The inspiring Pope Francis
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5:36 pm, December 6th, 2023 - 18 comments
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Though I don’t find it easy to be inspired at the moment, Pope Francis consistently tells me to lift my game.
Pope Francis has been pope for a bit over 10 years. He’s made a difference.
It was 8 years ago that he set down in clear theological terms the relationship between global inequality, poverty, and climate change in his long paper Laudate Si. I hadn’t seen writing like it. It made hard connections between rights to fresh water and water scarcity, biodiversity loss and poverty, accelerating climate change, and simply railing against our utilitiarian thinking that all life is merely a resource to be used and used up. Putting in extended quotes so you can get the style of writing he deploys:
It is not enough, however, to think of different species merely as potential “resources” to be exploited, while overlooking the fact that they have value in themselves. Each year sees the disappearance of thousands of plant and animal species which we will never know, which our children will never see, because they have been lost forever. The great majority become extinct of reasons related to human activity. Because of us, thousands of species will no longer give glory to God by their existence, nor convey their message to us. We have no such right.
It may well disturb us to learn of the extinction of mammals or birds, since they are more visibl. But the good functioning of ecosystems also requires fungi, algae, worms, insects, reptiles and an innumerable variety of microorgamisms. (…)
A sober look at our world shows that the degree of human intervention, often in the service of business interests and consumerism, is actually making our earth less rich and beautiful, ever more limited and grey, even as technological advances and consumer goods continue to abound limitlessly. We seem to think that we can substitute an irreplaceable and irretrievable beauty with something which we have created ourselves.”
That’s a powerful set of messages to send out to the 18% of the entire world who are Catholic, and the many millions more in communion in the various Orthodox denominations.
It is in his COP28 remarks that we now see Pope Francis simply calling out bluntly what one might ordinarily hear from Greenpeace or the Green Party: simply stop all fossil fuels by calling for “a decisive acceleration of ecological transition through means that meet three requirements: they must be efficient, obligatory and readily monitored. And achieved in four sectors: energy efficiency; renewable resources; the elimination of fossil fuels; and education in lifestyles that are less dependent on the latter.”
But as in Laudate Se, in 2023 he goes deeper, broader and further and makes the connection to climate change and war: “How many resources are being squandered on weaponry that destroys lives and devastates our common home! Once more I present this proposal: With the money spent on weapons and other military expenditures, let us establish a global fund that can finally put an end to hunger.”
What Pope Francis usually does in his messaging is to bring the moral focus away from the powerful – in particular anyone in power in his church – and towards the poor. At COP28 Pope Francis put it in phrasing that might have come from Greta Thunberg:
”Both everyday experience and scientific research show that the gravest effects of all attacks on the environment are suffered by the poorest. (…) You are responsible for crafting policies that can create concrete and cohesive responses, and in this way demonstrate the nobility of your role and the dignity of the service that you carry out. In that end, the purpose of power is to serve. It is useless to cling to an authority that will one day be remembered for its inability to take action when it was urgent and necessary to do so.”
And then he gets straight back to the gross inequality of all this damage going straight onto the backs of poorer countries:
“It is not the fault of the poor, since the almost half of our world that is more needy is responsible for scarcely 10% of toxic emissions, while the gap between the opulent few and the masses has never been so abysmal. The poor are the real victims of what is happening: we need think only of the plight of indigenous peoples, deforestation, the tragedies of hunger, water and food insecurity, and forced migration.”
If one remembers for a moment that COP28 is being held in a Muslim petro-state, hosted by a Muslim petro-king making side hustles with oil companies at the same time, inside one of the most outrageously unequal societies on earth which also hosts one of the largest military bases in the world, milling with thousands of oil lobbyists and world leaders pretending and extending the current oil use we have now, you get to see the accuracy of the Pope’s targeting. He carries the voice of 18% of people into that single moral message.
At COP28 Pope Francis wasn’t able to attend due to ill health, but his message was resolute.
I am not of course defending the Catholic church, which made its deal with the Roman empire about 1700 years ago and many parts of its institutional sin and damage continue to come to light.
I am simply stating that this is a leader I get inspired by.
Pope Francis is the first Southern Hemisphere pope. He’s the first to bring women into high office in Rome or elsewhere. He’s massively tilted the Cardinals to be majority Southern Hemisphere and from developing countries rather than Europe. In doing so he has permanently shifted the centre of gravity of the church towards the poorer countries and away from the rich. He has made it much more likely that this is a permanent shift and that his successor will also be from a developing and poor-dominant country.
