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Pope Francis' first encyclical on faith reiterates that marriage can only be between one man and one woman

This will upset the liberals who imagined that Francis might support same-sex unions. The message loud and clear is that he doesn't - marriage can only ever be between one man and one woman.


ROME, July 5, 2013 (LifeSiteNews.com) – In his first encyclical letter, released this morning, Pope Francis has reiterated that marriage is a union of one man and one woman for the procreation and nurturing of children.

This lifelong pledge is possible only in the light of a greater plan for marriage, he said: “Promising love for ever is possible when we perceive a plan bigger than our own ideas and undertakings, a plan which sustains us and enables us to surrender our future entirely to the one we love.”

Titled Lumen Fidei (The Light of Faith), the encyclical is known to have been authored mainly by Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, who was still working on it at the time of his abdication and it strongly reflects the theological style of Francis’ predecessor. In his introduction, Pope Francis wrote that he merely “added a few contributions of my own.”

Section 52, on Faith and the Family, calls the family the “first setting in which faith enlightens the human city.”

“I think first and foremost of the stable union of man and woman in marriage," he said. "This union is born of their love, as a sign and presence of God’s own love, and of the acknowledgment and acceptance of the goodness of sexual differentiation, whereby spouses can become one flesh (cf. Gen 2:24) and are enabled to give birth to a new life, a manifestation of the Creator’s goodness, wisdom and loving plan.

“Grounded in this love, a man and a woman can promise each other mutual love in a gesture which engages their entire lives and mirrors many features of faith. Faith also helps us to grasp in all its depth and richness the begetting of children, as a sign of the love of the Creator who entrusts us with the mystery of a new person.”

Anthony Ozimic, communications manager for the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children told LifeSiteNews.com today, “The Pope is linking being pro-life with having a correct understanding of the true nature of marriage. His words will be of great assistance to pro-life organisations who are fighting homosexual ‘marriage’. We know that the homosexual attack on marriage is an attack on the family, which is the best protector of children, both born and unborn.”

Ozimic said that although the section of the encyclical on the subject was short, only a few paragraphs, it is a “significant” aid in the struggle against the global efforts by the homosexualist lobby to dismantle legal definitions of marriage.

“The message from Pope Francis in his first encyclical is that the life-bearing potential of heterosexuality is the prerequisite of marriage,” Ozimic said.

Related links: Marriage one man and one woman for nurturing children: Pope Francis’ first encyclical ~ LifeSiteNews
Lumen Fidei - 'The Light of Faith' ~ Catholic Herald
Encyclical Letter Lumen Fidei of the Supreme Pontiff Francis ~ Vatican

Comments

  1. Good, I am proud of my church, when you look around there aren't many other institutions holding the line against the barbarianism of liberals. In fact, I would go so far as to say that the Catholic church is last bastion of truth left.

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  2. Pope Francis' first encyclical on faith reiterates that marriage can only be between one man and one woman who follow the same faith as him.

    Thankfully, the rest of us are free to apply logic and reason to come to a conclusion.

    Is this the same pope who now thinks that miracles are no longer needed to create a sainT? Yes, it is.

    It's all such a con game, isn't it?


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  3. Just keep telling yourself that leftrightout. Ignorance is your only strength really isn't it?

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  4. LRO,

    It is a prerogative of the Supreme Pontiff to declare someone a saint, and Pope Francis has decided to make use of that. As he is infallible on matters of faith and morals, he can't be wrong.

    Ezekiel,

    To be fair to LRO, he does have real strengths, it's just that he doesn't show them on this blog very often. Most of the time he plays Devil's Advocate.

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  5. Ezekial, the RC church has no truth; but it is expert at HIDING truth, at covering up, at dissembling.

    However, The United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child are calling the Vatican's bluff.

    http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2013/07/10/un-vatican-sex-abuse.html?cmp=rss

    http://www.michaelnugent.com/2013/07/10/un-demands-detailed-answers-from-vatican-on-protecting-rights-of-children/

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  6. Most of the time he plays Devil's Advocate.

    Well, someone has to since the latest pope seems to think the position is now redundant and he can make saints at will.

    Although, I suppose he should be commended for finally ceasing the pretense - all that rubbish about documenting miracles, obtaining the IP address of the dead whoever that received the prayers, checking the right prayer was answered by the right candidate and so on. He has been brave enough to declare evidence is a sham, that only mumbo jumbo creates saints.

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  7. LRO,

    If the UN actually cared about sexual abuse of children, they'd be demanding sex abuse files from all the education departments around the world given that school teacher abuse children at a much higher rate than clergy ever did.

    The latest news, haven't you heard, was the Ontario deputy eduction minister who devised explicit sex ed for young children (it was dumped as it was too controversial), being accused of creating child pornography. The premier of Ontario is refusing to answer questions.

    Ontario Tory leader questions premier over accused child porn maker’s role in radical sex-ed program.

    The reach of government and their education departments is far greater than that of the Church, as they have the power to compel parents to send their children to school, and fine and prosecute anyone who doesn't comply.

    The UN has always had radical elements seeking to use it to their own ends, right back to the beginning of it's formation when it was set up by the United States and the Soviet Union. There are many who hate the idea that the Church has the Vatican and a seat on the UN, and is recognised as a state. They will use any weapon.

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  8. When United Nations were first set up they used to start their meetings with the Lord's Prayer but decided to stop doing so as they felt that it might upset Russia.... after that it seems to be in keeping with the words of a certain comedian in reference to musicals of Gilbert and Sullivan ..." full of word and sounds and signifying NOTHING" In the opinions of many ,too true!
    Mrs Mac

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  9. Bamac, I assume you can prove your assertion, or are you just lying for Jesus?

