Catholic apologists talk about Pope’s ‘evangelical genius’ | MANILA, Jan. 17, 2015 – You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. This doesn’t just apply to persuasion, but apparently to pastoral style, as well. According Ricardo Boncan, secretary of Defensores Fidei Foundation, Pope Francis is exceeding his expectations, saying, “I will have to say that a Jesuit Pope was much more than I had hoped for. Pope Francis seems to have attracted many Catholics who have been indifferent to, detached from or rebellious against their faith and as Fr. Joel Jason put it, ‘ …that’s his evangelical genius, wittingly or unwittingly’, and I agree.” Unchanging truths This kind of easy charisma is needed if leading the Catholic flock means slowly re-introducing the solid truths of Christianity to some members of the faithful who are not-so-faithful when it comes to unpopular doctrines. Carlos Antonio Palad, associate member of Defensores Fidei Foundation, stresses the need to keep up the enthusiasm when affirming the teachings of the Church, “We Filipinos are easy to excite. We easily become enthusiastic but in the long run we lose interest. Right now we are enthusiastic for Pope Francis. The challenge is to keep up this enthusiasm for his affirmations of the Catholic faith.” According to Palad, the Church’s teachings on the rights of the unborn and traditional marriage are issues that need special emphasis. Petrine supremacy For Atty. Marwil Llasos, OP, Mariologist, best-selling author and Catholic televangelist, the pontiff provides “a ray of hope” to themarginalized and victims of man-made and natural disasters. “The Pope’s visit will enable us to experience that the highest authority in the Church is one with us in sorrow and suffering. This will promote deeper respect to the Pope and the papacy as an institution,“ he said, noting one potential long-lasting impact of the papal visit. For Ryan Mejiliano, president of Catholic Faith Defenders- Davao San Pedro Cathedral and chairman of Latin Mass Society of Davao, sees the papal visit as a chance to contemplate on the Petrine supremacy of the Pope. “His Holiness’ coming would be a great encounter with one of the truths that we boldly proclaim — the True Church of Christ is still visible in this planet through the uninterrupted line of succession from St. Peter up to Pope Francis, “ he explained. (Claire Navarro/CBCPNews).
Posted on: Tue, 20 Jan 2015 15:18:33 +0000
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