He’s pushed as hard as reasonable in the current Cardinal makeup to getting women to be deacons, even if he draws the line at priesthood. He has actively welcomed gay and transgender people back into the church. He clearly believes ordained celibacy is optional. He is a very rare gender liberal among any Abrahamic faith. His successor will likely continue this set of tasks into fresh rules.
He is anti-jail, pro-refugee, anti-poverty, anti-war, anti-capitalist, anti-utilitarian, and pro-life in its continuity of anti-abortion, anti-death penalty, and anti-euthenasia forms.
He has had no compunction against firing or downgrading United States conservative and rich Bishops who undercut him. He loathes church management with a passion and tells them so en masse and to their face. In return, as a church leader you are either on his team or he just loathes you.
It’s likely he will retire in the next couple of years since he applies a clear up-or-out policy to himself as much to all his management.
In the meantime, while he’s still around, I find him inspiring.
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In Budget '24, the National Government put aside $216 million to pay for a tax cut which mainly benefitted one company: global tobacco giant Philip Morris. Instead of giving hundreds of millions to big tobacco, National could have spent the money sensibly, on New Zealand. ...5 days ago
- Release: Govt has made up a cost crisis to justify cuts
Te Whatu Ora’s financials from the last year show the Government has manufactured a financial crisis to justify making cuts that are already affecting patient care. ...5 days ago
- Speech: Why Kiwi businesses are the best in the world
The New Zealand business community is unique. It has always punched well above its weight on the world stage. ...5 days ago
- Te Pāti Māori Statement on Israel & Iran
Over 41,000 Palestinian’s have been murdered by Israel in the last 12 months. At the same time, Israel have launched attacks against at least four other countries in the Middle East including Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and Iran. “You cannot play the aggressor and the victim at the same time,” said ...6 days ago
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The Finance and Expenditure Committee’s inquiry into climate adaptation is something that must be built on for an enduring framework to manage climate risk. ...1 week ago
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The end of free Rapid Antigen Tests today is another sign the Government is giving up on the challenge of protecting the community from Covid-19. ...1 week ago
- Release: Government breaks promise on ferry plan
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- Release: Labour supports marches for better health
Labour supports Buller and Dunedin communities who are marching today and calling on the Government to act urgently to fix the health crisis. ...1 week ago
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The Government’s move to disregard all evidence and increase speed limits will result in serious harm. ...1 week ago
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The Green Party stands in solidarity with the Buller community in its silent protest for better healthcare. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Proposed job losses devastating for Timaru
News that the Smithfield meatworks could close is devastating for the hundreds of people who work there, Timaru and the wider region. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Question mark over financial sustainability of Polytechs
The Government is taking tertiary education down a worrying path with new reporting finding that fourteen of the country’s sixteen polytechnics couldn’t survive on their own,” Labour’s tertiary education spokesperson Dr Deborah Russell says. ...2 weeks ago
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The Green Party is calling on the Government to honour its promise to Dunedin and build its new hospital to full capacity. ...2 weeks ago
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- Release: Labour welcomes UAE trade deal
The New Zealand Labour Party welcomes the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) signed today with the United Arab Emirates (UAE). ...2 weeks ago
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The Government has shown its true intentions for the public service and economy – it’s not to get more public servants back to the office, it’s more job losses. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Govt not addressing health workforce crisis
The National Government is hiding the gaps in the health workforce from New Zealanders, by not producing a full workforce plan nearly a year into their tenure. ...2 weeks ago
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The Government has cut funding for bus drivers to get paid fairly for the work they do, Labour transport spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...2 weeks ago
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Proposed cuts to Kāinga Ora reflect a failure to fully commit to fixing the housing crisis. ...2 weeks ago
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Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Justice, Tākuta Ferris, has hit out at the Government, demanding the Crown prove its rights to the foreshore, following the Marine and Coastal Area Amendment Bill, passing its first reading. "Māori rights to the foreshore pre-exist the Declaration of Independence, Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and ...2 weeks ago
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Gun lobbyist Nicole McKee and her conflict of interest has struck again, this time removing safety regulations from shooting clubs and ranges in New Zealand. ...2 weeks ago
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The real problem in the public sector is ongoing job losses and cuts to the front line. ...2 weeks ago
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- Release: Ministers oblivious to cuts’ effect on families
The National Government is oblivious to the impact cuts to services will have on New Zealanders who are doing the hard yards caring for mentally ill family members. ...2 weeks ago
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Nicola Willis has set up the public service to fail to pay for reckless tax cuts for landlords and the tobacco industry. ...2 weeks ago
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- Funding boost to reduce wait times at Palmerston North ED
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti has announced a funding boost for Palmerston North ED to reduce wait times and improve patient safety and care, as well as new national standards for moving acute patients through hospitals. “Wait times in emergency departments have deteriorated over the past six years and Palmerston ...12 hours ago
- Funding boost to reduce wait times at Palmerston North ED
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti has announced a funding boost for Palmerston North ED to reduce wait times and improve patient safety and care, as well as new national standards for moving acute patients through hospitals. “Wait times in emergency departments have deteriorated over the past six years and Palmerston ...12 hours ago
- Significant investment for affordable housing with Waikato-Tainui
Mehemea he pai mō te tangata, mahia! If it’s good for the people, get on with it! A $35 million Government investment will enable the delivery of 100 affordable rental homes in partnership with Waikato-Tainui, Associate Minister of Housing Tama Potaka says. Investment for the partnership, signed and announced today ...13 hours ago
- Unlocking the potential of ethnic businesses
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- New Zealand marks anniversary of 7 October
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Winston Peters are renewing New Zealand’s calls for restraint and de-escalation, on the first anniversary of the 7 October terrorist attacks on Israel. “New Zealand was horrified by the monstrous actions of Hamas against Israel a year ago today,” Mr Luxon says. ...2 days ago
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Kia uru kahikatea te tū. Projects referred for Fast-Track approval will help supercharge the Māori economy and realise the huge potential of Iwi and Māori assets, Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka says. Following robust and independent review, the Government has today announced 149 projects that have significant regional or national ...2 days ago
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The Fast-track Approvals Bill will list 22 renewable electricity projects with a combined capacity of 3 Gigawatts, which will help secure a clean, reliable and affordable supply of electricity across New Zealand, Energy Minister Simeon Brown says. “The Government has a goal of doubling New Zealand’s renewable electricity generation. The 22 ...2 days ago
- Fast-track to drive transport projects forward
The Government has enabled fast-track consenting for 29 critical road, rail, and port projects across New Zealand to deliver these priority projects faster and boost economic growth, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “New Zealand has an infrastructure deficit, and our Government is working to fix it. Delivering the transport infrastructure Kiwis ...2 days ago
- Fast-track projects released
The 149 projects released today for inclusion in the Government’s one-stop-shop Fast Track Approvals Bill will help rebuild the economy and fix our housing crisis, improve energy security, and address our infrastructure deficit, Minister for Infrastructure Chris Bishop says. “The 149 projects selected by the Government have significant regional or ...2 days ago
- Ruakākā recreation centre opened
A new multi-purpose recreation centre will provide a valuable wellbeing hub for residents and visitors to Ruakākā in Northland, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. The Ruakākā Recreation Centre, officially opened today, includes separate areas for a gymnasium, a community health space and meeting rooms made possible with support of ...4 days ago
- Extra Government support for farmers and growers in Southland and parts of Otago
Agriculture Minister Todd McClay, and Rural Communities Minister Mark Patterson announced up to $50,000 in additional Government support for farmers and growers across Southland and parts of Otago as challenging spring weather conditions have been classified a medium-scale adverse event. “The relentless wet weather has been tough on farmers and ...4 days ago
- Government welcomes move to delay EU Deforestation Regulation
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- Response to Ministerial Inquiry into School Property
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- New Government support for residential construction market announced
The Government has announced a new support programme for the residential construction market while the economy recovers, Housing Minister Chris Bishop and Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk say. “We know the residential development sector is vulnerable to economic downturns. The lead time for building houses is typically 18 ...4 days ago
- New appointment to the EPA board
Environment Minister Penny Simmonds has confirmed the final appointee to the refreshed Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) board. “I am pleased to welcome Brett O’Riley to the EPA board,” Ms Simmonds says. “Brett is a seasoned business advisor with a long and distinguished career across the technology, tourism, and sustainable business ...5 days ago
- Strengthening resilience with critical road improvement projects
The Government has approved a $226.2 million package of resilience improvement projects for state highways and local roads across the country that will reduce the impact of severe weather events and create a more resilient and efficient road network, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Our Government is committed to delivering ...5 days ago
- Doubling road rehabilitation this summer to prevent potholes
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- Latest census data highlights New Zealand’s growing ethnic diversity
The latest 2023 Census results released today further highlight New Zealand’s growing ethnic and cultural diversity, says Ethnic Communities Minister Melissa Lee. “Today’s census results are further evidence of the increasingly diverse nature of our population. It’s something that should be celebrated and also serve as a reminder of the ...5 days ago
- FamilyBoost payments make ECE more affordable
Parents and caregivers are now able to claim for FamilyBoost, which provides low-to-middle-income families with young children payments to help them meet early childhood education (ECE) costs. “FamilyBoost is one of the ways we are supporting families with young children who are struggling with the cost of living, by helping ...5 days ago
- South Pacific defence meeting fosters collaboration
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- Minister welcomes larger Police recruitment wings
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- Positive progress on Government health targets
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- Supporting better access to data for Kiwis
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- Progressing remote building inspections
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- PPTA accepts charter schools
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- Government secures market access for blueberries to Korea
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- South Pacific Defence Ministers meet in Auckland
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- Minor variations no longer major problem
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- New diplomatic appointments
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- SuperGold Information Hub live
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Associate Health Minister with responsibility for Pharmac David Seymour has welcomed the increased availability of medicines for Kiwis resulting from the Government’s increased investment in Pharmac. “Pharmac operates independently, but it must work within the budget constraints set by the Government,” says Mr Seymour. “When our Government assumed office, New ...1 week ago
- Government to strengthen builder licensing regime
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RNZ asked Judith Collins if she would ensure staffing issues were within the scope an inquiry. ...59 mins ago
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AFAIK there are only two countries on Earth where divorce is illegal.