    A lot of people think that what U.N. needs most is divine guidance. Ever since its foundation, letters have poured in urging that U.N. open its sessions with a prayer. A nondenominational "prayer room" was proposed for U.N.'s new Manhattan headquarters. Bowing to the fact that U.N.'s members are of many different faiths (some are specifically atheistic), a special committee of the General Assembly last week dodged the explosive issue. It recommended merely that each annual assembly session be opened and closed with a minute of silence, which each delegate would be...

    Read more: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,800590,00.html#ixzz2YirQNbZj


    The above is from Time Magazine, Aug 22, 1949. Seems to contradict your position, doesn't it?

    So, evidence please.

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  10. lRO,
    I am not in the habit of lying thank you, for anyone.
    United Nations came into being in 1945 after the end of WW11 . My mother was always interested in world affairs so there was always a lot of discussions at home so there was always plenty of discussion about different happenings ... She was very interested in the founding of the UN ... thought it was a good idea particularly as it was known that their meetings began with the Lord's Prayer .. some parliaments , I think, still do begin with a prayer.

    It was reported early on in its history that the prayer was being dropped as it might offend Russian reps ... I can not find any written proof of it now but it was well known back then in many circles.... it was dropped early in the life of the UN
    Mrs Mac

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  11. Mrs Mac, I accept that you haven't lied, as that would be a deliberate act, but you are not correct. Did you read the article I linked to?

    Contrary to what your mother thought, the UN General Assembly, which first sat in January 1946, has never opened with a prayer. And why would it open with an exclusive christian prayer when the membership was so diverse?

    Facts are amazingly powerful, aren't they?

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  12. LRO,
    I tried to read the whole article but was only able to read the first short excerpt as I couldn't subscribe with my computer. Did the time article say anything about the first meeting of UN? The first two or three meetings ? Yes, people asked at later date if this could happen again but the idea was rejected as you state ...

    The Lord's Prayer is not addressed to Jesus by the way.. it is to God Our Father.
    Yes, the countries you mention did join the UN but they too had many citizens who believed in Allah ... it was decided to leave God out of the opening minutes of their meetings in any form .
    As Lucia said , many would like the Vatican out of UN altogether .. am sure that they will do what they can to bring this about .
    Be you right and I wrong, this old girl would rather depend on the power and love of God than in any said power of UN .Faith in and love for God is a gift that God alone gives , it is not something we can gain by study of any kind ( though study along side Faith does help us to understand Him more... I find that we never stop learning more and more of the richness of His Love)
    LRO, I believe in your sincerity but I also believe that one day God might trip you up ,as it were, and grant you this grace gift which , I believe, is the greatest gift anyone could ever give you!...My prayers that He will do that one day dispite all your talk.
    God Bless,
    Mrs Mac

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  13. LRO,
    My humble apologies.... I see that you are probably right and I wrong. What changed my mother's opinion of UN must have been their early rejection of the request of certain members present to begin their meetings with a prayer seeking God's help and not their having stopped such a prayer after its beginning she certainly lost any faith she might have had in their ability to bring about any worth while changes to everyday life worldwide.
    In looking up information re UN I have learnt quite some ... this link to its history I found interesting .. thought that you might too ... UN came to be in June or October 1945 around the end of WW11 it states, around the time of the end of WW11..
    so apologies again and thanks for improving my education ... we are never too old to learn are we!

    http://www.un.org/en/aboutun/history/index.shtml

    Mrs Mac


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  14. No, Mrs Mac, we're never too old to learn, and I am pleased you have learned something from this exchange. My hope for you is that one day you will learn that you have been deceived by those who pretend to know god's will, and will return from the darkness of blind faith to the light of science and reason and be free to live as a fully independent human.

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  15. LRO,

    Thank you for hoping the best for me, the outcome of your hopes will not be as you suggest they might be though.
    Much earlier in my life I had a period of doubt , my thoughts were somewhat along the lines that you have shared with us on this blog . Was I happy and at peace ? No.

    A friend suggested that I should ask God .... " God, if you really exist and have a personal love and plan for each and every one of us then PLEASE give me the gift of a strong faith in you" There was no big cloud burst of sudden faith given to me for God knows that I am an impatient , slow learner and that ,at times He needs to use a sledgehammer as it were to teach me many things.... God used circumstances that filled my life about then , circumstances that made me pray that prayer my friend suggested over and over with growing fervor .... God helped me to see just as I had doubted my poor husbands love for me because he didn't show that love the way that this silly girl thought he should didn't mean that his love for me was not a strong love , so it was with the love God had for me .Peace came in abundance with that realization.
    Dear LRO, that is why I pray that you too will find that peace which I have found to be a richer peace than I had ever experienced before.
    My life since then has had many a rough spot but the knowledge that He is there with me through it all has , with His help,let me accept and work through with His love and peace.

    Sorry if I have been waffling on ... thank you again for not only all the history Of the UN that I have learnt but also the gratitude that I owe God for bringing me to where He has led me now.

    My hope for youLRO is also that you might have the courage to say that prayer my friend suggested to me ... not just the once either ... I will be praying it for you too.

    Shalom,
    Mrs Mac

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  16. Just received this video which , to me, says a lot....

    http://www.churchmilitant.tv/daily/?today=2013-07-15
    Mrs Mac

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  17. "and will return from the darkness of blind faith to "the light of science and reason and be free to live as a fully independent human"

    Oh this is rich LRO. Science is as susceptible to blind faith as any other endeavor involving human beings. Exhibit A The whole Global Warming/Climate Change Circus. The biggest con in recorded history replete with venal scientists constantly telling us the science is settled. How about the science on DDT and the subsequent ban that cost the lives of an estimated 50 million people.... all utter bollocks.

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