De Omnibus Dubitandum Est.

It appears I am not the only one impressed with Pope Francis's new encyclical. I had to share this pastoral message from Bishop Phillip Egan of Portsmouth. The man is a God-send, really speaking out for the faith and making so much sense! He has published this brilliant Pastoral Message on Lumen Fidei which I really do recommend you read in its entirety. I have added emphasis in bold type for especially powerful parts of his message, and my own interjections in red . PASTORAL MESSAGE TO WELCOME ‘ LUMEN FIDEI ’ The following is a Pastoral Message from Bishop Philip to the priests and people of the Diocese of Portsmouth on the publication of Pope Francis’ first encyclical, Lumen Fidei . This Pastoral Message was issued on 9th July, 2013. The encyclical is available online from [the Vatican Website here ] Dear Sisters and Brothers in Faith, On 29th June this year, the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul, Pope Francis published his first Encyclical Letter to the Church, calle...

Some great stuff in Pope Francis' Encyclical. I thought I might post snippets as they strike me as important: 'Idols exist, we begin to see, as a pretext for setting ourselves at the centre of reality and worshiping the work of our own hands. Once man has lost the fundamental orientation which unifies his existence, he breaks down into the multiplicity of his desires; in refusing to await the time of promise, his life-story disintegrates into a myriad of unconnected instants. Idolatry, then, is always polytheism, an aimless passing from one lord to another. Idolatry does not offer a journey but rather a plethora of paths leading nowhere and forming a vast labyrinth. Those who choose not to put their trust in God must hear the din of countless idols crying out: "Put your trust in me!" Faith, tied as it is to conversion, is the opposite of idolatry; it breaks with idols to turn to the living God in a personal encounter. Believing means entrusting oneself to a mercif...

The Pope's new encyclical-- Lumen Fidei , or the 'Light of Faith' is released today in English. Encyclicals are open, Papal letters, addressed to the world. John Paul II published fourteen, Benedict XVI published three. It reflects on the 'Year of Faith' and was started by Benedict XVI when he was still Pope. After his resignation, the document was passed on to Pope Francis who has added some content to the text, and signed it on June 29th. The encyclical is divided into sixty points, with an introduction, four chapters and a conclusion. From an initial scan it looks really good, though to get the most out of these letters you really need to sit down with a red pen and a paper copy and concentrate. You can read the full text here . From Rome Reports: