In Pope Francis’ address on “The Pastoral Challenges of Adulthood” that took place on Sunday, he broke with tradition by naming his own relationship with the Church as a challenge for the church to overcome. “As a priest and bishop I was so punished by the priest,” he said. “And as bishop I was so punished by my pastors, by everyone.”
Pope Francis also lamented the fact that throughout history, the church has been presented with marriage between “two virgins” but not the Catholic Church.
The Sex Abuse Abuse Crisis
In the days leading up to the release of Pope Francis’ report on the sexual abuse crisis in the Archdiocese of Boston, Pope Francis spoke to the Chilean media about his efforts to be a promoter of reconciliation with victims of sexual abuse.
“I would like to ask forgiveness for all those who have offended and harmed the children of God,” the Pope said.
The Church, he said, “did not want to hear them.” And he said that he has been dealing with these “evil bishops” and accused and convicted of sexual abuse.
Pope Francis Was Called “Revanissimo” by a Jesuit
Pope Francis reportedly received a nickname from a Jesuit that had a history of authoritarianism: “Revanissimo,” the Italian name for a Japanese general.
He is also said to have told the Jesuit superior general that he was worthy of the vocation.
Before Pope Francis even arrived in Buenos Aires, the leadership of the Jesuit Father Samuel Schall, an outspoken leader in the liberation theology movement, was distancing themselves from the Pope’s views, calling him “extreme” and “political.”
A Diet at the Pope’s Home
The Pope’s residence in the Vatican’s pastoral home in Castel Gandolfo is known as “Sleepy Hollow.”
On Nov. 15, 2008, Pope Benedict visited a local pizza shop where he was approached by a vegetarian who worked for the local police. The priest invited him to take his order. “And I said to him, ‘Can I give you my order?’” the Pope recalled in a conversation about his diet with the Italian television network Chi. “He was holding a slice of pizza in his hand. I said to him, ‘I want one of your.’ So he brought it to me.”
Pope Francis had already decided that he would follow a vegetarian diet by that point, but he wasn’t particularly interested in eating the pizza.
“I decided not to eat. I still had a choice — I could eat the pizza or I could have one of yours. I was a sort of vegetarian.”
An Invitation from Mexican Fertilizer Plant
On Jan. 19, 2015, Pope Francis accepted an invitation to make a homily at a celebration at the Olivencia Fertilizer Plant in Olivencia, Mexico. The plant specializes in producing fertilizer used in farm operations and had invited Francis to preach after it made a big donation to support the ministry of the Catholic Church.
During his homily, Francis spoke about the congregation: “These plants are agronomists as well as farmers. In fact, one of the resources they provide in fertilizer is the ‘prophet’ of God. We call him the ‘prophet of’ the new spring, the reprographic spring of grace. That spring is significant to this congregation: that its workers have been blessed with the infusion of the ‘prophet’ of God into their existence, to their aspirations.”
Read the full story at The Washington Post.
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