Pope Francis seeks change in church style, Archbishop Gregory Aymond says
Archbishop Gregory Aymond (Ted Jackson, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
By on September 20, 2013
Pope Francis’ position that the Catholic Church has become “obsessed” with certain issues like abortion and gay marriage does not diminish the importance of those issues but does signal a shift in church style, Archbishop Gregory Aymond said Friday. The pope’s message is for the church to embrace more people and more issues, he said.
“It’s well known how the church feels . . .” regarding abortion, contraception and gay marriage, Aymond said. “But he’s calling on us to do it in a way that does not hit people over the head. I think the pope would say instead of hitting people over the head, continue to explain, but invite people to give a response and know Jesus.
“He’s saying these are important issues . . . however they are not the only issues,” Aymond said, noting other issues such as the death penalty and poverty. “I think he’s calling us to put our arms around more people and issues, and have bigger hearts.”
Aymond said someone learned about Francis’ statements via Twitter on Thursday and alerted him while he was attending the Louisiana Priests’ Convention in New Orleans. The pope's statements were part of a lengthy interview that appeared in La Civilta Cattolica, the Italian Jesuit journal.
“That’s the problem. It’s 10,000 words, and what’s happening is that people are picking up on a sentence or two and taking it out of context.” Aymond encouraged people to read the entire interview.
In the interview, the pope said the church had become obsessed with preaching about abortion, gay marriage and contraception. “It is not necessary to talk about these issues all the time,” Francis said. “We have to find a new balance, otherwise even the moral edifice of the church is likely to fall like a house of cards, losing the freshness and fragrance of the Gospel.”
Aymond said the pope’s statements did not surprise him.
“He’s calling us to continue to be faithful and calling for a new style of teaching and preaching,'' he said. "He’s calling us to have big hearts and to try to walk with people and include them, even if they at times disagree with us and don’t accept Christ or the teachings of the church. That we don’t give up on them. Jesus did not give up on anyone.”
Aymond said the few phone calls he has received about the pope’s remarks have been positive.
Francis’ comments should have an influence on the way that the church teaches and preaches, but at ground level that will vary depending on the individual styles of the pastors, he said. “Some people may see some changes.”
Rev. James Wehner
The Rev. James Wehner, rector and president of Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans, said the pope’s message is that there are numerous issues beyond abortion, contraception and gay marriage – such as poverty – and that the church needs to react to the needs of the people. “I think Pope Francis wants to be sure that the Catholic Church is practical, effective, hands-on and effective to the people rather than remote, or museum-like . . .”
The pope’s words are being well received by the seminarians, he said.
“The language he is using tends to be the language used by the seminarians,'' Wehner said. “They get it. It’s the language of mission… They feel the gospel of the Catholic Church can be very practical. So when you have a pope using that language, it gets them excited.”
Wehner said he is reassessing his own style and tone and has asked the seminarians to read the entire article to better understand Francis, whose pastoral style and humble ways have made him very popular around the world.
“It’s very consistent,” he said of the pope’s actions. “He’s being nothing more than who he is.”
Archdiocese of New Orleans spokeswoman Sarah Comiskey McDonald said the organization has not received any public reaction in the form of emails but said the pope’s comments triggered a lot of activity on Twitter and Facebook, both in the New Orleans area and elsewhere in the United States. “There’s definitely at lot of discussion about it. It seems to have been … very well received among Catholics.”
“It’s well known how the church feels . . .” regarding abortion, contraception and gay marriage, Aymond said. “But he’s calling on us to do it in a way that does not hit people over the head. I think the pope would say instead of hitting people over the head, continue to explain, but invite people to give a response and know Jesus.
“He’s saying these are important issues . . . however they are not the only issues,” Aymond said, noting other issues such as the death penalty and poverty. “I think he’s calling us to put our arms around more people and issues, and have bigger hearts.”
Aymond said someone learned about Francis’ statements via Twitter on Thursday and alerted him while he was attending the Louisiana Priests’ Convention in New Orleans. The pope's statements were part of a lengthy interview that appeared in La Civilta Cattolica, the Italian Jesuit journal.
“That’s the problem. It’s 10,000 words, and what’s happening is that people are picking up on a sentence or two and taking it out of context.” Aymond encouraged people to read the entire interview.
In the interview, the pope said the church had become obsessed with preaching about abortion, gay marriage and contraception. “It is not necessary to talk about these issues all the time,” Francis said. “We have to find a new balance, otherwise even the moral edifice of the church is likely to fall like a house of cards, losing the freshness and fragrance of the Gospel.”
Aymond said the pope’s statements did not surprise him.
“He’s calling us to continue to be faithful and calling for a new style of teaching and preaching,'' he said. "He’s calling us to have big hearts and to try to walk with people and include them, even if they at times disagree with us and don’t accept Christ or the teachings of the church. That we don’t give up on them. Jesus did not give up on anyone.”
Aymond said the few phone calls he has received about the pope’s remarks have been positive.
Francis’ comments should have an influence on the way that the church teaches and preaches, but at ground level that will vary depending on the individual styles of the pastors, he said. “Some people may see some changes.”
Rev. James WehnerThe pope’s words are being well received by the seminarians, he said.
“The language he is using tends to be the language used by the seminarians,'' Wehner said. “They get it. It’s the language of mission… They feel the gospel of the Catholic Church can be very practical. So when you have a pope using that language, it gets them excited.”
Wehner said he is reassessing his own style and tone and has asked the seminarians to read the entire article to better understand Francis, whose pastoral style and humble ways have made him very popular around the world.
“It’s very consistent,” he said of the pope’s actions. “He’s being nothing more than who he is.”
Archdiocese of New Orleans spokeswoman Sarah Comiskey McDonald said the organization has not received any public reaction in the form of emails but said the pope’s comments triggered a lot of activity on Twitter and Facebook, both in the New Orleans area and elsewhere in the United States. “There’s definitely at lot of discussion about it. It seems to have been … very well received among Catholics.”
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