not aware. And they feel they should do something about it to wake people up and make a difference in the world. But does that mean waking people up or letting them sleep until they’re ready? Who decides when it’s time for this to happen?

Some Indigos feel they should be the blaring alarm clock, others are more comfortable being like the snooze button. Some Crystals wait for the world to awaken before they do anything, others lose themselves in their despair over a world that needs love but is not open to it. The challenge they, and all those who are awake, must rise to is being the difference in a world that needs to see a new path before it is willing to consider it as an option to the existing ones.

Being awake makes us aware of what needs to be changed in the world. The truth we learn, which sometimes leads us into thinking our efforts are not appreciated, is that people awaken when they feel ready, and not before. Being the difference is what will wake the world up to its own potential.

We are the difference when we show the world the possibilities that are available, not by telling them they are asleep but by showing them what it is to be awake. When we present an alternative that is so compelling and so much more fulfilling than being asleep, the world will awaken because it will have a reason to (something we don’t understand when we’re already awake).

Being born awake doesn’t necessarily mean that we need to tell the world it’s asleep until it decides to awaken from its slumber. Instead, see it as having the ability, mindset, gifts and understanding to show the world why it is much more joyful and fulfilling to be awake instead of being asleep, and the world will choose to wake up.