HE’S PERSONALLY AGAINST IT…BUT HE DOESN’T WANT TO IMPOSE HIS RELIGIOUS VALUES (Never mind that no previous Pope ever said there was any sin that was unforgivable, indeed such is a hallmark of Christian doctrine, and it is actually God that makes the decision*).
Pope Francis extends Catholic priests’ right to forgive abortion
Appearing at the 2016 American Music Awards (AMA) Sunday evening in Los Angeles , Pope Francis followed up his impression of Donald Trump, and a brief lecture on “bridges and walls” and the “importance of diversity” and his hopes that the new president of the United States will be a “president for all the people” and will fight climate change ,with a major announcement that he’s decided that it’s OK for priests to forgive sin…or at least some.
It was the first appearance at the AMA for a sitting Pope, who is known by his followers as “His Humbleness”, and to most Democratic politicians as “Catholicism’s Bernie Sanders”. The Pontiff received a wild round of applause for his amusing impressions of the President-elect. Some said it was the best impression since Alec Baldwin’s SNL performances.
Then, on a much more serious note, Francis announced that he’s “extended the powers”of priests to forgive abortions.
The announcement was greeted with cheers from the hundreds of A-list celebrities attending the affair, many of whom began chanting “cast your vote for Fran”, referring to the electors who will gather next month to formally elect Donald Trump as the 45th president.
Reportedly there is a movement among Hollywood artists and entertainment industry executives to press members of the electoral college to break their pledges to vote for the winning candidate and cast their ballots for the “Progressive Democrat’s Pope”!
After the Awards show, Sunday, Pope Francis signed autographs and handed out “Angel of Peace” medals to various celebrities, including Leonardo Di Caprio for his work on behalf of Gaia, “Mother Planet earth”. Francis noted that Mr. DiCaprio had traveled on his private jet more than 12 million miles to spread the word of the harmful effects of fossil fuel and air conditioning. Later the humble Pope attended the dedication of his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Francis said he was “humbled” by the honor.
And then, Francis departed for home. He will, however, make one last stop before returning to the Vatican. The Pontiff’s spokesperson revealed Francis is looking forward to first attending a performance of “Hamilton” and to hand out more “Angel of Peace” medals to members of the “Hamilton cast”.
There was, however, some negative reaction to Pope Francis’s decision to allow priests to have additional spiritual “powers”.
Some lifelong Catholics seemed to be unaware that priests until the pontiff’s decision, could not forgive certain sins.
Some wondered if Francis will extend priests’ powers to other forms of what they call “murder”.
And, along with His Holiness’s generosity, some wondered if Catholic politicians who promote, condone, and advocate for abortion will now be regarded as performing “virtuous acts of mercy”!?
To that, one self-described “devout Catholic” US House of Representative member retorted, “just a bunch of sore losers; Francis won, they lost”.
A final note regarding the end of this historic night for American Music: As Pope Francis left the Microsoft Theater, the orchestra struck up the official Theme song of the Francis Papacy, Mac Davis’ “Oh Lord, it’s hard to be humble”:
Oh Lord it’s hard to be humble
When you’re perfect in every way.
I can’t wait
To look in the mirror.
Cause I get better looking each day.
To know me is to love me.
I must be a hell of a man.
Oh Lord It’s hard to be humble,
But I’m doing the best that I can. DLH
Off the top of my head I would say I can and should forgive an offense against me, God forgives offenses against God. The priest can not be an intermediary with insincerity, only God knows what is in the heart. Transmitting forgiveness when it is not sincerely asked for is not a unilateral priestly power.
Additional thoughts: As His Holiness (the “Vicar of Christ”) is bestowing “new powers” on priests as to which sins they can now “forgive”, I would ask, are the Pope’s new “powers” he’s granting, retroactive? Are there people in Hell eligible for a “review” of their offenses and maybe to seek a “Papal Pardon”? Also, is there any possibility that Lucifer can appeal this Pontiff’s decisions? After all, he stands to lose a lot of his “guests”.
Finally, has Francis determined yet if “climate change” skeptics are eligible for “forgiveness”?
All of this kind of reminds one of the old joke, “What’s the difference between a doctor and God?”
Answer: “God knows he’s not a doctor.”
So, what’s the difference between a “Vicar” and God?