Having blasted a self-centered Catholic
Church, Pope Francis on Wednesday, May 22, criticized “intolerant” believers who
think, “If he is not one of us, he cannot do good." The Pope said all human beings, whom God
created, “have this commandment at heart: do good and do not do evil.” He
stressed this applies to “all of us.”
“'But Father, this is not Catholic! He cannot do good.' Yes, he can. He must. Not can: must! Because he has this commandment within him,” Francis said in Wednesday's homily at the Domus Santae Martae, his modest papal residence.
The Pope, who has consistently urged the Church
to “come out of herself,” said intolerance will do the Church no good.
“Instead, this 'closing off' that imagines that
those outside, everyone, cannot do good is a wall that leads to war and also to
what some people throughout history have conceived of: killing in the name of
God. And that, simply, is blasphemy. To say that you can kill in the name of God
is blasphemy.”
Despite differences between believers and
non-believers, he said their common denominator is doing good. He said the
commandment to uphold goodness is a “beautiful path towards peace.”
“If we, each doing our own part, if we do good
to others, if we meet there, doing good, and we go slowly, gently, little by
little, we will make that culture of encounter: we need that so much. We must
meet one another doing good,” Francis said.He continued, with an atheist's possible response in mind: “'But I don't believe, Father, I am an atheist!' But do good: we will meet one another there.”
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