My epiphany of this past weekend did not blind me to the challenges Pope Francis’ papacy presents. Specifically, because his style is profoundly welcoming and he is so committed to bringing home the prodigal, his more pastoral style can be easily twisted by people who’s agenda runs contrary to the Church.
Instead of complaining about this, we need to rise to the challenge. To help us all do that, I’ll be regularly posting quotes from Pope Francis on the very topics he’s allegedly “soft” on; abortion, contraception, gay marriage and the like. I recommend we all do our best to take 5 minutes to memorize these quotes so that when people confront us–at the water cooler or wherever–with the tired story that “Pope Francis says Catholics shouldn’t make a big deal about X” we’ll be ready. So, here’s my first installment in my, “Here’s what Pope Francis ACTUALLY said” series.
“Every unborn child, though unjustly condemned to be aborted, has the face of the Lord, who even before his birth, and then as soon as he was born, experienced the rejection of the world. And every old person, even if infirm and at the end of his days, carries with him the face of Christ. They must not be thrown away!” – Pope Francis