Pope Francis certainly ruffled the feathers of many, especially those in the Protestant sphere of faith, in his interview with CBS news magazine “60 Minutes,” making some rather suspect comments about the goodness of humanity.
The quotes implied that humanity in itself is good, leading many to ask him on social media why then did Jesus have to die on the cross?
“We are all fundamentally good. Yes, there are some rogues and sinners, but the heart itself is good,” says Pope Francis.
Well, this sentiment doesn’t exactly line up with the words of Paul (among others), which are written down in the holy Bible, which is the inerrant Word of God.
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Paul often discusses the “sin nature” of man, as we are born into a sin-cursed world and that the only way we become “good” as the Pope refers to, is through the blood of Jesus Christ, and the only way to live a “good” life is with the empowerment of the Holy Spirit within us.
Even the Old Testament prophet Jeremiah addressed issues with the heart and in turn humanity itself saying:
“The heart is more deceitful than all things and desperately wicked; who can understand it?” in Jeremiah 17:9.
This is far from the only topic the Pope addressed, and is certainly not the only item on the agenda he has raised eyebrows about.
Addressing the widening schism between conservative Catholics and the Vatican, he addressed the outrage that ensued when he removed conservative bishop Joseph Strickland of Tyler, Texas, from his position after publicly feuding with the Pope, and even went so far as to say he was undermining the Catholic faith with his words and actions.
No love appears to have been lost between the two sides, as Pope Francis claims that conservative bishops hold a “suicidal attitude.”
“Conservative is one who clings to something and does not want to see beyond that. It is a suicidal attitude,” says Pope Francis.
“Because one thing is to take tradition into account, to consider situations from the past, but quite another is to be closed up inside a dogmatic box,” he continued.
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James Lasher is Staff Writer for Charisma Media.