They are the Philippines and the Vatican City.
Should be easy work for this inspiring,liberal…Pope.
I guess any step in the right direction is a step in the right direction!!! When I see a woman pope then I'll take real notice.
If you are a Muslim in the Phillipines you can divorce
That is not a true statement.Some Muslims can divorce dependent on a number of qualifiers.
What . So theres a process to go through. Have you never heard that even NZ requires a 'divorce process' for all and property settlement process!
https://www.respicio.ph/articles/divorce-process-for-muslims-in-the-philippines
Of course there is a process.My point is that being a Muslim does not necessarily entitle you to a divorce.e.g-'"Your first marriage was not solemnized under Muslim law or Article 13 of the Code of Muslim Personal Laws of the Philippines (MPL). Philippine law does not recognize the validity of your Sharia divorce because the Philippine Family Code is the first or sole legal basis of the underlying marriage. This is true even if one party to a civil marriage later converts to Islam. '
This thread is about the Pope.How's Mrs Palmer these days…anyway?
No one is 'entitled' to get a divorce in NZ either . if you never had a legal marriage then divorce isnt available either …hahaha
heres a list of the processes to go through – as if its that easy-
https://www.govt.nz/browse/family-and-whanau/separating-or-getting-divorced/how-to-get-divorced-in-nz/
What sort of dipstick then goes on about Mrs Palmer
This is going nowhere.
As for Diana Palmer,she was the Ghostwhowalks love interest in the comics I read.
It really comes across that Pope Francis is the only western leader worthy of the name Christian.
The only other one of note is Shawn Fain.
To many others are besotted by the hocus-pocus of christian nationalism.
Shawn Fain born in Kokomo Indiana.
It takes some time to change the direction of an institution near 2000 years old, especially when that might well require climbing down from an infallibility claim. Authority is not easily given up.
Geering and Veitch decades back proposed the idea of transforming the old god into the modern one, and that was in a church not constrained by infallibility (but the elect doctrine and maybe predestination and adherence to the authority of the bible word). Who can forget the role of the presbyter parliament in the 17th C?
Like those of end time millennial aspect in the American religious sphere, one suspects that some will aspire to a Christian dominionism in association with an authoritarian regime before accepting change.
Centuries ago John Wycliffe said it was the invisible church, those of faith without the official status and power to corrupt them, that would continue the tradition.
Then they might understand that 6 pairs of men would be superseded by the equality of the other half of humanity. Maybe they should consider the story of the woman by a well and the meaning of that story.
Geering has been the best theologian the Southern Hemisphere has produced.
I'm a fan even if I disagree with him.
I like the idea of a truly modern God, I've long thought if we have to have God somewhere, I want Them to be as modern as possible even if They are not personally relevant to me as an atheist.
I do not want anybody to cede religion to the fundamentalists & theocrats, even if the modern religion declines into nothingness.
If we have to have God while the concept of Them is dying, let's make it at least as smooth as possible and make it cause ourselves as little problems as possible in the process.
Francis is the most progressive pope the Catholic church has had in a century.
After the 1870 claim of authority/status (having lost its own worldly base till 1929) the office was not one for a moderniser. The Pope in 1929, with a Vatican City State base, looked at a subsidiarity relationship between the conservative church and nation states. But John 23 (of Vatican 2) was seen as the progressive.
https://vaticanfiles.org/en/2020/09/vf179/
So the bar is that low?
Has he cleaned out the paedophiles yet?
No.