Pope Bitching Ought to Be a New Olympic Sport

There'd be lots of Olympic hopefuls looking to compete and it seems there'd have to be a butt load of qualifying heats to get to the main event given the number of participants I'm seeing actively engaged in bitching about this Pope on social media.

The latest Papal kerfluffle has to do with these words used to respond to a question about birth control:

I think the number of 3 (children) per family that you mentioned, it is the one experts say is important to keep the population going,. three per couple. When it goes below this, the other extreme happens, like what is happing in Italy. I have heard, I do not know if it is true, that in 2024 there will be no money to pay pensioners (because of) the fall in population.

Therefore, to give you an answer, they key word is the one the Church always uses all the time and even I use it: it is responsible parenthood. how do we do this? With dialog. Each person with his pastor seeks how to do that responsible parenthood.

That example i mentioned shortly before about that woman who was expecting her eighth (child) and already had seven who were born with caesareans. That is an irresponsibility (That woman might say) 'no but I trust in god' But God gives you methods to be responsible. Some think that, excuse me if i use that word, that in order to be good Catholics we have to be like rabbits. No. Responsible parenthood! This is clear and that is why in the church there are marriage groups, there are experts in this matter, there are pastors, one can seek and i know so many, many ways out that are licit and that have helped this. You did well to ask me this.

Another thing in relation to this is that for the most poor people, a child is a treasure. It is true that you have to be prudent here too but for them a child is a treasure. (Some would say) 'God knows how to help me' and perhaps some of them are not prudent, this is true. Responsible paternity but let us also look at the generosity of that father and mother that see a treasure in every child.

The bolded words are what's generating lots of heat in hater circles.  So much heat.

This morning I found that which I think best deals with what's going on from Simcha Fisher:

Look, this is our Pope. He’s kind of a blabbermouth, and sooner or later, he’s going to irritate just about everybody. And no, this isn’t the first time he’s said something that makes me go, “Oy.” All the more reason to pick your head up out of the constant stream of gabble in the media from time to time, take a deep breath, and focus on your own family and your own spiritual life, rather than diving headfirst into the outrage du jour. (And yes, that means you might end up reading my blog less. Go ahead, I can take it!)

Anyway, Phillips was nice enough to recommend my book as an antidote to some of the confusion over what the Church actually teaches about family size, and how to balance the seemingly contradictory ideas of responsibility and generosity. I do hope that it helps!

I guess if Catholics want the beautiful teaching of the Church to be better understood by a skeptical world, then it would behoove us to spend our energy, you know, using these dust-ups as an opportunity for sharing and explaining that teaching, rather than constantly bitching about the Pope. 

Catholicism is indeed a beautiful faith.  Easily misunderstood, let there be no doubt, by the shallow who refuse to go deeper yet the beauty remains, beauty that will be found by the honest seeker.

Catholics concerned about the Pope's words need to look at the longer view here.  The strategy is to attract people to the faith, to give society the opportunity to speak about the important moral issues of the day, to bring people to Christ, to do so by in essence speaking their language and meeting them where they are.  The pope is doing that.

Let's be patient with him.

Let's not squander these opportunities.

Let's not look to participate in the Pope bitching.

Let's finish the much larger race and not be distracted by the enemy.