From CNSNEWS… I am posting this here because you won’t see it at the National Schismatic Reporter (aka Fishwrap).
Hey! We are still in the Octave of Christmas!
My emphases and comments:
Bishop: Pope ‘Shocked’ By Gay Adoption, ‘Encouraged Me to Speak Out’ [You might ask how it is possible for the Pope to be “shocked”, as if he hadn’t heard of this before. Where was the Nuncio? Why hadn’t the Pope been informed?]
(CNSNews.com) – Pope Francis is “shocked” about legislation in Malta that would allow homosexual couples to adopt children and encouraged the auxiliary bishop of that island nation, Charles J. Scicluna, to “speak out” against the proposal, the bishop told the Sunday Times of Malta on Dec. 29. [Not exactly the Card. Bernardin “seamless garment” approach, is it!]
In his Christmas Day sermon, Bishop Scicluna [Remember him? He was hugely acclaimed for sharpening the CDF’s responses in the matter of abuse of children. This is a tough, direct, straight-shooter.] had defended the Catholic Church’s teaching against same-sex “marriage” and gay adoption. When asked why he would discuss such a topic as part of a Christmas homily, Bishop Scicluna said he had met with Pope Francis on Dec. 12 and the pope advised him to speak boldly on the subject. [¡Vaya lío!]
“We discussed many aspects,” said Bishop Scicluna. “And when I raised the issue that’s worrying me as a bishop [gay adoption], he encouraged me to speak out.”
“[T]hat is exactly what I did in my Christmas sermon,” said Bishop Scicluna. “My sermon was not about the rights of gay people but about children’s rights.”
[…]
Pope Francis, as the archbishop of Buenos Aires and Primate of Argentina, said in July 2010 that same-sex marriage and adoption of children by gays will “seriously harm the family.”
[…]
Cardinal Bergoglio also said, “Let us not be naive: this is not simply a political struggle, but it is an attempt to destroy God’s plan. It is not just a bill but a ‘move’ of the Father of Lies [Satan] who seeks to confuse and deceive the children of God.” [B-b-b-b-but Pope Fluffy! Wh-who are we to judge? Friends, I have been saying it all along. When you set aside the home-spun, off-the cuff stuff, Pope Francis is as hard as nails when it comes to moral and doctrinal issues. The catholic Left is going to turn on Pope Francis one of these days.]
[…]
A pattern is emerging. Remember that recently the Pope affirmed to Card. Meisner that there will not be Communion for the divorced and remarried.
“But Father! But Father!”, I can hear some of you say, “What is the Pope doing here? Why does he seem to say one thing and then he says something like this? What’s going on?”
I think that Francis wants bishops to recover their episcopal backbones and speak boldly in their dioceses about these issues and not just rely on the Pope do the heavy lifting from Rome. Francis is possibly trying to stiffen episcopal spines and to make the the papal spine a little less of a lightening rod.
UPDATE 1 Jan 2014 0608 GMT:
Still nothing from the Fishwrap about Malta!
MALTA WATCH! DAY 1
