Pope Francis called for reform to take
powers from the Vatican and said Catholics should be more engaged in
helping the needy, but ruled out allowing women priests in a key
document released by the Vatican on Tuesday.
The
Catholic leader said he was seeking advice on how his role should change
-- using an informal style for his first "apostolic exhortation", in
which he outlined his vision for the future of the Roman Catholic
Church.
"It is my duty, as the Bishop of Rome, to be
open to suggestions which can help make the exercise of my ministry more
faithful to the meaning which Jesus Christ wished to give it," the pope
wrote.
Francis said it was time for "a conversion of
the papacy", adding that "excessive centralisation, rather than proving
helpful, complicates the Church's life".
Bishops should
have "genuine doctrinal authority", he said in the document -- a type
of long open letter used by popes to communicate with their faithful.
"We have made little progress in this regard," he said.
The
84-page document did not address many of the hot-button ethical reforms
called for by progressives but Francis did say that the issue of the
priesthood being reserved for men was "not a question open to
discussion".
CHURCH WILL NOT CHANGE POSITION ON ABORTION
On abortion, he also said the Church "cannot be expected to change its position on this question".
But
he added that it should do more "to adequately accompany women in very
difficult situations, where abortion appears as a quick solution".
Francis
has instituted a council of cardinals to advise him on reforms
including a shake-up of the Vatican bureaucracy after a series of
high-profile scandals in recent years and disgruntlement in many local
churches.
The Vatican this month also launched a
worldwide consultation of Catholic dioceses including questions about
pastoral care for same-sex couples, and Francis on Tuesday underlined
the need for churches to keep an open door even without changes to
Catholic doctrine.
Observers underlined the simple
style of the document, which contrasted with that of Francis's more
academic predecessor, pope emeritus Benedict XVI.
"He
has his own style and language. It is almost colloquial in tone, which
reflects a deep pastoral inspiration," said Monsignor Claudio Celli,
head of the Vatican's social communications department.
Monsignor
Rino Fisichella, head of the Vatican's evangelisation efforts, said the
reform of the papacy meant "moving from a bureaucratic, static
administrative vision to a missionary one".
'FREEDOM TO WORSHIP'
In
the document, Francis stressed the importance of the Church's social
message and launched a wide-ranging condemnation of the injustices of
the global economy and modern capitalism -- a key priority for his
papacy.
"The poor and the poorer peoples are accused of
violence, yet without equal opportunities the different forms of
aggression and conflict will find a fertile terrain for growth and
eventually explode," he said.
Turning to other faiths,
Francis said that ties with Islam had taken on "great importance" for
the Catholic Church because of the growing number of Muslim immigrants
in many traditionally Christian countries.
"We
Christians should embrace with affection and respect Muslim immigrants
to our countries in the same way that we hope and ask to be received and
respected in countries of Islamic tradition," he said.
"I
ask and I humbly entreat those countries to grant Christians freedom to
worship and to practice their faith, in light of the freedom which
followers of Islam enjoy in Western countries," he added.
Much
of the exhortation was devoted to spiritual issues, particularly the
need for a more joyful approach to faith reflected in the document's
Latin title "Evangelii Gaudium" (The Joy of the Gospel).
"There
are Christians whose lives seem like Lent without Easter," he said,
adding that the Christian message should not be "a catalogue of sins and
faults" and should be about striving for "the good of others".
The
document included practical tips from Francis for priests on how to
give better homilies as well as a call for them to be closer to their
parishioners.
"Our church doors should always be open,
so that if someone, moved by the Spirit, comes there looking for God, he
or she will not find a closed door," he said.
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