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Pope issues mission statement for papacy
I'm by no means a fan of the Catholic Church. It's a corrupt group of old men presiding over who gets rich from the poor. However, I'm definitely an ideological fan of this pope. Though I doubt he'll restore the church in his lifetime, I do find him to be far more open to change than his predecessors. He's tackling internal issues. He's attacking a society that sees wealth as a goal and not a means. I definitely like him.
Pope Francis denounced the global financial system that excludes the poor as he issued the mission statement for his papacy on Tuesday, saying he wants the Catholic Church to get its hands dirty as it seeks to bring solace and mercy to society's outcasts.
In a 224-page document, Francis pulled together the priorities he has laid out over eight months of homilies, speeches and interviews, pushing to shift the church away from a focus on doctrine to one of joyful welcome in a bid to draw in believers in a world marked by secularization and vast income inequalities.
The document, Evangelii Gaudium, (The Joy of the Gospel), is the second major teaching document issued by Francis, but is the first actually written by him since the encyclical "The Light of Faith," issued in July, was penned almost entirely by Pope Benedict XVI before he resigned.
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"Money must serve, not rule!" he said in calling for political leaders to reform the system. "The Pope loves everyone, rich and poor alike, but he is obliged in the name of Christ to remind all that the rich must help, respect and promote the poor."
In a direct challenge to the focus of the past two popes, he also decried the church's "obsession" with rules and doctrine and said in some cases, the church's old customs can be cast aside if they no longer serve to communicate the faith.
I'm by no means a fan of the Catholic Church. It's a corrupt group of old men presiding over who gets rich from the poor. However, I'm definitely an ideological fan of this pope. Though I doubt he'll restore the church in his lifetime, I do find him to be far more open to change than his predecessors. He's tackling internal issues. He's attacking a society that sees wealth as a goal and not a means. I definitely like him.