Yahoo! News: Religion News

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• Pope criticizes church emphasis on abortion, gays
• Pope says Church must end obsession with gays, contraception, abortion
• Pope urges more understanding for homosexuality and divorce
• Excerpts from Pope Francis's interview
• Warning from Catholic church to PQ gov't: Be careful what you wish for
• Pope warns church must find new balance or fail
• Pope Francis reflects on priorities, influences
• Why the Pope's groundbreaking comments on gays and abortion are so smart
• Pope warns church must find balance between rules and mercy or "fall like a house of cards"
• Christian leaders urge churches to back Syria peace plan

Pope criticizes church emphasis on abortion, gays Posted: 19 Sep 2013 03:21 PM PDT VATICAN CITY (AP) — Signaling a dramatic shift in Vatican tone, Pope Francis said the Catholic Church had become obsessed by "small-minded rules" about how to be faithful and that pastors should instead emphasize compassion over condemnation when discussing divisive social issues of abortion, gays and contraception.

Pope says Church must end obsession with gays, contraception, abortion Posted: 19 Sep 2013 02:52 PM PDT By Philip Pullella VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis said the Catholic Church must shake off an obsession with teachings on abortion, contraception and homosexuality and become more merciful or risk the collapse of its entire moral edifice "like a house of cards". In a dramatically blunt interview with an Italian Jesuit journal, Francis said the Church had "locked itself up in small things, in small-minded rules" and should not be so prone to condemn. Its priests should be more welcoming and not cold, dogmatic bureaucrats. ...

Pope urges more understanding for homosexuality and divorce Posted: 19 Sep 2013 01:37 PM PDT Pope Francis on Thursday urged "mercy" for homosexuals, divorced people and women who have abortions, saying the Catholic Church had to show understanding for the real conditions of people's lives.

Excerpts from Pope Francis's interview Posted: 19 Sep 2013 12:28 PM PDT VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Following are excerpts from Pope Francis's interview with Jesuit publications on Thursday, as translated by the U.S. Jesuit magazine America: - On himself: "I am a sinner. This is the most accurate definition. It is not a figure of speech, a literary genre. I am a sinner." - On what the Church needs: "I see the church as a field hospital after battle... The church sometimes has locked itself up in small things, in small-minded rules. ...

Warning from Catholic church to PQ gov't: Be careful what you wish for Posted: 19 Sep 2013 12:07 PM PDT MONTREAL - There's a warning from the Catholic church to the Parti Quebecois government: the push for a more secular state could backfire.

Pope warns church must find new balance or fail Posted: 19 Sep 2013 09:48 AM PDT VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis has warned that the Catholic Church's moral structure might "fall like a house of cards" if it doesn't balance its divisive rules about abortion, gays and contraception with the greater need to make it a merciful, more welcoming place for all.

Pope Francis reflects on priorities, influences Posted: 19 Sep 2013 08:04 AM PDT VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis, the first Jesuit pope, reflected on his style, influences and priorities as pope in an interview with La Civilta Cattolica, the Jesuit journal in Rome, which published the remarks Thursday. Here are some highlights:

Why the Pope's groundbreaking comments on gays and abortion are so smart Posted: 19 Sep 2013 08:04 AM PDT Pope Francis shook the Catholic world on Thursday, stating in stark terms that the Church has erred by focusing so heavily on abortion, homosexuality, and contraception, to the detriment of traditional Christian values like helping the poor.

Pope warns church must find balance between rules and mercy or "fall like a house of cards" Posted: 19 Sep 2013 08:01 AM PDT VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis is warning that the Catholic Church's moral edifice might "fall like a house of cards" if it doesn't balance its divisive rules about abortion, gays and contraception with the greater need to make the church a merciful, more welcoming place for all.

Christian leaders urge churches to back Syria peace plan Posted: 19 Sep 2013 07:06 AM PDT By Tom Heneghan, Religion Editor PARIS (Reuters) - The World Council of Churches (WCC) urged its Protestant, Orthodox and Anglican member churches on Thursday to lobby their congregations and national governments to support a political solution to the war in Syria. The Geneva-based WCC made the appeal after a meeting with international envoy for Syria Lakhdar Brahimi and former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who both asked Christian leaders to help mobilize public opinion for peace. The appeal by the WCC, representing about a quarter of the world's 2. ...

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