In Major Document, Pope Francis Presents His Vision
By ELISABETTA POVOLEDO
Published: November 26, 2013 187 Comments
VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis presented the vision for his papacy on
Tuesday, calling on Catholics to battle what he called the
“globalization of indifference” to create a more compassionate church
that champions the poor as it works to achieve social justice in an
increasingly secular and money-oriented society.
Vincenzo Pinto/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
Pope Francis called for "a new phase of evangelization, one marked by enthusiasm and vitality."
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"Pope Francis appears obsessed with the gospel message of comforting and nourishing the poor, the despondent, the incarcerated, and the oppressed. Long live this pope..."the doctor, allentown, pa
Called “Evangelii Gaudium,” (the Joy of the Gospel), the document offers
the Roman Catholic Church a road map of sorts for navigating the
complexities of the modern world, with the Gospel as a compass for what
the pope called “a new phase of evangelization, one marked by enthusiasm
and vitality.”
The document, a papal pronouncement known as an apostolic exhortation,
was the first major written work Francis has created since he was chosen
eight months ago to lead the 2,000-year-old church.
It challenges the church to “abandon the complacent attitude that says:
‘We have always done it this way,'” to find novel, “bold and creative”
ways to speak to the faithfuland to make the church more meaningful.
The 84-page document is essentially a compendium of what Pope Francis
has said in dozens of speeches and sermons since he became pope in
March. “It is the fruit of personal reflection,” the Vatican spokesman,
the Rev. Federico Lombardi, said at a news conference. “There is
coherence between the words of the documents and the actions of the
pope.”
An apostolic exhortation does not define Church doctrine, and the
document makes clear that some issues – like abortion, or the ordination
of women – are not up for discussion.
But there is an acknowledgment too, that the world has changed, and that
the church must change with it. It is time, Pope Francis said, for
“still broader opportunities for a more incisive female presence in the
Church,” in particular “in the various other settings where important
decisions are made.”
The local church must have greater say in decision-making, and the
renewal of the church can only gain strength if it begins from the
bottom up, the pope said.
Bishops and priests on the ground have a better sense of the needs of
the faithful, as well as their frustrations, and parishes should become a
critical part of the church’s evangelization and outreach. A parish
should be a point of “contact with the homes and the lives of its
people,” and not a “useless structure out of touch with people or a
self-absorbed cluster made up of a chosen few,” he wrote.