By Paul Dion, STL
This question gets close to the heart of Roman Catholicism. The Pope is the human leader of the Catholic Church. He is a lot of things to Catholics, not the least of which is being an object of Catholic Faith. To wit, more later.
The question is: "What influence does the Pope have on your personal life?"
You may also feel free to comment on what, if any influence you think that Pope has, or should or should not have, on other people of the world.
Feel free, be honest. This is not an easy question. Give it a shot from the bottom of your heart.
We'd love to hear your thoughts. Share your comments with the rest of the world.
Peace and joy.
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My faith tells me that the Pope is guided by the Holy Spirit in his actions. As the direct descendant of St. Peter, the rock with whom Jesus entrusted His Church, I personally look to the Pope to be the leading authority to guide my faith.
ReplyDeleteHello Paul:
ReplyDeleteFaith led me to Jesus and Mary and the Catholic Church, which is frequently changing dependent on those presently in power, including the currently selected Pope. Without faith, we have nothing. The more faith we have, the more we shall receive.
The love of Jesus is forever within our hearts. Our open expression of this love is sparked by the amount of faith within our heart. It is our constant struggle to fuel this faith with the love Jesus sends us, and as our faith sustains us, we will know in our hearts how to react to the influences bombarding us from those around us, including the Pope, until the day our faith brings us all safely home.
Thank you.
At the risk of being sent to Hell and Immediate Damnation, I'm sory to say that the Pope has little or no influence on my life. Maybe it is because I don't know who he is, what his philosophy is (other than the obvious one); Pope John Paul, on the other hand, had far more of an effect on "my" life, as strange as this may sound, coming from a little Jewish boy: I admired him enormously as a man, his commitment, and his enormous carisma ......
ReplyDeleteI like that question. First of all, I do believe that the Pope is the visible head of the Catholic Church. Catholic meaning universal, he should be listened to by Catholics and non Catholics alike, in respect to how to live our lives here on earth. I personally like the direction that the Popes have given me in my life, by their examples and by what they have written to us in their encyclicals, books and public and private audiences. When I have not agreed with the pope on an issue, it was through ingnorance and when I researched the Bible, the early church fathers and their teachings, etc, I was amazed how right they have been. No, they are not perfect, but Jesus said the gates of hell would not prevail against this (Holy Roman Catholic) Church, and I for one, have to believe that He knows what He is talking about and I just need to trust and go along for the ride with faith and alot of prayer, with the Holy Sacraments and my fellow Catholics to give me strength. In short, I have no problem with the pope(s) and their leadership. In my humble opinion, thanks for the brain/faith exercise...
ReplyDeletePAUL DION'S RECAP OF THIS WEEK'S BURNING QUESTION
ReplyDeleteWonderful contributions by one and all. The Pope is a very exalted position and one that is misunderstood by people of all religions, the Catholics as well as the others.
Allow me to engage my left brain hre for a moment, and then we can get a little more poetic. The Pope is first and foremost a bishop who has been elected by a "jury" of his peers to be the human organizational, governmental and spiritual leader of the Roman Catholic Church, bishops, priests and lay alike.
The Pope is the bishop of the diocese of Rome and the supreme bishop among all the other bishops in the world. The Pope is the Chief executive of Vatican City. The Pope is the court of final appeal for the settlement of ecclesiastical disputes among the Catholic people.
The Pope is the carrier and the pronouncer of the final word with regards articles of faith and morals.
He is not the "tie-breaker". There are no "ties" in the Church. The Pope is the Head Teacher of faith and morals. No one can teach in the Church without his direct or indirect delegation.
The Pope is the Lead Apostle in the dissemination of the "Good News" in accordance with the mission given to the Apostles by Jesus.
The Pope has influence across all beliefs in the world because he is the lead apostle for the truth that was brought to the world by Jesus. He has influence on all Catholics who believe in him because he is an object of faith for Catholics; there are those who feel his influence more because they read his public pronouncements and there are those who feel his influence because they catch the news about him on the internet, such as is found here http://www.chiesa.espressonline.it. Try it, you might like it.
The Pope position is an elected by peers of the Church. Some good some not so good.
ReplyDeleteHe is the leader of the church business. I do not follow all doctrines of the church because I choose not to. I do not argue them in public, but a person that has the ability has to manage with their own minds and heart.
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