Pope: there’s a global war against marriage nowadays
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis’
first engagement on Saturday afternoon in the Georgian capital was a meeting
with priests, religious and seminarians in Tbilisi’s Church of the Assumption.
In an off-the-cuff address to the gathering, the Pope warned against what he
termed “a global war to destroy marriage” in contemporary society, saying the
great enemy of marriage nowadays was "gender theory."
In his wide-ranging address
to priests, religious and seminarians gathered in Tbilisi’s Church of the
Assumption, Pope Francis spoke about being strong in our faith, the threats
facing the institution of marriage and warned about the dangers of
proselytizing with our “Orthodox brothers.”
Picking up on the testimony
offered by a group of Catholics, the Pope stressed the importance of being
strong in our faith and passing it on to the next generation, noting that in
many cases it is the grandparents who perform the valuable task of helping to
transmit the faith to the young.
Turning next to the issue of
marriage and the threats against it mentioned by one of the speakers, Pope
Francis said that nowadays there is “a global war to destroy marriage,” saying
the great enemy of marriage today is “gender theory.” This war, he explained,
is not “being waged with weapons but with ideas,” describing them as
ideological colonizations. He warned his listeners against them and said if a
couple is arguing and facing problems in their marriage, they must make peace
before the end of day. Don’t forget, said the Pope, that there are three
golden expressions that can help keep a marriage afloat. These are “May I,
thank you and sorry.”
The question of ecumenism and
the problems it can pose, was another issue discussed by the Pope that had been
mentioned earlier by one of the speakers. Pope Francis told his listeners never
to argue with their Orthodox friends or neighbours and especially warned
Catholics never to try “to convert them.” He described proselytism as “a big
sin against ecumenism” and encouraged his audience to be on friendly terms with
Orthodox believers, to perform works of charity together and never to condemn
them or refuse to greet them on account of who they are.
Pope Francis concluded his
address by touching on the dangers of worldliness, reminding that Jesus had
“spoken out strongly” against this ever present danger facing believers. May
the Lord free us from worldliness, he said, and keep us strong in the faith
that "we received from our mothers and grandmothers."
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