De Omnibus Dubitandum Est.

Giving Amoris Laetitia a rest for a minute, let's go back to 2013 and Pope Francis' first Apostolic Exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium . I've posted before about this troubling passage in the text: "..for authentic Islam and the proper reading of the Koran are opposed to every form of violence.” E.G . n. 253 Is it? Samuel Gregg notes in the National Review that Pope Francis’s fellow Jesuit Samir Khalil Samir (who is no knee-jerk anti-Muslim), writes in his 111 Questions on Islam (2002), Westerners who assert that groups like the Taliban are acting in a manner contrary to the spirit of Islam “usually know little about Islam.” In the Egyptian-born Jesuit’s view, “On the sociohistorical level, from the Qur’an onward, the ordinary meaning of jihad is unequivocal. [It] indicates the Muslim war in the name of God to defend Islam.” Later in the same book, Father Samir underscores that, alongside one tradition in Islam of somewhat limited tolerance towards Jews and C...

Reflecting on the Pope's Apostolic Exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium , I wondered if I might raise a point for discussion? In my last post , I attempted to address the political and economic criticism levelled at the document from some quarters. It appeared to me, that this criticism came from a perspective of those who considered Capitalism as the answer to all the worlds ills, convinced perhaps by its apparent success in the face of historic rivalry from more Marxist based systems.  I attempted to illustrate the consistent criticism of extreme models of Capitalism, along with Socialism, the Church has always exhorted. I did this by referring to perhaps the first criticism of rampant Capitalism in the encyclical of Pope Leo XIII, Rerum novarum   (1891) which was written in the aftermath of the Industrial Revolution and addressed evils like child labour, unsafe working conditions, long hours and health and safety. In many ways, Karl Marx' Communist Manifesto, Das Cap...

The last week has been full of analysis of Pope Francis' first Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudiem . As Jimmy Akin explained, an apostolic exhortation is a papal document that exhorts people to implement a particular aspect of the Church’s life and teaching. Its purpose is not to teach new doctrine, but to suggest how Church teachings and practices can be profitably applied today. Some apostolic exhortations are devoted to the pastoral challenges faced in particular parts of the world (Europe, Africa, Asia, the Americas). Others are devoted to particular themes. Previous apostolic exhortations include: Paul VI’s Evangelii Nuntiandi (on evangelisation today) John Paul II’s Christifideles Laici (on the role of the laity) John Paul II’s Redemptoris Custos (on St. Joseph) Benedict XVI’s Sacramentum Caritatis (on the Eucharist) Benedict XVI’s Verbum Domini (on the Word of God). In terms of its importance, it is of a pastoral nature rather than a doctrinal or le...